Vehicle Wi-Fi rescues doctor

Jun 24, 2016

Vehicle Wi-Fi rescues doctor

Jun 24, 2016

Patrice and Derek Wilson don’t have an abundance of free time. Derek is an account director at a large research company, and Patrice works long hours as a pediatric anesthesiologist for a major Texas hospital.


So when Patrice got a rare long weekend off work last October, she had to make a choice: Stay home to finish a research project that was due soon, or take a road trip to watch their alma mater play football and spend the weekend with friends. She chose the latter.


The couple jumped in their 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe and drove from Houston to Waco. “My husband did all of the driving, so I got to relax in the vehicle,” Patrice says. “It was a great weekend.” Best of all? Their team won.


On Monday, Patrice turned her attention back to her research project. She tried to log on to the internet from her friends’ home, but she couldn’t connect. A construction project seemed to have knocked out the Wi-Fi® there.


“First, panic set in,” she says. “After spending a month on patient care research and then putting that into poster format, I was fearful all the work I had done on the project was going to go to waste.”


She was preparing to leave her friends’ home to go in search of a connection at a coffee shop, “but then my husband reminded me we have Wi-Fi in the Tahoe,” she says, laughing.


The couple had used the Wi-Fi Hotspot* in their vehicle to watch videos and use social media while traveling and, more important, to watch pregame football programs when they were tailgating. They had never used it for something professional.


“This was the first time,” Patrice says. “I was able to make some changes to my project, connect with my mentor and then submit my project by deadline.” And they didn’t have to go anywhere. “We did it from the driveway,” she says.


The research project was a hit and Patrice was invited to present it at a medical conference in Colorado on anesthesiology. She said she’ll definitely use her in vehicle Wi-Fi connection for more than entertainment in the future.


“I like the speed,” she says. “Having Wi-Fi in your vehicle gives you a lot of flexibility. You’re not always tied to the Wi-Fi network at a hotel or a friend’s house. You always have it with you.”

The ultimate connected vehicle

Turns your car into a connected marvel, with available Amazon Alexa, in-vehicle apps, real-time navigation and more.

Thank goodness for OnStar!

After a crash on highway, Thea is thankful OnStar was there to get her the help she needed.

Stay connected in the car

Use OnStar to make your vehicle the family command center, mobile office or remote classroom.

The ultimate connected vehicle

Turns your car into a connected marvel, with available Amazon Alexa, in-vehicle apps, real-time navigation and more.

Thank goodness for OnStar!

After a crash on highway, Thea is thankful OnStar was there to get her the help she needed.

Stay connected in the car

Use OnStar to make your vehicle the family command center, mobile office or remote classroom.