Optimize the Train Passenger Convenience with Mobile Portal

By UKM Student English Forum

Editor UKM Student English Forum

BANDUNG, itb.ac.id - Train is one of the most popular transportation modal in Indonesia society. Despite its speed, train also has convenient facilities to its passengers. Inspired to create a work that will add value for train customers, Dr. Tutun Juhana from School of Electrical and Informatics Engienering (STEI) ITB tried to develop mobile portal technology which applied for train passenger.

The research on mobile portal is a server that can be saved in vehicle and can be applied to the needs of transportation passengers. This facility will create benefit as additional service for passengers since it enables them to access several facilities from mobile phone that connected with interface WiFi or Bluetooth.

Mobile portal is developed with Soekris type motherboard which consists of processor, storage media, WiFi card, bluetooth, and voltage source. The mobile portal is put in the front of train and the performance will be measured. The measurement shows that WiFi signal includes the front side of train.

The farthest WiFi signal strength from the mobile portal is around 56 dB and still above the maximum receiver sensitivity. The access speed for WiFi is also around 5,8 Mbps for ad-hoc mode and 8,7 Mbps for master mode. The access speed for WiFi users is . If it is used parallel, the speed access will become 120,69 Kbps for 28 parallel usage. 

However, if one use Bluetooth interface, the speed access will decrease according to the increase of distance between mobile portal and the user. The reduction of speed access will increase if the WiFi and Bluetooth are used simultaneously. The speed access with WiFi will reduce to 11,82% and 74,05% with Bluetooth.

Supporting Facilities

Based on the research, Tutun said that mobile portal technology has great potency to be developed in the future. "The application to access technology can be adjusted with the train needs such as passenger device to order the food." said Tutun.

Despite the facility, the application also can be developed to audio streaming and chatting facilities. "What is unique is the passenger who use low-end mobile phone with only Bluetooth facility can take advantage of those facilities." said Tutun.

The research is delivered by Dr. Tutun Juhana on the STEI and PPTIK Research Publication Seminar 2010 which is held on 16 December 2010.

Scheme: Advances in Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Volume III, 2010