In Car Internet Access

There are several ways to accomplish in-car internet, the most common and practical is with an aircard or modem from AT&T, Sprint, Verizon etc. By combining that modem to a router, you can create your own hot spot in and around any vehicle. Most customers use the PHS300 from Cradlepoint with a 12volt car cord. This unit has an internal battery that helps eliminate reboots as the car motor is started and stopped.

The unit is small enough to fit above or on the sun visors, which is an ideal position for picking up the signal from the cellular networks, and for providing WiFi to devices in or around the vehicle. The unit is very small and portable making it very practical to move it car to car. The aircard will generally cost nothing with a 2yr contract, the router is less than $200.   Monthly charges from your selected Cellular carrier is around $59.99 per month.

Some systems like AutoNet cost $500-600, still cost $60 per month, and are designed to be mounted in the trunk or under the seat, neither is the ideal location for receiving or broadcasting signals. These systems are fairly limited, the aircard is not removable for use on a laptop stand-alone as in the systems we recommend. You are not able to choose the cellular carrier that works best in your area, you are stuck with whichever carrier the AutoNet people have selected.

A more economical solution than the PSH300 is the CTR350, which has one Ethernet port for a printer, VOIP phone, or any other wired client device.   It does not have a battery however, which means it works best forlong trips where the engine does not start or stop often, or vehicles where there is an alternate battery power to the unit.

We have also found the MBR1000 to be a great choice for in vehicle use. We have used it successfully in Buses, Motorhomes, and law enforcement Mobile Command Posts. It is particularly useful if the extra range of ‘N’ Band makes sense, or the 4 ethernet outputs are useful. The MBR1000 powers natively from 12vdc, and also has more than one aircard input, for additional bandwidth if needed.

All of these options still allow the aircard to be removed from the router and used directly with a single computer without the router, great when traveling by air or otherwise with no need to share the connection.

If you have any questions give us a call at 877-642-9168