My home internet has a habit of dying. Sometimes I need to work on the go. Both situations point to one solution: work from the car. It's actually pretty easy to get work done from your car, just as you would at home or in the office, if you acquire a few tools and prepare in advance. Here's how to do it.
Get Car-Friendly Cables and Power Adapters
Presumably you're using a laptop to get your work done, and laptops—as well as your other devices—require power. As you know, cars generally don't provide standard outlets so you're going to need adapters. USB power adapters are easy enough to come by, but charging your laptop may prove to be a little more difficult as the power cable's size and requirements will vary. Here are options for Dell, Sony, Toshiba, HP, Apple, and other laptops. Just make sure the adapter works for your laptop and you should be good to go for about $25-30. Alternateively, you can go a somewhat easier route and just add standard outlets to your car.
Either way, it's important to remember that your car's battery doesn't last forever either. If you're plugged in too long you can drain it. That said, you don't want to leave your car idling just for power. That'll waste gas and isn't great for the environment. Instead, just be sure to start your car every hour or so and let it run for a few minutes. Hopefully you won't spend hours working out of your car, but if you have to be sure you don't end up stranded because you let the battery die.
Enable Tethered Internet Access via Your Smartphone (or Park Near a Coffee Shop)
If you're already paying for a smartphone data plan, put it to good use by tethering it to your computer. Making your phone act like a mobile hotspot is one of the best options. While you can pay your carrier $20 a month for this privilege, you can also just buy PDANet (~$16) and avoid the monthly fee. PDANet is available for most smartphones and works out of the box, although iPhone users will need to jailbreak. Once you've got it installed, you can create a mobile hotspot with your phone and get online wherever you can find reception.
Alternatively, park near a coffee shop, a friend's house, or somewhere else you can borrow some Wi-Fi. If you have this option and can actually go work inside, you'll probably opt for that rather than sitting in your car. If you need privacy, the free Wi-Fi location doesn't offer power, or you don't feel like buying something to earn the privilege of working within the shop, a car makes more sense.
Use Your Tablet as a Second Display
Working from a laptop in your car means limited screen space, which can be a good thing! If you'd prefer a little extra room, however, you can extend your desktop with the help of a tablet. Air Display can create a second wireless monitor for your laptop with an app for iOS or Android. It isn't perfect—you'll experience lag because it's over the network—but it's better than nothing. You also won't be able to use it if your devices aren't on a network, but if you're using your smartphone as a mobile hotspot that shouldn't be a problem.
Don't Work from the Driver's Seat (and Other Comfort Tips)
When you're working in a car, nothing will get in your way more than the steering wheel. You need to sit somewhere else. But just moving won't be enough to keep you comfortable. You'll also want to push the passenger's seat as far back as it'll go or sit in the back if that provides more space. One way to gain even more space in the back is to push the passenger's seat as far forward as it'll go and sit in the back-right portion of the car. You can also improve your comfort by using a lapdesk. (I like this one.) Sometimes keeping your laptop low on your lap can make it difficult to push its display into the optimal position because it comes in contact with some other part of the car. Raising it up on your lap can help. It's also more comfortable to work on a lapdesk in many situations, so keeping one in your car can be doubly useful.
Got any other tricks for working better from your car? Share 'em in the comments!