By Lionel Felix
(December 7, 2005)

No longer the domain of technology early-adopter illuminati, the car computer has matured to a point where the weekend PC warrior can get one up and going before the Monday morning commute.

There are many different motivations for installing a computer in your vehicle. Jobs that require a significant amount of driving are made more efficient with GPS as well as live traffic reports and e-mail access. The family hauler can get premium entertainment with DVD movies, a TV tuner, and Internet access so that little Brittany and Cole can IM with their peeps across town. The daily carpool commuter can entertain coworkers with some in-flight entertainment as well as giving them access to work e-mail even before they're at work.

Every in-car computer install will have unique challenges and logistical problems to solve. Vehicles with no trunk, such as SUVs, minivans, and hatchbacks, offer limited space to house the CPU. Some cars have no unused dashboard real estate, making it difficult to place a monitor. Leased vehicles present the challenge of keeping the car unmodified so as not to break the contract.

Temperature variations, vibration, moisture, dust, and radio interference are commonplace in any motor vehicle, but resistance to those factors has been engineered into their design. Computers, on the other hand, want to be coddled, lovingly kept in a cool dry place. It's important to consider that computers, even those made for vehicles, still need to be protected from the elements.

The basic installation steps include making determinations regarding your desired features, checking out the different places around your car where components would go, shopping for parts, and putting it all together.