The included hardware consists of the 48-by-37-inch rooftop antenna and three separate boxes -- each about the size of a laptop -- that contain the antenna controller, antenna modem and TV set-top box. Installation is extra; RaySat estimated a cost of about $500.
There will also be a monthly charge for Internet access of $50 or $100, depending on which package you choose. The $50 option gives you 10 hours a month of peak use, then it's $5 an hour. Off-peak usage is $2.50 an hour after the first 10 hours. The $100 option is similar, except that the free off-peak hours are unlimited.
Clearly, this setup could get very expensive in a hurry. And the bulkiness of the gear makes it suitable only for large vehicles such as vans, big trucks, SUVs and RVs.
"Obviously, we are going after the high-end market," said Jim Robnett, head of sales for RaySat. "The RV owners that have major vehicles. And on the commercial side, truckers who want Internet.
"Our surveys show there is a lot of interest among people who spend a lot of time on the road."
Fortunately, there are less expensive ways for the rest of us to get rolling Wi-Fi.
One is a wireless car system debuted in Las Vegas by KVH Industries Inc. and Microsoft Corp. It gets its Internet signal through a high-speed, cellular technology called Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), which is not burdened with line-of-sight issues.
KVH designed the hardware for the system, which can be used with a laptop or other Wi-Fi-enabled device. Microsoft brings to the package its MSN TV service (successor to its failed Web TV venture). But that can be accessed only from a wireless keyboard that comes with the package and TV screens in your vehicle, which are not included.
The system, which the company said would cost less than $1,000, is also due to come out midyear. Besides the keyboard, the included hardware consists of a box -- about the size of a cable TV box -- that contains the EV-DO receiver and a wireless router and can be installed under most car seats. Installation is not included; the company said that probably would set you back $100 or so.
The package will come with initial subscriptions for the EV-DO service and MSN TV. KVH declined to say for how long the subscriptions would be free or to specify the eventual monthly charge, saying only that the cost would be less than $100.
