CarZi

Wi-Fi Car Router – Chrysler’s $499 EVDO & WiMAX Car Internet is HERE!

Chrysler will begin selling a Mopar car EVDO Cellular Wi-Fi router, starting August 25th. The router by (Autonet) will cost $499 and will use EVDO & WiMAX signals and as usual, everyone gets nailed with a $35 activation fee.

The router will be compatible with all 2009 Chrysler vehicles and earlier-year models. Customers will be able to order new cars with this as an option or have older cars retrofitted for $35-$50.

The service will be sold by Chrysler as “Uconnect Web” which creates an EV-DO cellular connection which is then converted to Wi-Fi so that many passengers in the car can get secure Web access on their laptops, video game devices and other equipment, simultaneously, without wires, said Sterling Pratz, CEO of Autonet Mobile, which supplies the device to Chrysler. Autonet Mobile plans to offer a car hot spot for other new cars next year through a partnership deal with Delphi.

“Like it or not, and not many automotive executives do, the Internet is coming to the automobile,” said Phil Magney, automotive VP for analyst firm TRG - now part of iSuppli. “The tentative first steps are coming from the likes of BMW in Europe, with plans to deliver the Internet on wheels to American BMW buyers some time in the future.”

The router will be mounted in the trunk, and an antenna will be mounted on the vehicle.
It will deliver download speeds from 400kbps to 800kbps with upload speeds averaging 400kbps. The Wi-Fi service operates within 100 feet of the car and the Wi-Fi connection is secured with WEP and other encryptions. Pratz said his system can be converted to work on all cellular and WiMAX networks.

Related Posts – Note How I beat NYT and Wired To The Story
Caution: Driver May Be Surfing the Web (New York Times)
Chrysler’s In-Car WiFi Won’t Change Where You Surf … Yet (Wired)

[Source: CrunchGear, Twice.com, Wired.com, AutonetMobile.com]