---
title: "Train Wi-Fi slow on Mac: test it, save data or use your hotspot · Kilobat Guides"
url: "https://kilobat.app/es/guides/train-wifi-mac"
description: "Train Wi-Fi is shared by many passengers and drops along the route. Test it, get more from it, and know when your phone's hotspot is the better choice."
---

# Wi-Fi del tren en un Mac: hazlo usable o pasa a tu punto de acceso

Train Wi-Fi usually reaches the internet over mobile networks along the track. All the passengers share that connection, so it is often slow.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. Instant Hotspot needs an iPhone or a cellular iPad with the same Apple Account as the Mac. · Revisado: 29 de octubre de 2026

## Síntomas

- The Mac joins and signs in, but pages load slowly or not at all.
- Calls freeze and uploads stop.
- The connection drops in tunnels and between stations, then comes back.
- The sign-in page appears again after some time.

## Causas probables

- **A shared connection.** The train's connection serves all its passengers. A full train leaves little speed for each device.
- **Gaps in mobile coverage.** Tunnels, cuttings and rural areas interrupt the mobile networks that the train uses.
- **Limits from the operator.** Some operators limit the speed, the data or the time for each device. Some block streaming.
- **The sign-in, a VPN or custom DNS.** Train Wi-Fi often has a sign-in page. A VPN or custom DNS can hide it, as on other public networks.
- **Background data on the Mac.** Sync, backups and updates use the same small connection as your work.

## Cómo comprobarlo

1. In a browser, open http://captive.apple.com. If the operator's page opens, sign in.
2. Run Apple's speed test. Write down the result.

   ```
   networkQuality
   ```
3. Mira qué procesos usan la red ahora. Pulsa q para salir.

   ```
   nettop -P -d
   ```
4. Look at the mobile signal on your phone. Strong signal and few passengers can make the hotspot faster.

## Cómo solucionarlo

1. Turn on Low Data Mode for the train network. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Wi-Fi.
2. Click Details next to the train network. Turn on Low data mode. Click OK.
3. Pause sync, backups and updates until you are on a better network.
4. In calls, turn off your camera. Audio uses much less of the connection.
5. If the train Wi-Fi is too slow, click the Wi-Fi icon. Choose your iPhone under Personal Hotspot.
6. Run the same speed test on the hotspot. Keep the faster of the two.
7. To stop the Mac from going back to the train Wi-Fi, open its Details. Turn off Automatically join this network.
8. On the hotspot, pause the apps that use data in the background. See [Mac uses Personal Hotspot data in the background](https://kilobat.app/es/guides/hotspot-background-data).
9. In tunnels and remote areas, the hotspot can drop too. Save your work before them.

## Con Kilobat

1. Find which part is slow: Wi-Fi, the router, the internet, DNS or the sign-in page.

   ```
   kilobat diagnose
   ```
2. Check the sign-in page, and whether the network logged you out after an earlier sign-in.

   ```
   kilobat portal
   ```
3. Test the speed with a limit on the data that the test uses.

   ```
   kilobat speedtest --budget-mb 10
   ```
4. Mira la subida y la descarga en directo de cada app. Pulsa q para salir.

   ```
   kilobat status --watch
   ```
5. Mark the train network as metered. Kilobat then treats it like a hotspot.

   ```
   kilobat networks cost metered
   ```
6. For travel data packs, see [Working from anywhere with a Mac: eSIMs, phone hotspots and making data last](https://kilobat.app/es/guides/work-from-anywhere-mac-mobile-data).

## Preguntas

**Is train Wi-Fi or my hotspot faster?**

It depends on the route, the time and your carrier. Test both with the same test, then keep the faster one.

**Does train Wi-Fi use my phone's data?**

No. Train Wi-Fi does not use your data plan. The Personal Hotspot does.

**Is train Wi-Fi safe for work?**

Pages with https hide their contents from the network. Turn on a VPN after you sign in, if your work needs one.

## Fuentes

- [Apple Developer News: How to modernize your captive network (22 de junio de 2020)](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=q78sq5rv)
- [Soporte de Apple: Ajustes de Wi-Fi en el Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/wi-fi-settings-on-mac-mh11935/mac)
- [Soporte de Apple: conectarse a Compartir Internet de un iPhone o iPad](https://support.apple.com/en-us/111785)
- [Soporte de Apple: Usar Compartir Internet Instantáneo para conectarte a Compartir Internet](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109321)
- [Apple Developer: NWPath isExpensive](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/network/nwpath/isexpensive)
- networkQuality(8) and nettop(1), man page installed with macOS 27.2

Comprobado el 29 de octubre de 2026.

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- [El punto de acceso del iPhone no aparece en el Mac](https://kilobat.app/es/guides/instant-hotspot-not-showing): Compartir Internet Instantáneo permite que un Mac se conecte al punto de acceso de tu iPhone o iPad sin contraseña.
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