[tl:gallery size=440×330]
Car-rental company Avis is now offering in-car Wi-Fi as part of a trial from its Edinburgh airport branch.
The service costs £8.50 per day to use and is provided via a Mi-Fi router that connects to the internet over 3G mobile broadband — laptops, tablets, smartphones and other devices then connect to the router via Wi-Fi.
Although the service can be used in-car, the Mi-Fi routers can also be used away from it, making the £8.50 option a more cost-effective option than paying to use Wi-Fi hotspots when out and about.
Up to five different devices can also use one Mi-Fi router at once, which means five passengers can use the service at no extra cost — and it’s even more tempting when the price is split five ways.
Usage is limited at 500MB per day though, which makes it ill-suited to catching up on TV programmes through BBC iPlayer, or similar.
The new service can be booked through Avis’ call centres and the portable hotspots collected at the Avis branch at Edinburgh Airport.
Kaye Ceille, Managing Director, Avis Budget UK said: “Internet access is becoming essential for business and leisure travellers and an increasing number of people require daily internet access whilst abroad to contact the office, read their emails or simply keep up to date with news and friends and family via social networking sites.
“Avis’ Mobile Wi-Fi product means that Avis customers can benefit from ‘being connected’ without the risk of high charges or the worry of unexpected bills on arrival home. We hope our customers will take the opportunity to try this new product which is a cheap and convenient solution to keeping in touch.”
A successful trail will no doubt lead to the adoption of Wi-Fi rental across Avis’ other branches. The service is already available at Dusseldorf Airport, Berlin Tegel Airport, Munich Airport, Hanover Airport, Hamburg Airport, Stuttgart Airport and Frankfurt Airport in Germany.
