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Forget the in-car DVD player, now kids can chat on MySpace, Facebook with Chrysler UConnect Web
Chrysler hopes that is in-car WiFi options proves as popular as Ford's Sync system

DailyTech first brought you news of Chrysler's intention to bring in-car WiFi to its vehicles in late March and then again in late June. The company is now just a week away from makings its new service available for its 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models.

The Uconnect Web dealer-installed option will give passengers internet access via an EV-DO Rev A cell connection. The signal is then spread throughout the cabin using WiFi which can be locked down with WEP.

According to Autonet Mobile -- the company that is providing the technology to Chrysler -- the wireless signal is good for about 100 feet, downloads top out at about 800 Kbps, and uploads are capped at 200 Kbps.

"Instead of buying DVD systems, parents can get their kids Internet access for the back of the car," Autonet Mobile CEO Sterling Pratz told Fortune Magazine back in June. "And moms and dads in the passenger seat will also be able to do things like make dinner reservations using their laptop in the car."

Autonet Mobile says that the service is intended strictly for vehicle passengers; however, it's highly probable that some more adventurous drivers will use the service to kill some time while sitting in traffic.

The Uconnect Web system, however, won't come cheap. InformationWeek says that the system itself will cost about $500, while installation fees can run as high as $50. Customers will also have to cough up a $35 activation fee and pay around $30 per month for service.

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the followers
By djc208 on 8/18/2008 7:43:42 AM , Rating: 5
Great, so now the guy pacing me in the other lane is doing it because he's trying to check his e-mail from my internet connection, instead of just because he's a bad driver.




RE: the followers
By mdogs444 on 8/18/2008 8:44:54 AM , Rating: 2
Errr - ever heard of a secured connection? I'm certain its not just open wireless without encryption.


RE: the followers
By whathisface on 8/18/2008 9:27:56 AM , Rating: 4
The article says WEP. I see nothing about a secured connection.


RE: the followers
By mdogs444 on 8/18/2008 9:44:42 AM , Rating: 3
And even with WEP, you still need the network password to log onto it, right?

(perhaps "encryption" wasn't the right word. "password protected" may have been more suitable)


RE: the followers
By whathisface on 8/18/2008 11:50:36 AM , Rating: 3
WEP is encryption, but it's not considered secure anymore by a longshot. It might keep someone off your AP for up to minutes.


RE: the followers
By omnicronx on 8/18/2008 1:56:05 PM , Rating: 1
Do you have any idea how long it would take for someone to break a wep key by brute force alone? sounds like how to get arrested 101.. for stalking somebody for 10 hours just to hack their wireless password.

The whole stealing wep keys has been far overblown and really only effects pre 2001 wireless b routers that have not had a firmware upgrade. Almost all wireless G routers, and I assume the one that would be in these cars do not transmit weak IV frames which is how programs like Airsnort finds and cracks Access points.


RE: the followers
By omnicronx on 8/18/2008 1:57:36 PM , Rating: 2
haha nvm I guess I am way behind on the times.. it's beyond me why they would not use WPA in the first place for a new device.


RE: the followers
By Hieyeck on 8/18/2008 3:21:54 PM , Rating: 2
You realize a Nintendo DS could crack a WEP key... I'd source it, but being an illegal activity, using illegal software, with illegal passthroughs and probably violating the DS's EULA, I don't think it'll be highly appreciated.


RE: the followers
By Zoomer on 8/18/2008 8:42:15 PM , Rating: 2
I could crack my own WEP "secured" wifi in seconds, given the right tools.


RE: the followers
By BruceLeet on 8/19/2008 10:10:54 AM , Rating: 1
I seriously doubt someone will be driving around a city looking for internet connections with their laptop.

Sometimes some people think too much.


RE: the followers
By IvanAndreevich on 8/18/2008 2:06:39 PM , Rating: 2
I am sure it will support WPA2.


RE: the followers
By MrBlastman on 8/18/2008 9:31:38 AM , Rating: 5
More like - "so now the guy swerving uncontrollably in and out of the lanes all around me is doing it because he is trying to check his e-mail, listen to shoutcast and watch pr0n all at the same time doing nothing to help his already awful driving skills to begin with..."


RE: the followers
By UNHchabo on 8/18/2008 12:49:51 PM , Rating: 2
As Jeremy Clarkson said:
"It'll give new meaning to the phrase 'I was driving down the M40 last week, and I found this:'"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM0hdCHJZR8


Ugh.
By FranksAndBeans on 8/18/2008 9:11:55 AM , Rating: 2
There should be a null spot in the driver's location, and they should make the in-dash web interface (if there's a touchscreen or whatever) only work when the car is not moving. Both items are not technically impossible.

I really would consider filing a lawsuit against the first asshat that runs into me with a laptop on the dash or their lap. People with a blackberry already mimic a drunk driver with bad vision, but at least that's a fairly concentrated group of users. This will open up that same distraction to every numb body with a laptop or iphone, which frankly I find scary.




RE: Ugh.
By Spivonious on 8/18/2008 9:44:27 AM , Rating: 3
I don't know...it would be nice to have some Google Maps directions up on the screen while driving.


RE: Ugh.
By MrBlastman on 8/18/2008 10:19:06 AM , Rating: 5
I second your opinion. We do not need more distracted drivers, we need less.

Society needs to learn another lesson in patience. If you're so busy you can't afford to take time out of your day to drive somewhere, don't get in the car. Otherwise, pay heed to your fellow drivers and give the task of driving the attention it deserves.


RE: Ugh.
By UNHchabo on 8/18/2008 12:51:35 PM , Rating: 3
I agree with New Hampshire's laws: It's perfectly legal to do just about anything while you're driving, but if you crash, it's pretty much automatically your fault. That includes eating and talking on a cell phone.


