There are more ways to get Wi-Fi in your car than ever before. While it’s much easier to get internet in your car now than it was a few years ago, there are costs involved no matter which method you ultimately choose. Each option has both hardware and data plan costs, and there are also things like convenience and connection quality to consider

By far the easiest and cheapest way to get Wi-Fi in your car is to turn your smartphone into a hotspot. This only has a hardware cost if you don’t have a smartphone yet, or if your smartphone can’t act as a hotspot. Even then, it can still be a cost-effective option, especially if you’re ready to upgrade anyway.

Smartphone hotspots work by downloading a suitable app or by turning on an option in the phone settings. In any case, the basic idea is that the phone acts as both a modem and a router.

When you turn your phone into a hotspot, other devices such as tablets, MP3 players, and even Wi-Fi head units can connect to an ad-hoc network.