Chrysler’s upcoming introduction of in-vehicle Wi-Fi may be a first for the industry, and a huge step forward in mobile broadband connectivity- but is it too little too late?  With ubiquitous mobile WiMAX coming as early as 2012- the need for this, or any Wi-Fi for that matter, may become eliminated. 

The Wi-Fi option will become available at Chrysler dealerships next week, with a hefty price tag according to Autopia.  All toll, you’ll shell out; $500 for the router, $50 to install it, $35 to activate the service, and $29 a month to use it.  In other words, not cheap by any means.  It’s meant more for niche consumers such as business users and families looking to occupy the kids time on long trips.

With high-speed internet coming to vehicles, it raises the question of what will happen to other in-car media once internet-based media can be streamed directly.  Will satellite radio suffer?  For now, many think it wont, but that all may change when faster mobile broadband makes itself known.  “They can co-exist for the time being,” said Richard Robinson, an analyst at tech research firm iSuppli.  “You won’t see internet radio replace satellite radio, for example, because that’s too much of a jump. It’s not a good enough alternative.”

The long-term outlook may be much different however, says Robinson, calling Chrysler’s early EVDO cellular router system a “trojan horse” that pails in comparison to the coming of viable mobile WiMAX, a wireless standard that makes Wi-Fi look like dialup.  With vast nationwide coverage and speeds reaching 50-75 Mbps, in-car internet access could truly become commonplace.  It could also do things such as kill satellite radio all together and drastically change navigation.  The best part is- it could happen as soon as 2012.

For now, in-vehicle Wi-Fi of any kind is worth while in my book.  I think the only thing that will hold people back is the extreme cost involved via Chrysler- but for some, it’s nothing compared to having true internet on the go.  With some ingenuity, you can easily produce your own in-car Wi-Fi, or at least a steady internet connection via your mobile phone and a 3G network- but if do-it-yourself isn’t your thing, Chrysler’s Wi-Fi is the go-to source.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 11:31 pm under Auto, Internet, Wi-Fi.

Read more entries by Justin Montgomery.
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