You are in your car with the windows rolled down, your hair blowing in the wind, your phone playing your favorite song, and you are singing your heart out. Suddenly, your internet connection drops. Alas! Now what? With the quality of our lives significantly depending on steady internet connections, it only makes sense to have good Wi-Fi in your car. So, is adding Wi-Fi to your car really possible? The answer is yes.
A mobile hotspot from your smartphone is one of the easiest methods. Portable hotspot devices and permanent routers can also be installed. And many leading car brands offer onboard Wi-Fi, a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot eliminating needing to install additional devices.
Having a steady internet connection in the car helps you maintain consistent professional, social, and familial relationships, especially when remote work has become quite common. It’s also a lifestyle choice for those who like to be on the go and still be connected to every other aspect of their lives. So now, let’s look at how you add Wi-Fi to your car, how to do it, and the benefits of having a connected vehicle.
Is It Possible To Install Wi-Fi In Your Car?
Having Wi-Fi in your car is a possibility and a necessity nowadays. There is a sense of comfort in knowing you are always connected, no matter how far you are away from home or work.
It also ensures security in your internet connection since public Wi-Fi connections are inherently less secure than a private Wi-Fi connection you set up for your car.
How Much Does it Cost to Wi-Fi in Your Car?
The cost of adding Wi-Fi to your car depends on the method you choose to go for. You also have to consider the cost of the internet depending on the provider and the type of internet.
For example, a simple hotspot from your smartphone may seem the cheapest option. Still, cellular data costs quite a lot, especially if you plan to use it regularly with several devices.
A method like a portable or a permanent router or an OBD-II device, on the other hand, may cost a bit more initially. Still, the ongoing internet cost will be lower since you can opt for a more affordable internet package.
The Price to Add Wi-Fi
Here is a quick breakdown of the initial price and recurring costs of the several methods you can use to add Wi-Fi to your car:
- Mobile Hotspot: No initial cost if you have a smartphone. There are no maintenance or recurring charges. However, the price of cellular data can be pretty high.
- A Portable Hotspot Device: A mobile hotspot device can cost $50-150 depending on the brand and the features you need. The higher-end devices have touch screens, rechargeable batteries, and dedicated mobile app access to manage your data usage.
Devices like the NETGEAR Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot (on Amazon) can be purchased for a reasonable cost, but you have to then enter into an agreement with an ISP on the data plan. Check out our full guide on just how much data wireless hotspots use, and if you’re really trying to soup up your car, note that you can do fancy things like connect your smart TV to your mobile hotspot!
Benefits of Having Wi-Fi in Your Vehicle
Here are a few benefits of having a steady internet connection in your vehicle:
- Stay Connected: The most apparent benefit of having Wi-Fi in your vehicle is the possibility to stay connected to the world around you at all times securely and conveniently. This benefit extends and enriches many aspects of our lives, some of them in a way you probably have not considered.
- Remote Work/Dependability at Work: The way the world works has changed dramatically since the pandemic, and more people are working remotely than ever before. While this may give you the freedom to work from wherever you are, you also need to have a reliable internet connection where you go, including in your car.
- Privacy and Security: A secure private Wi-Fi connection in your car means you no longer need to connect to Public Wi-Fi in the Starbucks parking lot and risk security and privacy issues.
- Safety and Quick Access to Emergency Features: You never know when you may face an emergency and have to connect to the internet for quick help. Many emergency features in vehicles also need a stable Wi-Fi connection as well.
- No FOMO: FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out, is big nowadays, with the world constantly flooded with exciting things. However, with Wi-Fi in your car, you do not have to worry about missing out when you are on the road.
How to Add Wi-Fi To Your Car
Before diving into how exactly you can Wi-Fi to your car, let us give you a few quick details about modern cars with built-in Wi-Fi systems.
Almost all the major automobile brands have Wi-Fi hotspot features that keep you connected to work and make your driving experience safer by giving live traffic updates, better navigation, easy access to emergency services, etc.
A car is no longer a simple medium of getting you from one place to another. So, if your vehicle did not come with an in-built Wi-Fi facility, here are some ways you can add Wi-Fi.
Using Your Smartphone as a Mobile Hotspot
This is one of the easiest and most obvious ways to add Wi-Fi in your car. In addition, there is no hardware cost when you use this method since it only requires your smartphone and its cellular data.
Most phones nowadays have the option to turn it into a mobile hotspot or tethering in their main settings. You have to turn it on so other devices can connect. More often than not, you need to enter a passcode of your choice to connect a device to your mobile hotspot for added security.
Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot
If you do not wish to use your smartphone as a hotspot, there are portable Wi-Fi hotspot devices that you can use for the same purpose. Some of them come with their own SIM and internet data plan or the option for you to add a SIM card externally.
They have to be plugged into a USB power source. As long as they are plugged into a USB connector in your car, they will work seamlessly and well.
Installed Wireless Routers
This is the most permanent solution that you can go for when adding Wi-Fi to your car. It is more expensive than the other methods but highly reliable and convenient after the installation. The installation process is not too different from having your Wi-Fi router installed.
You have to wire a cradle into your car and connect the Wi-Fi router. You can remove the router to be used in a different vehicle if needed. It will give you a steady internet connection if you have it connected to the cradle.
Options for this, like the Sierra Wireless AirLink LTE-Advanced Vehicle Router (on Amazon) are going to be much more expensive, but they’re a way to future-proof your car and add Wi-Fi in a way that is really permanent. And the cost reflects that! Although 5G internet is coming, it won’t make Wi-Fi obsolete, so you can rest assured this investment is worth it.
The Difference Between Wi-Fi and Mobile Hotspot in Your Car
If you are wondering why you would spend extra money to install a separate Wi-Fi device in your car when you can simply create a hotspot with your smartphone, here are a few differences between the two methods:
- Technology: When you create a hotspot, it provides internet to the other devices using Wi-Fi. A separate Wi-Fi device uses the wireless technology from Local Area Networks to provide you with the internet.
- Cost: Wi-Fi data plans cost less than the cellular data used in a mobile hotspot. However, if you plan to connect multiple devices to your mobile hotspot regularly, you may have to go for an unlimited cellular data plan, which can be costly.
- Security: A Wi-Fi connection is more secure than a mobile hotspot. However, mobile hotspots have security concerns, especially if you use them in a public area.
- Speed: Mobile hotspots tend to get slower when several devices are connected, whereas Wi-Fi connections hold up better even with multiple devices.
- Smartphone Battery Life: Last but not least, cellular data and creating mobile hotspots tend to drain your smartphone’s battery quickly. Nobody wants that!
Final Thoughts
Having a reliable and stable Wi-Fi connection in your car has become necessary nowadays. It provides convenience and safety, and it is beneficial for your social life and professional life.
An excellent private Wi-Fi connection in your car means better live traffic updates, weather reports, easy access, and extreme convenience, especially if you often drive with other passengers or with multiple devices that need to be connected to the internet.
After all, in the highly connected world we live in, you do not want to be the one who is not connected!