Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer
|
|
|
3 offers a WiFi hotspot in your car
MANY OF US already know how useful WiFi connectivity can be in an airplane or on a train, but now 3 is now pushing WiFi for the car.
The "In Car WiFi" kit basically works by connecting to a 3G network, creating a personal WiFi network that a user carrying anything from a netbook to a mobile phone can use.
Previously if you wanted to use an Internet connection in your car you would need either a dongle or a 3G enabled device, but these can be unreliable at the best of times, and especially when you're in a fast moving vehicle.
David Kerrigan, head of Internet services at 3, plugged research which said that more than a quarter of the UK population are interested in having the Internet in their cars.
So 3 unveiled its In Car WiFi kit at the Gadget Show that's being held in Birmingham. But as 3 admitted to us, it is actually the 3 MiFi Huawei E5830, a 'MiFi' device the Inquirer has already reviewed.
These sorts of devices have already gotten a bit of attention because they enable you to have a WiFi hotspot anywhere.
With this 3 has basically rebadged it, put in a different charger that can work with a car's electrical supply and added £10 onto the price, which is now about £60.
It's all about the marketing. There's nothing spectacularly new and different about it, as it's already about three months old. µ
Share this:
Share
Reading about the original device, it doesn't seem to have a socket to support using an external 3g/umts antenna, unlike certain other Huawei modems.
Does this adapted version offer that option, which would be highly useful with the modem/router partly shielded inside a car?
If not, why not?
I'd just be happy if 3 would get a signal in my house, or my friends house, or the pub!
"How would a 3G modem that connects to devices by wifi be more reliable in fast traffic etc than a normal 3g dongle?"
Presumably because you can stick it somewhere other than the side of your laptop? Probably cheaper to get yourself a USB extension cable though....
"It's all about the marketing."
Exactly. And the inquirer have totally fallen for 3's marketing here.
How would a 3G modem that connects to devices by wifi be more reliable in fast traffic etc than a normal 3g dongle?
Answer - it wouldn't be. If you have coverage issues with a 3G dongle, you will have coverage issues with this (well, unless you can put the mifi device on the roof of your car or something).
"Previously if you wanted to use an Internet connection in your car you would need either a dongle or a 3G enabled device, but these can be unreliable at the best of times"
So the solution to the unreliability of a 3G device in the car... is to have a 3G device in the car?
Us yankees have already had in-car wifi for over a year now. Verizon and ATT both offer it. =p