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Chrysler To Offer In-Car Wi-Fi
Option to be available in all 2009 models

While they'd previously only made vague hints about such plans, Chrysler today detailed their plans to offer Wi-Fi as an option in all of the company's 2009 models (assuming they don't go bankrupt). According to Chrysler, the system will be an extension of their existing UConnect service and operate under the brand "UConnect Web". The 3G Wi-Fi router will cost $449 plus a $50 installation fee, with a monthly cost of $29, with a one time activation fee of $25.

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For those who don't want a factory-installed option, yet must browse YouTube while being chased by Johnny law, mobile 3G Wi-Fi routers are getting smaller and less expensive. There's also a growing number of software solutions (including Windows Mobile 6) that will turn your smart phone into a hotspot.

Just don't get the rest of us killed while you're updating your Facebook profile on the Interstate.
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

I'd rather they have

Bluetooth.. connect your cell to a BT
Connect your laptop to BT

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA

Mike

Mod

Re: I'd rather they have

»www.xkcd.org/440/

Dogfather
Premium Member
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA

4 edits

Dogfather

Premium Member

As a motorcyclist I just say -sigh-

In California we're just now finally getting dumbass carpool lane stripe crossing soccermoms in Suburbans who nearly run me down 'cause they have the phone in their fuckin' ear to go hands free. And even then stupid cagers can't walk and chew gum...weaving, doing 50 while traffic is doing 70, etc. Give them Wi-Fi...hell, we're doomed.

Wi-Fi to get live traffic updates in Navi, great...for anything else like email or other distractions...no way. As soon as the car shifts from park, the feature should disconnect.

We really need more distractions

»youtube.com/watch?v=5pqG ··· =related

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: As a motorcyclist I just say -sigh-

That's a typical L.A. area driver for you.
I've never seen as many reckless drivers as I have here in SoCal.
You've got:
a) Distracted driver (kids, cellphones, eating, makeup, reading, you name it) - LOTS of these, esp. cellphones

b) Power drivers - many driving large suvs, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, etc... with the "I'm more important than you attitude", driving up the shoulders. My old boss was one of these... passed others between parked cars. Many end up crashing during rain.

c) Tourist - in the center lane, cutting across 2 lanes of traffic at the last second so they don't have to turn around and come back, or pulling a u-turn where they shouldn't.

d) Death wish - many 'kids' in small cars (accords, civis, Mazda 3, etc) 'tuned' driving through lights, cutting lanes and typically going at least +15 over the limit. Also drive excessively fast in the rain.

Pureblood
'Let's Go Brandon'
Premium Member
join:2000-10-18
PorkRoll NJ
·Optimum Online
(Software) pfSense
Netgear WAX630

Pureblood

Premium Member

Re: As a motorcyclist I just say -sigh-

I don’t want to one-up you but they are just as dangerous here in NJ or the Northeast for that matter. NY, NJ and PA have to rank right up there. I agree the cell phone have to be the worst because most people using them while driving aren’t that good of drivers to begin with anyway. Nothing pisses me off more is when some tool on a cell phone that launches out in front of me with no turn signal. You could usually see it coming, they telegraph it by not being able to maintain their lane. BTW- I'm a biker too, so stay safe out there.
Relic (banned)
join:2003-09-29

Relic (banned) to Dogfather

Member

to Dogfather
ROFL.

*waves frantically*

We're crazy drivers too!
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to Dogfather

Premium Member

to Dogfather
carry a cell jammer in your saddle bags! when on the freeway make sure its turned on. at 75mph nobody really needs their phone anyway, its what pulling off into the reat area or the parking lot just off the ramp are for.

well that and more cops looking for people not using a headset/bluetooth rather then sitting in the shade with the radar gun clamped in the window(yes i have seen the smokeys do this).

Dogfather
Premium Member
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA

Dogfather

Premium Member

Re: As a motorcyclist I just say -sigh-

With my luck the idiots would just end up looking down at their phones perplexed as to why they got disconnected.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd

Premium Member

Re: As a motorcyclist I just say -sigh-

said by Dogfather:

With my luck the idiots would just end up looking down at their phones perplexed as to why they got disconnected.
good point, guess one should keep the pocket jammers to movie theaters, atleast there they cant run over anyone with their suburban.

miscnick
@verizon.net

miscnick

Anon

Chrysler spells garbage in 14 languages.

