With the death knell of the auto industry sounding loud and clear, Autonet Mobile is looking to expand is customer based by offering is in-car WiFi router to the mass via Amazon. The idea is sound, but in my opinion the execution sucks. The box runs off of any EV-DO and/or HSDPA network (i.e. Verizon/Sprint/AT&T, although the published coverage map is VZW’s EVDO coverage) and allows you to connect up to 10 devices within 150 feet of the vehicle at average speeds of 400 Mbps.
What I find lacking in the service is the sky high monthly fees paired with the minuscule data allowances. 1 GB for $29 or 5 GB for $59 with a 1 year contract. That is inline with the typical national wireless carrier aircard fees, but with the Autonet you are tethered to your car to use the service, at least with an aircard, you can use your data anywhere. Plus the Autonet rings up at a hefty $299 after a $100 rebate. Most aircards can be found for free after discounts and rebates. Sure it sounds nice to be able to have 10 users on the “network” at any given time, but if you really need that functionality, the MiFi is a much better option.
