Chrysler takes Wi-Fi on the road

Chrysler is turning cars and trucks into wireless hot spots.

The company announced Thursday a new feature that will let people purchase a "Uconnect" in-car wireless system as part of a dealer upgrade in 20 various 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models.

The system offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity within the car to allow people to sync their cell phone address books with the car's 30GB hard drive or control their Apple iPods using the radio and steering wheel controls. And it provides navigation and real-time traffic features that can be controlled by voice recognition or a touch screen.

Using a cell phone network, the Wi-Fi hot spot can also be connected to the Internet, allowing passengers using laptops to surf the Web. My guess is that other Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as the iPhone and iPod Touch will also be able to use the in-car Wi-Fi to connect to the Net.

Chrysler didn't mention which cell phone network will be used to provide the Internet access. And it didn't list prices for the service, which will likely charge a monthly fee, according to an Associated Press article.

But pricing could be comparable to what is charged for the OnStar navigation and emergency roadside service. That costs between $17 and $70 per month. Or it could be priced similarly to satellite radio, which costs just under $13 per month.

Using Wi-Fi as the Internet access technology inside the car is a good idea, since almost every consumer electronic device these days has a Wi-Fi chip embedded. Wi-Fi is also shipped as a standard feature in most, if not, all laptops today. By contrast, the market for pre-installed 3G wireless in laptops has been relatively small.

I saw a similar in-car wireless system work with WiMax as part of an Intel/Motorola sponsored demonstration at CTIA in Las Vegas earlier this year. The purpose of the demo was to show how well WiMax works, but it used Wi-Fi inside the car to connect laptops and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the Net using WiMax.

I have to admit, turning the car into a hot spot was pretty cool. I was able to access Web sites and listen to the Web rebroadcast of National Public Radio's "Morning Edition." It was also easy to access Google Maps on the Web for navigation. And in this particular demo they showed how video could be streamed to watch movies on demand. Of course, Chrysler's system uses the 3G cell network instead of a high-speed WiMax network, so streaming audio and video won't likely work well. But it's still a very cool feature.

That said, I think price will be a major factor in whether the new feature and service are a success. As gas surpasses $4 a gallon in much of the country and the economy hits the skids, car sales are already in a slump. And if current trends continue, consumers will likely be more interested in getting better gas mileage than a potentially pricey in-car Wi-Fi system with Internet service that charges a monthly fee.

[zgreenwell]

I like the idea, but I'm not in the car enough to use it anyway. Even if I were I'd be wanting to pay someone else to drive so I could play over Xbox Live in the back while going to and from places I had to be at.

[TotallyMadeUpName]

Great. We already have to worry about some idiot jabbering away on his cell phone not paying attention to the business at hand (driving a 2 ton chunk of steel), now we get to worry about them surfing the web.

Chrysler as said that this is only for passengers to use while the car is in motion. That the driver is supposed to pull over if they need to use the web. Yeah, right.

[bryanwalker]

Chrysler (and the other American automobile manufacturers) are going to need A LOT more then mobile WiFi to sell their crappy vehicles and actually place competition on their foreign counterparts. Right now the American automobile manufacturers should be concentrating on building a HIGH QUALITY vehicle and quit worrying about amenities inside the vehicle!

I bought the LAST American made vehicle I will ever purchase 5 years ago and it didn't take long for me to trade it in on a foreign vehicle, which by the way I love my Acura TL!

[crazy_looie]

Imports are overpriced, overweight, and horribly overrated. All import lovers are fools and retromingents.

Also, all this tomfoolery in a car is a colossal load of crapola. Just shut up and drive and pay attention. Radio, OK. The rest of it is useless and dangerous.

[repo4sale]

Great Feature if the Driver is not using the wifi-accessories! But the GPS link would be fantastic!

I'm on the road analyzing foreclosure property all the time, and this would make my "investing" super easy!

[Hd_over_fiber]

This stuff isn't exactly new. These guys have been doing it for about a year now.

http://www.autonetmobile.com/faq

I think the monthly subscription costs and expensive hardware will scare most people away from this.

[FS1982!]

This is going to be a huge step in a very undeveloped area. Mark my words Satellite Radio, local radio say buh-bye (FINALLY!) and hello to internet radio in your car. Additionally netflix, Xbox Live, Google Maps, possibly YouTube...no more bored people in the car that's for sure. Not to mention real time traffic with real-time traffic updates from passengers in cars ahead, beside, behind you. You'll know about wrecks the moment they happen and be able to bypass them quickly. One last question that is not my area of expertise...what about VOIP? Could this possibly be incorporated your car? Imagine that home, work, car, all with Skype or some sort of service like that! I could only dream of that time when communicating with friends and family is appropriately priced and we're all not subject to paying high prices just to talk....[in my best Braveheart voice]....FREEEDOM!

[pretenderkc]

i agreed with BryanW. GM should be putting quality vehicle on top of their list instead of some useless stuff that people can get with the laptop and AIRCARD. if people have to pay for the wi-fi, it's cheaper for them to get an aircard. the end-users can use it in the car (if they choose) or anywhere else and not just restricted inside the car and stuck with the high monthly service.

[crazy_looie]

FS1892:

All that junk is usless and doesn't belong in a car. Why don't you add a bidet and a 50" plasma screen. Driving is serious business, not fun and games.

[JohnMcGrew]

Why is it that the American cars I've owned over the last 25 years struggle to make it past 100k miles without frequent and expensive repairs whereas my import cars have all effortlessly made it past 200k?

[crazy_looie]

BryanW and all the import lovers are brainwashed. Imports are overpriced, overrated and overbose. American cars are the best and I will never own a Honda. The lines at the service bays are too long.

[partytildawn-20159620461052270]

OnStar is extremely overpriced and poorly managed. I don't see this new WiFi network being operated any more efficiently or effectively.

[raveneye74]

If they can make cars with wifi spots, why not install them on public transportation vehicles? There would be more incentive for people to use mass transportation if they can be productive on their way to work (albeit there would be more iPod Touch/Laptop thefts).

The one thing that excites me about this is that I might be able to get internet radio in the car.

[Kevtime]

Out of the box but this is great news. It could spell the end of satellite radio and terrestrial radio. It could also lead to the Golden Age of Internet radio. Think about it: You'll be able to listen to one of about 30,000 streaming music stations in your car.

[Kevtime]

Oh, and it's not WiFI. It's technically called WiMAX. Google it and you'll see it's been around for quite a while.

[JohnMcGrew]

Hey crazy: Why is it that the American cars that I've owned over the last 25 years struggle to make it past 100k miles, wheras the imports just chug along past 200k before I get rid of them only because the paint's finally faded too much?

[thomatt12]

Wi-fi on the go while on the car - definitely a good idea! This will surely be useful for people who are always on the go like me. I can check my email and I can check <a href="www.speedyperformanceparts.com/">performance parts</a> for my car while driving and cruising around.

[thomatt12]

Wi-fi on the go while on the car - definitely a good idea! This will surely be useful for people who are always on the go like me. I can check my email and I can check <a href="www.speedyperformanceparts.com/">performance parts</a> for my car while driving and cruising around.