When I met Sterling Pratz, CEO and co-founder of Autonet Mobile, at NADA recently, I was anxious to learn how his company had managed to fill the in-car mobile Internet access void. Admittedly, my motivation had to do with the fact that my two-year old twin boys are becoming increasingly difficult to keep entertained while in the car, so I wanted to see if this might be the answer to my woes!

With over 200 million cars on the road and consumers firmly entrenched in an online-centric world, Sterlings company has overcome technical barriers to produce an in-car wireless Internet service that is easy to use, reliable, secure, and fast. Sterling walked me through the whys and hows of the Autonet mobile service and demonstrated how it worked onsite in real-time-and it was fast- albeit we were stationary and not moving, but he assured me that the technology works just the same.

Here is how it works: The Autonet mobile WiFi router is easily installed within 20 minutes by dealership personnel anywhere inside the vehicle, essentially turning the car into a WiFi hotspot. Using a cellular data network, Autonet provides passengers (not the driver!) with immediate access to the Internet where they can check email, chat online, play games, or even watch Internet movies.

You are probably wondering how the Internet signal maintains its reliability considering how the geography changes while traveling in a car, right? The technology is patent pending, but according to Autonet it allows the installed router to communicate with high and low speed networks and provide an even and reliable user experience. Sterling likens the technology to a wireless hotspot that you might access at a cafe, only this one is on the go. Its all about bringing the Internet into the car and offering a consumer electronics product for automotive dealerships that will drive more in-store traffic and new revenue streams. We have already seen the success of the power of the Internet in rental cars with our Avis Connect offering, and now we are beginning to see it drive consumer traffic in automotive dealerships, explains Pratz.

Autonet Mobile has partnered with the Price Family Dealer Group to distribute the Autonet Mobile WiFi router through their dealerships in Northern California, including Toyota Sunnyvale, Toyota and Lexus of Marin and Marin Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Aston Martin. The Price Family Dealer Group is selling the Autonet Mobile router to customers at an MSRP of $595 for the unit and $39 per month for the service. Autonet Mobiles WiFi router is the hottest new accessory option for the car, says Tom Price, president of Price Family Dealer Group of Northern California. Its letting our dealerships differentiate themselves by offering customers the latest in consumer electronics and also helping to ring up new sales with existing customers, continues Price. Dealers know that the simple media center no longer satisfies the consumers appetite for in-car entertainment and in our dealerships Autonet Mobiles first to market WiFi router is already a hit with customers. Last month, Autonet Mobile and Delphi announced they will explore new Telematics and in-car entertainment products that will bring quality and affordable wireless Internet to the car-and hopefully additional profit-making opportunities for dealers!

For more information about Autonet Mobile, please visit www.autonetmobile.com.