Wi-Fi, iPad and email in flight?

I read - here in this forum I think - that one COULD get an iPad with Wi-Fi only - no cellular and therefore no GPS chip - and still get position updates displayed on the iPad.

Well, if the Wi-Fi is working, does that mean one can send emails from the airplane while in flight and not violate rules? Seems that making a cell phone call from the air is frowned upon - or even having the cell phone one as it flood towers for miles around.

But can one Wi-Fi email from the air?

Thanks

Some devices use the wifi connectivity to communicate with he ipad for GPS position and things like that, but those devices don't have internet access. Wifi doesn't mean internet. It is just a format of communication between devices.

Ah so what you are saying is that while Wi-Fi is a communications method, the iPad inteh airplane is not communicating with the internet or even via the internet? It does get your position by triangulation with Wi-Fi towers, if what I read was correct.

There are no "wifi towers". Wifi location only works when you are near "hotspots" like businesses and homes, and then are still unreliable. A wifi-only ipad needs to be paired with a wifi "hotspot" like one would have in their home or office, which is then connected via hardline to the internet. But you generally need a password to connect to these.

A cellular enabled ipad may or may not get decent reception in the plane, but i would not count on it for reliable internet access in the air. Also, cellular enabled ipads get their location from a built-in GPS chip that the wifi-only devices do not have.

Hope that helps

Chris

If you have, say, a stratus, it connects to the ipad via wifi and gives it a GPS location. The only way to get GPS location with a wifi only ipad is by having an external GPS that either plugs into it, connects via Bluetooth or connects via wifi.

I use a WIFI only iPad to navigate (Foreflight) using a dual GPS receiver that bluetooths position info to my iPad. It's not WIFI, it's bluetooth. My iPad doesn't have 3G, so therefore no internal GPS, but talks to an external Bluetooth GPS for position information.

As far as email is concerned, my iPhone is sometimes able to link to cell towers and send or receive calls, emails, and texts in flight (3G). I've even sent pictures via text message in flight that I've taken while flying. This type coverage is hit and miss depending on cell towers and probably altitude.

Iridium

Like said above, if you have an iPad that does not have built in cell service or gps, you can still connect to an external gps like the Stratus, or a number of other gps's via Bluetooth or wifi. The stratus ll will also give you weather and even limited traffic. If you have a ads-b out transponder, it will give you traffic specific for your plane. ( it woks as an ads-b in).
The stratus also gives you TFR's's and notams in flight.
One other feature of the stratus ll is it will double as a backup glass cockpit with attitude indicator and terrain. Split screen or full screen right from Foreflight.

If you want in flight internet, text and phone, you can go with one of the new Iridiun units. You can check them out at sporty"'s.com. This is a satellite receiver that will give you all of these. It will support 5 devises at once and works at all flight altitudes. I hear it's made by the same people that build the stratus.

Thanks everyone

Thanks for all the useful information, everyone. I'll look into the Iridium units.

Saville, what problem(s) is/are you trying to solve? Depending on what exactly you want to do, and where you fly, there may be some options that make more sense than others, especially in SoCal where mobile Internet service from the carriers is pretty easy to take advantage of.

Which of these are your requirements and which are nice to have? Anything missed on the list?

GPS signal and data for apps running on the iPad
Always up to date aviation weather information on the iPad
Aircraft traffic information displayed on the iPad
Send and receive emails on the iPad
Send and receive text messages on the iPad
Web site browsing from the iPad

The fact is, you can buy external devices that do multiple things all in one device, and they are all slightly different, so what really determines the best options is the list of things you need/want to accomplish. If you need to be able to make calls from the cockpit reliably no matter what, Iridium is the best reliable (and most expensive) option. If you really just need GPS location and maybe ADS-B, it's a completely different need. If email and web access in the plane is important, there are a few options available with different performance traits.

greghughespdx said:

Saville, what problem(s) is/are you trying to solve?

Which of these are your requirements and which are nice to have? Anything missed on the list?

GPS signal and data for apps running on the iPad
Always up to date aviation weather information on the iPad
Aircraft traffic information displayed on the iPad
Send and receive emails on the iPad
Send and receive text messages on the iPad
Web site browsing from the iPad

.

Click to expand...

Not actuyally trying to solve a problem. I was just wondering if emailing from flight is possible with an iPad and foreflight/stratus etc.

To prioritize your list I would say that if I were to go the iPad route the list would look like this:

Must Have:

GPS signal and data for apps running on the iPad
Always up to date aviation weather information on the iPad


Important:

Aircraft traffic information displayed on the iPad



Would be really cool and useful if I could:

Send and receive emails on the iPad
Send and receive text messages on the iPad


Don't want in the slightest:


Web site browsing from the iPad

Depending on your carrier and altitude you may get some coverage over larger metro areas. I have successfully sent and received text, emails, and eve ahem downloaded approach plates while en route

The only way to get somewhat reliable internet service in the air is to obtain satellite based services, usually from the Iridium constellation.

They offer text based messaging, and recently started an app that does voice calls. All this comes at a price though.

The latest and greatest from them is Iriduim Go, which does everything you want, and some things you don't:

https://www.iridium.com/products/Iridium-GO.aspx?section=support

Iridium services are resold through 3rd party vendors, click on "where to buy".

But this would also give you a way to get all the weather information you'd like ... via the web.

The other ways to get current weather in the cockpit are ADS-B and XM. There's the Stratus Receiver for ADS-B:

http://www.foreflight.com/stratus

And for XM:

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/16956?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia

The receivers for all these things seems to hover in the same price range ... for purchase. XM has subscription costs (for weather and music only), Iridium also has ongoing costs (per minute, per message, etc.) but you get "everything", and ADS-B is free, but it's just weather and traffic.

Hope this helps!

Oh and Iridium GO also does emergency services, like what SPOT offers.