Avis offers Wi-Fi option with car rental

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 23 May 2007 04:14

Your IT - Home IT

You can get Internet access at some airports, hotels and coffee shops, so why not in a rental car? Avis has started offering a wireless Internet device as a $US10.95 per day option with its cars.

The Avis Connect service uses Autonet Mobile, a device similar in size to a home router that uses either 3G or EVDO/1xRTT mobile phone networks to provide the Internet connection, along with a built-in Wi-Fi access point to link notebooks and other compatible devices in and around the car.

The Autonet Mobile isn't permanently installed, so it can also be used in a hotel room or other premises. This makes the service especially good value for business travellers who aren't staying at a hotel that provides free Internet access.

"Today, travelers are increasingly considering Internet access to be an important aspect of travel. With Avis Connect we are providing an easy-to-use service to help executives and families stay connected," said Mike Caron, vice president of product and program development for Avis Budget Group.

Company officials added "Avis customers will be reminded at the time of rental that the service is not to be used by the driver while operating the vehicle."

Avis Connect units are now available at San Francisco International Airport and will be offered in the coming weeks at Avis airport locations in San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles and Newark, followed in the third quarter at airport locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, San Diego and Seattle.

Autonet Mobile units will go on public sale during "Spring '07" (time's ticking away!) at $US399, plus $US49.95 per month for unlimited data. Pre-orders are being accepted. Speeds of between 600 and 800Kbps downstream and around 200Kbps upstream are claimed, and over 95 percent of roads in the US are said to be in the coverage area.

The hardware supports WEP encryption rather then the more secure WPA, although WEP does give slightly wider compatibility. FOr example, some older Wi-Fi equipped PDAs only handle WEP.