Chrysler will become the first car manufacturer which will begin to offer equipment for its cars that will allow passengers to have wireless Internet access. The connection will be facilitated through an extra device, which is manufactured by Mopar, a subsidiary of Chrysler, and will use a combination of EV-DO and Wi-Fi. The device will be compatible with Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge 2009 models and with earlier series. The installation option of the internet device, which was called Uconnect Web and costs around 500 dollars, will be made by the car dealers.
Autonet Mobile will be the Internet provider in the U.S., which already offers services to businesses dealing with car rentals. According to statistics from Autonet Mobile, the increase in demand for connecting to the Internet in cars is mainly due to the children, who are already “addicted” with Internet Connectivity and with the use of interactive services. Also, Car Internet Access will be helpful in using various additional functions of navigation systems, for example, to improve the route selection according to traffic jam information received from the Internet.
Uconnect Web will ensure data transmission bandwidth in the range of 400 – 800 Kbit / sec, and the radius of the Wi-Fi coverage will be 30 meters. To ensure the security of wireless connections, the use of WEP encryption and other protocols is recommended. Note also that the system can be modified to work with any mobile network or WiMAX.