Dusseldorf, Germany - It’s not uncommon to be driving a long stretch and find your mind wandering to such thoughts as, “How’s the weather going to be?” or “How did my team do?”
But the modern world has made it easy to get answers to those questions, thanks to internet access in cars, which can deliver such answers and much more, such as services like streamed music.
Many car owners will naturally want to know more about how these internet connections work before setting one up in their car. Are they reliable? Which countries provide adequate wireless coverage for motorists?
many carmakers offer some kind of connected-car experience, but with many differences in use. BMW has its ConnectedDrive system, whereas Mercedes’ is named Command Online and Volkswagen has Car-Net.
“The most intriguing ones are the services that are of immediate help to the driver,” says Dominik Wee of consulting firm McKinsey.
He means services such as traffic reports, weather updates and petrol station finders, as well as those that make it possible to find radio stations and music online.
“These services are available with a lot of manufacturers,” says Arnulf Thiemel of the technology centre of ADAC, a German car club.
More advanced services also allow travelers to pull up emails, stock information or news. These services tend to be free for a year or two after purchase. After that a monthly or annual subscription is required to keep the services running.
Drivers need not limit themselves to integrated services offered by the car manufacturer. The smartphone in your pocket also offers web access from the highway.
But Thiemel notes that a car’s metal skin often hampers transmission in and out of a car.
WIRELESS HOTSPOTS
That’s why a car’s mobile data system is better. Data can be transmitted without interruption through the car’s antenna. The
module creates a wireless hotspot within the car, allowing any passenger to go online with a mobile device.
If the technology to create such a hotspot isn’t prepackaged with your car, it’s possible to install an after-market mini-router and an antenna, says Thiemel. The Toyota Hotspot, for example, fits in the glovebox.
Surfing from your car requires a stable connection, which is not always a given in areas with patchy connections. The faster LTE
network offered in the United States and Europe often has gaps, but you can often make do with slower options. “A reliable 3G connection is usually enough for most services,” says Wee.
To go online with your new hotspot, you’ll need a SIM card. Sometimes the SIM in your smartphone can connect seamlessly with the car’s external aerial. But that’s only going to work well if your mobile has the Remote Sim Access Profile (RSAP) protocol for Bluetooth.
“Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case with a lot of newer smartphones,” says Thiemel. Of course, RSAP isn’t absolutely necessary for hooking up a car online, but going without it means skipping the external antenna and once again relying on a
smartphone’s internal antenna for your connection, which returns you to concerns about shaky links.
Thus, it’s usually necessary to invest in a separate subscription with a new SIM card.
BMW provides one with its ConnectedDrive system. But that’s the exception, says Thiemel.
“Usually, auto manufacturers don’t want to get involved.”
Some mobile providers will extend your existing phone contract to the car, providing you with a second SIM card. For a fee, of course.
Integrated internet auto packages don’t suck up any more data than your phone does.
The dynamic can change if you’re driving around a passenger who makes active use of your mobile hotspot.
“That could be a child surfing right up to the car owner’s data cap,” notes Thiemel. “So be careful that they’re not downloading any gigantic files.”
TOO MUCH DISTRACTION?
Accident investigators like Walter Niewoehner of German car safety group Dekra warn that having the internet in a car poses “another possible distraction for the driver.”
About the only gadgets he’ll consider as halfway safe are ones integrated into the car to help with satellite navigation or radio
controls.
“Anything else can massively distract you from traffic.”
A lot of manufacturers are aware of these concerns and have made sure that their services can only be used when the car is at a stop.
Some others aren’t as strict, but only operate via spoken command and only provide information in audio format while the car is moving. The goal is to keep the driver’s eyes on the road.
“But that doesn’t really solve the problem,” worries Niewoehner. “Because that also affects concentration, just like making a
telephone call.”
DPA