RE: Ugh.
By Smartless on 8/18/2008 2:25:07 PM , Rating: 2
Facebook update: What are you doing now?

Getting into an accident.


Not expensive
By nafhan on 8/18/2008 7:28:49 AM , Rating: 2
Is it just me, or does $30 a month sound like a decent price for cell phone internet access? Just checked and Verizon and Sprint are both 5 GB for $59.99 on wireless broadband.




RE: Not expensive
By nafhan on 8/18/2008 7:31:28 AM , Rating: 3
Plus this has 100 foot range. So, depending on what the data caps are, this could be an alternative for home internet access as well.


RE: Not expensive
By Spivonious on 8/18/2008 9:42:18 AM , Rating: 2
I imagine the car has to be in ACC mode for it to work though, so you'd drain your battery pretty fast.


RE: Not expensive
By 306maxi on 8/18/2008 12:22:51 PM , Rating: 4
It would be a bitch when the wife goes and drives your internet connection to the shop for some milk when you're playing a game online!


By BitByRabidAlgae on 8/18/2008 10:09:16 AM , Rating: 2
The serious hacker could sit on the shoulder till some schmuck drives by with an active hotspot, and the chase is on. Maintain a comfortable following distance (since it has a 100ft range), break the WEP, and off he goes merrily attacking his target of choice while the schmuck suddenly finds himself the target of an FBI manhunt. And since no fixed terminals were involved (home wireless connection, net cafe, etc.) it would be all but impossible for the real attacker to be tracked down. Brilliant.




By rudolphna on 8/18/2008 12:08:40 PM , Rating: 2
he would have to tell which car had it, then have a 0-75 time of like 5 seconds. The car would pass 100 feet relatively quickly. Like, 4 seconds. Or less. Cars at 70+ MPH are moving rather quickly. (over a mile a minute) so 5280/60 is 88ft/s. HaHa. Not to mention he still will have an IP adress, from his computer.


By BitByRabidAlgae on 8/18/2008 1:16:03 PM , Rating: 2
Note I said "and the chase is on". Of course the target vehicle would pass out of range before the attacker could get underway. He wouldn't need to know exactly which car it is at first. Just start driving fast enough to overtake those in front of him. Eventually, he'd detect the hotspot again. He could narrow it down to a specific vehicle based on signal strength, make and model (since only Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep are offering this). Once he finds his mark, the attacker pulls in behind and starts cruisin'.

Clearly, this would be a 2-man operation, since it would be quite difficult to drive and hack at the same time. So, I would say that only a dedicated attacker with a specific target and goal in mind would bother with an operation like this. But, it could make for some fun if a car full of geeks get lucky on a road trip and happen to stumble across one.


By Nik00117 on 8/18/2008 2:51:18 PM , Rating: 2
Yea sure, and a alien martian is going to be landing on front door step.


By UNHchabo on 8/18/2008 12:49:00 PM , Rating: 2
Roving unlocked wireless networks coming soon...
By spluurfg on 8/18/2008 6:38:13 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
The Uconnect Web dealer-installed option will give passengers internet access via an EV-DO Rev A cell connection. The signal is then spread throughout the cabin using WiFi which can be locked down with WEP.


I hope they activate WEP or some method of protection by default...

On another note, I wonder if the connection would be good enough for VOIP. An integrated phone system would be nice, without having to rely on a mobile to be plugged in, especially if the user interface is less fiddly. Not that we would need one of course, but hey, if you're already paying $30/month it's sort of the why-not factor.




RE: Roving unlocked wireless networks coming soon...
By drebo on 8/18/2008 3:06:21 PM , Rating: 2
The bandwidth is there, for even a g711 codec...but the latency is far too high.


By omnicronx on 8/18/2008 4:45:27 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
but the latency is far too high.
I use VOIP on my smartphone that is only EVDO REV 0 which has a much higher latency and less bandwidth than EVDO REV A. It should not be a problem.


By LiquidIce1337 on 8/18/2008 8:51:44 AM , Rating: 2
I understand how cool this is, but seriously do we need anymore distractions in the car these days? I can see it now, live webcam shows via Stickam in the car.




Goobye...
By audiomaniaca on 8/18/2008 9:58:57 AM , Rating: 2
War-driving...




The end of Satellite Radio
By alifbaa on 8/18/2008 11:00:33 AM , Rating: 2
The next step in this is what very few people are talking about.

With a connection between the internet and the car, we'll be able to play internet-streamed radio. This is the death of satellite radio.




ok, but...
By Gul Westfale on 8/18/2008 10:10:10 PM , Rating: 2
... you'd still be driving a chrysler.




Hmmm... my own mobile cell tower
By tech4tac on 8/18/2008 11:43:54 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder what kind of latency times I get with the in-car connection? My car goes everywhere I go and if it's good enough to run a VOIP service (e.g. Skype), I would essentially have my own portable "cell tower" for my WiFi VOIP phone. I could probably even tweak it to extend the range to cover my entire house from the garage.

If one day they updated the in-car WiFi to in-car WiMax, this technology could be really promising (e.g. wonder up to 20 miles from your car and still have voice and data services).




Chrysler and WiFi
By ergonom on 8/18/2008 8:49:57 AM , Rating: 1
Will WiFi in new Chryslers improve sales? Maybe it will pull in more people who need not care about the cost of gasoline. But I suspect the rest of us would prefer something more practical. Just for starters, how about a high-efficiency four- or five-cylinder supercharged Cummins diesel for my beloved Dakota that would give me more than the usual 16-17 MPG that I get from the sturdy but archaic V-6?




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