How to set up Wifi in the car

The need to install Wifi in cars is increasing day by day. Currently there are many ways to install Wifi in cars. In the article below, TipsMake.com will help you filter out the fastest and most convenient methods of setting up Wifi in the car.

Set up Wifi from a personal hotspot on your smartphone

This is definitely the easiest and cheapest way to use Wifi in your car. If you have a smartphone you no longer use, you can use it as personal access to use Wifi. You may still have to pay a small fee to maintain mobile Wifi data, but carriers offer many reasonable data plans.

The downside of using your phone to provide a Wifi connection is that any device connected to it can consume mobile data without your control.

Use a dedicated mobile hotspot

Another easy way to set up Wifi in your car is to use a dedicated personal hotspot. This method is similar to using mobile data like on a phone and also has the ability to create a wireless network. However, these devices are only used for the sole purpose of transmitting Wifi, not like smartphones.

There are two main types of Wifi transmitters: dongles and self-contained devices.

Mobile data dongles are USBs designed to be plugged into a computer and create a Wifi network that can be accessed using a mobile data connection.

However, some dongles like these, once installed, can be plugged into any USB power source. That means if your head unit has a USB connection or you've added a powered USB connector to your car, using the dongle to get Wifi in your car is easy.

Self-hosted Wifi hotspots are more convenient than dongles, but they also tend to be more expensive. These devices have built-in batteries, you can plug them into a 12V source to broadcast Wifi for the whole car.

Use OBD-II device to broadcast Wifi in car

Not as compact and convenient as smartphones or dongles, OBD-II Wifi devices have functions that the above devices lack.

It will connect to the OBD-II port on the vehicle, which is also the connection port that computer engineers use to diagnose on computers.

The main benefit of this type of Wifi transmitter is that it creates a local Wifi network, providing a data access point for devices in the vehicle.

Install a modem and Wifi router in the car

The most expensive, most reliable and also most cumbersome method is to install a modem and router to broadcast a wireless network.

These wireless car routers are typically much more expensive than dongles and MiFi devices, and they also require some installation work that can be uncomfortable.

The main benefit of this type of device is that mobile radio waves will typically be stronger than mobile hotspots, and Wi-Fi signals will also be stronger. Additionally, permanently installed car modems/routers include USB or ethernet ports.

These devices still output a Wi-Fi network that you can connect to your phone, tablet, laptop, or another Wi-Fi-enabled device, but they also offer the option of connecting to a computer. portable or other device via USB or Ethernet.

Micah Soto

Update 17 October 2023