Trenitalia - Frecciargento and Frecciarossa WiFi

1. Activate the WiFi on your device and select "WiFi Frecciarossa” (if on board a Frecciarossa train) or “WiFi Frecciargento" (if on a Frecciargento) network from the available connections list. 
2. Follow the prompt message or launch your Internet browser, you should see the home page of “Le Frecce” – the onboard entertainment portal. If this doesn’t happen, you can enter it manually in the search bar using the following URLs: portalefrecciarossa.it or portalefrecciargento.it. If this doesn’t work, try to disable the Proxy (if it’s active) by going into your device settings > (options) > Network (or mobile) settings or to empty the cache.  
3. Now you’ll be required to choose a method to obtain a first-time “access code”. Don’t worry – you’ll have to do this step only once. You can choose between entering your mobile phone number (and then receive the access code via SMS) or by entering your credit card details (and then receive the access code via email). Follow the instructions on the screen to complete your account set up. 
4. You can now surf for 24 hours on all the Frecciarossa and Frecciargento trains! After 24 hours you’ll be asked to log in into the portal again with your credentials.

The WiFi service on Frecciarossa and Frecciargento trains is free. If you enter your phone number to activate your first-time access, there are no costs for using the WiFi. On the other hand, if you enter your credit card information you’ll be charged a one-time fee of €0.01 – this is the minimum amount required to complete a transaction with a credit card and ensure the correct identification of the owner. It doesn’t represent the cost for the WiFi service, which is free.

All the services of the FRECCE portal are free. Remember that you'll need to register your credentials the first time you use the portal. You can access the portal via PC, Mac, Tablet and Smartphone – and it’s also available as an App which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. The portal is compatible with the main browsers, such as Chrome, Mozilla, Explorer and Safari. 

The onboard entertainment offer includes: 

• Cinema: Movies and TV programmes 
• Digital newsstand: national newspapers and magazines, The International New York Times is available in English, likewise with a handful of magazines 
• Music: playlists of Italian and international music 
• News: videos and articles about today’s news, also available in English  
• Travel information 

For Business…

I’ve been using the onboard Frecciarossa and Frecciargento WiFi service for work on my journeys from Milan to Rome, Rome to Naples and Milan to Turin. I’m so satisfied with the service: it worked perfectly with Google Chrome, and I was able to use the MS Office suite (including Outlook) without any fuss. My messaging tool (Slack) took a bit longer than usual to connect, but once up it ran smoothly and kept me connected to my colleagues. However, the service can cut off if you pass under a tunnel so consider this if you are planning a VoIP call. I’d recommend the Frecciarossa and Frecciargento WiFi service to anyone who needs to get that all-important work done while travelling. If you can, book a seat in the Business seating section. It usually costs more than the Standard and Premium sections, but it’s worth it thanks to the larger seats and quieter coaches, which make it a better work environment.

For Pleasure…

The onboard entertainment portal “Le Frecce” hasn’t let me down during my trips along the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts. If you’re in Italy on holiday, why not use your travel time to learn more about the country? In the “movies” section of the portal, there’s a wide selection of recent Italian movies with English subtitles, while on the “TV programmes” section there’s usually a series about the most beautiful towns in Italy called “I borghi più belli d’Italia”. In the “music videos” section you can find music videos of the latest Italian acts (some of which are questionable), but definitely interesting!