Why can't Chisler....err Chryler, just make a decent vehicle ?

Back in the 80's it was the Reliant K.
Everything they made in those years either was the same chassis, or just looked exactly like it. They were junk on wheels.
In the 90's it was the "cab forward" thing with the Sebring, LHS, etc. all exactly alike. Flying turds were of higher quality.
Now we have the "magnum"....oooohhh.
There's 90 different models of it, they all look exactly alike, and are a steaming POS.

Just make a C-A-R, screw the fluff.
jmallory
join:2005-11-02
Essexville, MI

2 edits

1 recommendation

jmallory

Member

I say ban Cell Phones while driving

Amen. My last three accidents were all caused by someone either talking on a cell phone or in one case playing with the Nav system while they are supposed to be driving.

I am disappointed that car companies keep adding more and more stuff to these automobiles that do nothing but distract the driver. You would think at least they would know better.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: I say ban Cell Phones while driving

I think its disappointing that people are too stupid to realize when and when not to play with the things while driving.. or when to pull off the road.

Don't blame guns for killing people.. blame the person that pulls the trigger.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to jmallory

Premium Member

to jmallory
i think it would be funny to drive down the road with a cell jammer in the glove box.

low power of course to prevent FCC detection and with a switch so it can be turned off if one sees an issue that requires a 911 call.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4 to jmallory

Member

to jmallory
they'll ban cell phones when they ban truck drivers from using their CBs while driving.

NetFixer
From My Cold Dead Hands
Premium Member
join:2004-06-24
The Boro
Netgear CM500
Pace 5268AC
TRENDnet TEW-829DRU

NetFixer to jmallory

Premium Member

to jmallory
said by jmallory:

I am disappointed that car companies keep adding more and more stuff to these automobiles that do nothing but distract the driver. You would think at least they would know better.
Seems perfectly logical to me. The car gets totaled, but air bags protect the driver, and you get to sell another car.

r81984
Fair and Balanced
Premium Member
join:2001-11-14
Katy, TX

r81984

Premium Member

Great Idea, but...

This is a great idea, but why can't someone just use a laptop with a cell internet card and rebroadcast the wifi with the laptop for alot less than $500.

To pay so much to be tethered to your car for wifi is not worth it.

sapo
Cruising Down Memory Lane
Premium Member
join:2002-09-16
Sacramento, CA

sapo

Premium Member

Re: Great Idea, but...

It does the same thing basically except it uses a router.

It really isn't about being cheap its more about making it available to people who have no clue about this stuff.

FNFonI404
@charter.com

FNFonI404

Anon

wonnerful

As if texting while driving wasn't bad enough. Now there'll be JackHoles surfing for porn while driving 85mph.
ivan69
join:2004-01-30
99999

ivan69

Member

Re: wonnerful

Even worse....what will they be doing while they are looking at porn on their dash?

I thought it was illegal to watch stuff on an lcd screen...ya know movies and the like while driving...you'd think that would apply to using your wifi'd dash lcd to surf the web....a duhhhhhh.

Thane_Bitter
Inquire within
Premium Member
join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter

Premium Member

Perfect!

Now you can surf the Internet while you wait for the tow truck to arrive.
Did Chrysler hire Homer J. Simpson?

kilometers3
join:2007-01-24
Sacramento, CA

kilometers3

Member

Heh

So this means keep a safe distance from Chrysler cars on the freeway from now on. Ok.
Corydon
Cultivant son jardin
Premium Member
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO

Corydon

Premium Member

$29/mo isn't bad...

Who's the provider? What's the bandwidth? Any caps?

Having Wi-Fi in the car would definitely help with those long road trips, which is about the only time I set foot in my car these days (there's no way I'm setting foot in a plane unless I can't help it what with all the surcharges and baggage limits and no customer service and tiny seats and the TSA).

Also good with traffic reports.

Think of it as a way of encouraging carpooling
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

backhaul

So who is providing the backhaul, or is the wifi for a PAN Intranet?

Link8
join:2001-12-16
Davis, CA

1 recommendation

Link8

Member

Re: backhaul

They already have bluetooth for the phone..

If Toyota did this, you'd all be ranting about how ingenious it was.

