Strap Satellite Internet Access Onto Your Car

Getting a broadband Internet connection in a moving car is tough; getting one in the middle of nowhere is even tougher. RaySat promises to solve both problems later this year with the SpeedRay 3000. It's a two way mobile satellite antenna that's small enough (45.4" x 35.3" x 5.7") to strap on top of your car, tracks satellites while the car is moving, and works for both Internet and TV satellites.

While the 5.7 inch thick car top box packs an 802.11g access point in with the phase-array antenna, it doesn't include any receivers. You'll need to purchase and install satellite receivers for TV or Internet reception in your vehicle. That makes it platform independent (RaySat claims it will work with both DISH and DirecTV on the video side, and any available Internet satellite.)


It also means that the $3,495 retail price is just the first hit on your credit card. RaySat expects installers to charge $200 to $500 to set up the SpeedRay on your vehicle. Monthly subscriptions to satellite TV and Internet service are additional.


Like all satellite systems, download speeds (up to 2 mbps) outstrip upload speeds (up to 128 kbps) and you'll need a clear shot to the Southern sky for reception. You also can't expect to use the SpeedRay for a round of Doom 3 on the highway; the trip to the satellite and back down to the earth introduces too much latency to be competitive.


It is possible to the use the antenna for both Internet and TV simultaneously, but only if both satellites are located in the same region of sky. If they aren't, you'll need to switch between the two.


RaySat expects to ship the SpeedRay 3000 in the the third quarter of 2005.