WiFi in the car? Is it useful and practically?

These questions are probably asked by many when the possibility of using Wi-Fi in a car is mentioned. The first question expresses astonishment that this possibility exists at all, and the second suggests that placing Wi-Fi in a car might be too much given that we can’t disconnect from the internet all day these days.

Perhaps similar allegations stand, but times are changing and today the unavailability of the internet can for some mean creating problems in private and business terms. After all, this possibility would not have appeared on the market if there was no need for it. Reasons to place Wi-Fi in a car?

It must be said right away that today the internet is available everywhere and how often we need to be online. The car is just another place where we connect to the network with the devices.

Wi-Fi in a car sounds like something new, but in fact, most of us use mobile internet in it all the time. Wi-Fi, in this sense, is only a certain upgrade of the existing situation.

With an internet connection in the car, we can connect with others on social media. For some, internet in the car is a necessity because of the type of work they do, and this is especially important because working remotely is becoming the rule for more and more employers. Traveling by car may be a lifestyle and such people certainly need to be able to connect.

There are also certain advantages when we have Wi-Fi in the car:

•     autonomy - although hotspots are available everywhere, using Wi-Fi in the car creates some comfort

•     security - Wi-Fi in the car is much more secure than publicly available networks

•     less battery consumption - in the car we consume the battery of the device when we connect to the mobile internet, and with Wi-Fi, it will still be much less

•     keep up to date with the latest information - with Wi-Fi in the car, you’re always up to date with the latest events or announcements

•     accessibility - the internet is easily accessible to you and other passengers in the car, which is especially convenient for long journeys.

It was necessary to start from this option because it is not really classic Wi-Fi access, but it may be the most common and most practical for many to begin with. Almost every newer mobile device can set up a hotspot - a focal point through which other devices can connect to the Internet.

However, the purpose of smartphones is not to be portable focal points for connecting to the Internet, so the devices connected to it will have a slower connection. While using a 4G mobile hotspot can come in handy in situations where internet is needed in the car, reliability and connection quality cannot be expected, a smartphone battery will consume much faster and all this means much faster mobile internet consumption.

Advantages of the 4G mobile hotspot: activation of the connection after a few moves on the phone, convenient and fast setup, does not require the additional purchase of devices and other hardware.

Disadvantages of 4G mobile hotspot: consumes a lot of phone battery and data traffic, is not suitable for foreign travel, more connected devices means a weaker connection, there is no service tailored only for the car. 4G MOBILE ROUTER

A great way to provide internet in the car is a device like a 4G mobile router (MiFi). These devices use a 4G LTE network to connect like smartphones.

Because this device is specifically designed to share a connection instead of using it, it will have significant benefits in the following aspects of in-car use:

•     its connectivity in today’s frames supports up to 10 devices, which is more than enough to ensure a stable Wi-Fi connection

•     there are various data consumption plans for 4G mobile routers that can be priced to suit the needs of in-car use

•     these devices can also have additional features such as VPN or eSIM that can be easily configured.

The 4G mobile router can work directly via USB and, unlike the phone, there is no intensive use of the device’s battery.

Advantages of 4G mobile router: supports a variety of data plans, can be used outside the car if necessary, does not depend on the battery because it works with a USB port, no loss of connection when connecting multiple devices, offers additional network security settings, easy to install.

Disadvantages of a 4G mobile router: it requires a special data plan, it is set up via a PC, it may not run services specifically adapted for cars. BUILT-IN WI-FI MODULE

Another option for using Wi-Fi is to choose a car model that has a built-in Wi-Fi module. Manufacturers started placing this functionality on the market around 2016, so when buying a new car, it is always good to check if part of the equipment of the observed model also includes a Wi-Fi module.

The primary advantage of integrated Wi-Fi in the car is the ability to support specialized services such as roadside assistant or navigation. The functionality of this type of Wi-Fi is often limited outside the car, so advanced features like VPN or eSIM are mostly related only to the most expensive models.

The in-car Wi-Fi module is likely to be programmed for specific data traffic, so there is often no flexibility in this segment.