Executives & Traveling Diplomats in Washington DC Benefit from In-Car Wireless Internet
June 8, 2022
We’re all connected, all the time. To our phones, our tablets — heck, even our watches are connected to everyone else, in every corner of the world these days. Whether you’re a high-powered executive traveling for work in Washington DC, or a diplomat traveling with your family to Miami for the week, it pays to stay connected.
Check, and respond to email.
Find the hottest spot for dinner.
Or just browse the web while cruising from one meeting to the next.
Your trip will benefit from in-car wireless Internet.
That’s right. The US Sedan Service’s fleet of luxury transportation vehicles come equipped with wireless internet access, right from the comfort your cushioned seat.
But how is it done?
The short version is this: Magic. It’s the magic of modern cars.
In the beginning, in-car WiFi was arranged for by using a MiFi wireless router — which makes any spot a wireless hotspot. There was also a time when those who demanded in-car wireless Internet made use of smartphones with tethering capabilities, but my, how fast technology changes.
Today’s luxury sedan is basically a rolling hotspot, in and of itself. All thanks to manufacturer-designed, in-car telematics systems. Ford’s Sync system is a great example here: Drivers (or, in our case, highly trained chauffeurs) are provided with a variety of voice-activated apps and functions like hands-free phone calls and music control; and passengers can hook a compatible USB mobile broadband modem, or dongle, to its in-car USB port.
In an instant, that luxury sedan ceases to be just a car, but a car that offers a WPA2-secured (or password protected) Wi-Fi connection.
There’s Ford, and then there’s Chrysler, General Motors, and Audi, too: leaping to the front of the rally pack, for in-car wireless service. Chrysler was first, in 2008, with its MiFi device. But it was in early 2013 that GM announced its partnership with AT&T to deliver high-speed connectivity in its vehicles — from the Chevy Corvette, all the way to the Cadillac XTS luxury sedan.
Not to be outdone, Audi has worked hard to transform its cars into faster-than-the-speed-of-light balls of connectivity. The 2015 Audi A3 sedan, among other models, come equipped with Audi connect, a versatile infotainment system that services up to eight devices from a 4G WiFi hotspot.
Keep this in mind the next time you’re traveling for business or pleasure: