Do hospitals have wifi?

Castiel said:
In many Hospitals the use of Mobile phones etc is prohibited in specific areas and around specific equipment. It is usually clearly marked.

The use of 3G dongles and Mobiles in wards in our local hospital has been allowed for some time. (within reason)
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In theory specific areas like operating rooms should be shielded anyhow (which isn't hard to do) theres no good reason really to ban mobile useage ad hoc (phones shouldn't really be a problem usually but police, ambulance, etc. short wave can potentially be when in close proximity).
 
Wifi is not needed really - most people have a smartphone with internet so you can just tether the connection and create your own wifi hotspot - you could even charge other patients to use it anyway :p

Thats what I do when I travel round the UK anyway and the hotel doesnt have free wifi.
 
John Radcliffe in Oxford has wifi, provided by BT. It's slow as heck though. 3G dongle is actually faster, except you can't get a signal anywhere in the hospital :mad:.
 
Mobile phones used to be banned in hospitals, as it was unknown as to the effect on essential equipment. However, it was recently rescinded, maybe last year iirc. There is no known effects of the mobile phone signals on hospital equipment. I do believe that ICU's etc still have a restriction on phones, but thats probably a 'just in case' attitude.
 
If using a laptop + dongle have a think about what you're going to do with it when you're asleep or not at your bed (having a walk, shower etc).

Hospitals aren't the most secure of places.

KNiVES said:
Actually, the UN has said access to the internet is a basic human right now.
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Yes, you're free to use your phone to access the internet :-)
 
dmpoole said:
I don't know the hospital you're on about but here in Stoke there is no way you could plug into an ethernet port and get anything.
We have 3500 Dell computers on our site that are locked down securely with Sophos encryption and I'd be very surprised that any hospital is different.
Security is that tight that I'm one of only 5 people who are allowed to burn data to CD's (so IT told me).
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I'd hope the TV's were on a totally different network to the TV systems :eek:

Trifid said:
I will be shocked if they are not using at least a proxy server with domain authentication. The hospital will also be in breach of several policies that they have to abide by.
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I'm not to sure they would have a domain setup for the tv's, that would add a huge licensing costs.
A proxy you'd expect but i'm only going off what he said and he wasnt the sort to bull **** about those things. :)
It was Milton Keynes hospital if anyone wants to try it.
 
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LizardKing said:
I'd hope the TV's were on a totally different network to the TV systems :eek:



I'm not to sure they would have a domain setup for the tv's, that would add a huge licensing costs.
A proxy you'd expect but i'm only going off what he said and he wasnt the sort to bull **** about those things. :)
It was Milton Keynes hospital if anyone wants to try it.
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I read it as they had a ethernet port on the side of the TVs and he plugged it into the hospital network instead of using the provided connection? Not what he should be doing anyway there shouldn't be a direct route out onto the internet on the hospital network. Our TVs don't have internet on them so I would not like to comment further on them.


jellybeard999 said:
I thought phone signals etc interfered with equipment, which is why you're supposed to switch them off. Won't wifi be the same?
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As has already been said, a lot of the 'sensitive equipment' runs on wifi already.
 
The other reason with phones I believe is the annoyance factor.

Last thing you want in a busy ER department is phones going off and people standing around making calls etc.

On a ward though where you are bed ridden almost all day, you are usually fine to use them.
 
Im posting from hospital right now coincedentally!

Stuck in, lost 25kg of body weight in three months, suspected internal pelvic or abcesses in my J-Pouch.

Not a happy chappy.

My GF left her HTC fone for me, and its amazing how you can use it as a wireless hotspot and connect ur laptop up to it.

Given that the priority is to make sick people better in hospital, I would be very very angry if "free wifi" was even considered, would be a complete waste of money not to mention the administrative overhead. If you want the internet that bad then just get a dongle or smart fone!

Oh god, need more morphine for the pain..... had a bacon roll despite the fact im being fed through the vein, but I am paying the price now..... grrr :(
 
Dr. Pain said:
Given that the priority is to make sick people better in hospital, I would be very very angry if "free wifi" was even considered, would be a complete waste of money not to mention the administrative overhead. If you want the internet that bad then just get a dongle or smart fone!

Oh god, need more morphine for the pain..... had a bacon roll despite the fact im being fed through the vein, but I am paying the price now..... grrr :(
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Slightly ironic post, no?

You complain about wasted money yet you admit your current pain is self inflicted and want drugs paid for by taxpayers for it?
 
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