MadStad Wi-Fi

[Green]

Reading pride themselves on being innovative and forward thinking

[Alexander Litvinenko]

I seem to get full signal in the stadium but I can never actually access the interwebs for some reason.

That reason is that everyone else on the same network who is trying to do this is attached to the same mobile base station (mast), and so you're all fighting for the same internet bandwidth at that base station. When there's enough of you connected that it's saturated, none of you get anything. But the "signal strength" is effectively the carrier - strength of connection to the base station - there's no indication given of what share of capacity is available.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Reading pride themselves on being innovative and forward thinking

That's what they say and that's what they do aim for. And, tbf, in comparison to many other clubs they are incredibly innovative and forward thinking.

Football in general isn't an industry that does innovation or long-term thinking very well.

[soggy biscuit]

Why does anyone want wi-fi at the match?

Is it the same people that simply can't manage a 90 minute football game without guzzling down their extra large drinks and Madejski burgers?

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Why does anyone want wi-fi at the match?

Is it the same people that simply can't manage a 90 minute football game without guzzling down their extra large drinks and Madejski burgers?

it's the people who can't go 5 minutes without posting on Facebook "At the football", just "sat down", "just stood up again" etc etc

Or alternatively it's people who can't bear to watch us being destroyed by the opposition, and prefer to follow the match on the official Facebook feed, where we're never outplayed and all the goals we concede are unlucky ones against the run of play.

[royalZILLAAA]

Why does anyone want wi-fi at the match?

Is it the same people that simply can't manage a 90 minute football game without guzzling down their extra large drinks and Madejski burgers?

Checking other results and checking odds are two perfectly acceptable reasons for seeing WiFi as a bonus for fans.
It's not necessarily all about social media. Although being able to use WhatsApp is a plus.

[RoyalTank]

There has been multiple times this season when we have gone ahead and I have tried to lump money on the other team but couldn't connect to the internet. I should really send a bill to the club and get some compensation for how much money I have not won.

[paultheroyal]

Why does anyone want wi-fi at the match?

Is it the same people that simply can't manage a 90 minute football game without guzzling down their extra large drinks and Madejski burgers?

Checking other results and checking odds are two perfectly acceptable reasons for seeing WiFi as a bonus for fans.
It's not necessarily all about social media. Although being able to use WhatsApp is a plus.

This.

[soggy biscuit]

Why does anyone want wi-fi at the match?

Is it the same people that simply can't manage a 90 minute football game without guzzling down their extra large drinks and Madejski burgers?

Checking other results and checking odds are two perfectly acceptable reasons for seeing WiFi as a bonus for fans.
It's not necessarily all about social media. Although being able to use WhatsApp is a plus.

Top 2 divisions scores are put on the big screen at halftime, I believe Soccer Saturday runs on the screens on the concourse showing all the other scores.

[royalZILLAAA]

Time to come clean about the fact that I'm not a gamblin' man, I was just playing devil's advocate. If I was a gamblin' man, I'd probably respond with:
"you mean I have to get up and walk all the way to the concourse? And miss some of the thrilling action?"

[West Stand Man]

I've already seen a few mongs with their iPads watching United etc while sat in the East Stand.

No to wifi, no to phone signal, no to clappers, no to spasticstix, no to seating.

While sitting in the East Stand or while they sat in the East Stand. Simple grammar really.

[St. Brynjar]

I've already seen a few mongs with their iPads watching United etc while sat in the East Stand.

No to wifi, no to phone signal, no to clappers, no to spasticstix, no to seating.

While sitting in the East Stand or while they sat in the East Stand. Simple grammar really.

You must be having a really sh*t day.

[West Stand Man]

You must be having a really sh*t day.

Far from it. How are you.

[Stuka]

Make the Madejski Stadium a mobile device free zone. Install blockers so no signal can get through.

[Albert Spangler]

I'm all over this. I tweet all through the game because watching Reading is so fricking dull.

[Terminal Boardom]

Given the number of people there I'm not sure wifi is the way to go, that gets as saturated. They need a picocell 3G or 4G solution like at the Olympic stadium.

I worked on that project Certainly wasn't 4G though and that is something I would avoid like the plague. The installation at the Olympic Park also covered a number of other venues. Quite frankly, the mobile infrastructure required to service crowds of 20k plus, in addition to the work required within the stadium installing antennae pitchside, in concourses and outside the stadium would take ages and could not be done during a pre-season.

[weybridgewanderer]

It'd be expensive, and I can't see them doing it for free (i.e. they'd need to get you to pay for the connectivity one way or another) but Reading pride themselves on being innovative and forward thinking, and being based in the heart of the UK's Silicon Valley perhaps this is something they ought to be thinking about. There are some significant benefits for marketing to subscribers, too, so I'm sure a business case could be made for this.

Surely one of these Hi Tech companies in the UKs Silicon valley could be approached about sponsoring such a service, therefore making it available to fans for free, or minimal cost.