Next-gen SYNC turns Fords into 'rolling Wi-Fi hotspots'

by Stevie Smith - Dec 22 2009, 09:35

Pushing the consumer appeal of its existing SYNC in-car connectivity system, the Ford Motor Company has this week revealed plans to turn its ever-growing fleet of vehicles into rolling Wi-Fi hotspots.

Powered by an owner’s compatible USB mobile broadband modem (a.k.a. an ‘air card’), the second-generation SYNC platform will produce a secure wireless connection accessible to anyone situated within the vehicle equipped with a Wi-Fi-enabled device – although drivers would be wise to resist the temptation.

“The speeds with which technology is evolving, particularly on the wireless front, makes obsolescence a real problem,” outlined Doug VanDagens, director of Ford’s Connected Services Solutions Organisation in an official statement.

“We’ve solved that problem by making SYNC work with just about any technology you plug into it,” he added. “By leveraging a user’s existing hardware, which can be upgraded independent of SYNC, we’ve helped ensure ‘forward compatibility’ with whatever connectivity technology comes next.”

In terms of SYNC-related security, Ford has said default security is set to Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), and the system requires that users enter a randomly chosen password to allow online access. Also, when SYNC sees a new Wi-Fi device for the first time, the user must specifically allow that device to join the network, thus preventing unauthorised users from ‘piggybacking’ the SYNC signal.

Ford will roll out its next-gen SYNC platform during the course of 2010 on select models – none of which have yet been revealed.

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