Cuchulainn
The Roar of the Masses Could be Farts
join:2000-11-09
Chevy Chase, MD

Cuchulainn

Member

Re: backhaul

said by Link8:

They already have bluetooth for the phone..
If Toyota did this, you'd all be ranting about how ingenious it was.
Wouldn't care who did it. It's a stupid idea no matter what car company it comes from. We have enough bad, distracted drivers on the road as it is.
ricep5
Premium Member
join:2000-08-07
Jacksonville, FL

ricep5

Premium Member

Bankruptcy not happening soon

Chrysler is not going into BK.

They are suffering from a severe over production (high inventory)that the previous owners permitted shortly before the sale was complete. DCX ran the plants all out to pump up the numbers even though everyone knew they were over producing. Even Ford management complained bitterly that this was a reversion to the old tactics of the 60's & 70's of overproducing to help get unit costs down, but causes fire sales of which everyone much match. Go check out some car rental lots at the airports. Crammed full of Chrysler overstock.

Car WiFi is not new as some car stereo vendors were looking at making a HD based music system which updated by 802.11a in ones garage off a computer on the same WLAN. Park your car, start an upload and tomorrow morning your car has the latest and greatest tunes.

ff1324
Everybody Goes Home
Premium Member
join:2002-08-24
On Four Day

ff1324

Premium Member

Insurance Rates

I'm willing to bet that any vehicle that can be equipped with in-car WiFi will have a higher insurance rate that others.

Just what the lemmings need...more distractions behind the wheel.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Bankrupt? LOL

Chrysler can NOT go bankrupt! they're part of a HUGE investment company. They were bought about two or three years ago and taken private.

But then again Chrysler wouldnt be in the state they were in if they didnt have to deal with the damn unions. And yes i seen what they have done. I live in one of the states that they have a plant in. The area now has gone down hill. They take the jobs and move them to other states so they 1 don't have a union or two to another country- Mexico.

I don't see the need for a Union anymore when we have labor laws.
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

cellphone carrier

So who is the cellphone provider providing service on this?
ivan69
join:2004-01-30
99999

ivan69

Member

Re: cellphone carrier

Sprerizattmobinextvirgiboost.
id_deleted
join:2003-05-01
Salt Lake City, UT

4 edits

id_deleted

Member

Its not for the misinformed.

In-vehicle wifi has absolutely nothing to do with the driver browsing the web while they drive. It is simply a benefit for the passengers inside the vehicle. 

A wireless broadband connected vehicle is nothing new, my CarPC currently has wifi and a 3G sprint card installed in it (I got it for free with my cell phone plan). You can buy a damn CarPC equivlent to mine for less than $400 now. Do I read my email while I drive? NO, the artificial intelligence software(AIVMS) installed in my CarPC reads my email to me. It does the same for weather and traffic reports, and it's controlled by voice commands using a bluetooth headset. It also has a CarPC controlled HD Radio system in it that can record any song played to mp3 automatically as I drive around. It shares its 3G internet connection and can stream any song or video on its 500 GB hard drive on-demand to an authorized wifi capable device such as a laptop, pocket pc, smart phone, etc..

The automotive industry is just playing catch-up to technology that the CarPC crowd has been using for years now, and they stand to profit enormously from it as the public is nearly blind to the less expensive technology that already exists.

sapo
Cruising Down Memory Lane
Premium Member
join:2002-09-16
Sacramento, CA

sapo

Premium Member

Re: Its not for the misinformed.

Simplicity is key.
id_deleted
join:2003-05-01
Salt Lake City, UT

4 edits

id_deleted

Member

Re: Its not for the misinformed.

said by sapo:

Simplicity is key.
Well if that's really the case, then you just plug one of these into your cigarette lighter socket and for less than $200 and you have the same thing that Chrysler is charging you $500 for.

The point I was making is that it has nothing to do with driver distraction since Chysler never implies that it was intended to to be used by the driver in the first place. There is also a safe way to conduct internet activity by the driver of the vehicle which I pointed out. So why is it that the majority of the replies to this thread offer nothing more than a bunch of whining about driver distraction?

jmycknshk
...bring your green hat
join:2004-07-02
West Chester, PA

jmycknshk

Member

big deal...

big deal, their cars still suck...:)