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Rivian has once again defended its controversial decision to skip Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but this time the company says the future of in-car technology is moving beyond smartphone mirroring altogether. According to Rivian’s software leadership, rapid advances in artificial intelligence could soon make the entire CarPlay debate irrelevant.

The comments come as Rivian continues expanding its own AI-powered vehicle software ecosystem instead of adopting Apple’s popular in-car platform. For years, the company has faced criticism from buyers who wanted CarPlay support, but Rivian now believes AI assistants will eventually replace many of the functions drivers currently rely on through their phones.

Rivian wants cars to become ‘AI-defined’ instead of app-driven

Speaking during an interview on The Verge’s Decoder podcast, Rivian Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid said advances in AI are changing how users will interact with vehicles. He argued that deep AI integration inside cars could make traditional app-based systems like Apple CarPlay feel outdated.

According to Bensaid, Rivian sees cars evolving from being “software-defined” to becoming “AI-defined.” Instead of opening individual apps for navigation, music, messaging, or scheduling, Rivian believes future AI assistants will handle those tasks through natural conversation and contextual understanding.

That vision is already starting to take shape through the company’s recently launched Rivian Assistant. The AI-powered voice system can manage vehicle controls, answer questions, access calendar information, send messages, and interact with connected services using natural language commands. Rivian says the assistant is deeply integrated into the vehicle rather than functioning as a separate app layer.

The company argues that systems like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto create a fragmented experience because they effectively place a smartphone interface inside the car. Rivian instead wants complete control over the vehicle’s software experience, allowing AI to interact directly with the car’s systems, sensors, navigation, climate controls, and future connected services.

The stance remains controversial. Apple CarPlay continues to be one of the most requested features among many EV buyers, and Rivian previously acknowledged that a large portion of its customer base initially wanted support for it. However, the company claims demand has fallen as its native software experience has improved.

Why this matters

The debate goes far beyond Rivian itself.

Several automakers are increasingly trying to control their software ecosystems rather than handing key parts of the user experience to Apple or Google. Companies see software, subscriptions, AI services, and connected features as future revenue streams, making in-house platforms more valuable than third-party integrations.

At the same time, AI is becoming a major battleground inside vehicles. Rivian’s approach mirrors broader industry trends where carmakers are investing heavily in voice assistants, autonomous features, and AI-powered interfaces that can understand context rather than simply execute commands.

What happens next

Rivian is expected to continue expanding its AI ecosystem, especially with upcoming vehicles like the Rivian R2 and future software updates.

Whether AI can truly replace the convenience and familiarity of Apple CarPlay remains unclear. Many drivers still prefer using the apps, navigation systems, and media services they already rely on every day.

But Rivian’s message is becoming increasingly clear: instead of bringing CarPlay to its vehicles, the company wants to build something it believes will eventually make CarPlay unnecessary. The bigger question is whether customers will agree.



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Whole-home Ethernet sounds like the perfect home networking upgrade. In theory, having wired network access in every room seems like the best way to keep everything fast and stable. However, it’s often more effort and cost than most homes actually need, and in many cases, a single access point in the right location is all you really need.

Whole-home Ethernet sounds better than it actually is

You don’t need cables in every wall

Having the option to plug in an Ethernet cable in every room around the house sounds like the ultimate dream upgrade for home networking, but in reality, it’s not practical for most people. Unless you’re building from scratch and can plan structured cabling ahead of time, retrofitting finished walls with Ethernet quickly becomes disruptive, expensive, and labor-intensive.

There is one exception where you can get close to whole-home wired internet for cheap—if your home is already wired with coaxial cables, you can use MoCA adapters to turn those existing lines into a solid wired network without opening any walls. Outside of that scenario, running Cat6 cables through every room doesn’t really make sense.

ScreenBeam Bonded MoCA 2.5 Network Adapter.

Ports

Ethernet, Coax

Speed

2.5Gbps

This ScreenBeam MoCA adapter lets you turn existing coax wiring into a high-speed wired network without running new Ethernet cables through your walls. It’s one of the few practical ways to get “whole-home wired” performance in an existing house without the cost and hassle of full rewiring.
 


Even then, most people don’t actually need Ethernet everywhere. Wired devices tend to cluster in one or two rooms, like a living room or home office, while the rest of the house runs on Wi-Fi.

Pick one room where an access point makes the most sense

Focus on where you actually use your internet

A homelab shelf with a Ugreen NAS, mini PCs, a network switch, and rack servers. Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

For most setups, you get nearly the same benefits by running a long Ethernet cable to a well-placed access point in the room that matters most.

For instance, you can run a single Ethernet cable from your main router or modem to an access point in your home office. From there, you can plug in nearby devices like your desktop PC, laptop, TV, NAS, console, printer, and anything else with an Ethernet port.

Figure out which room an access point would make the most sense in, and then go from there. You might have to move a few devices that were in different rooms to the one with the access point for this project, but that’s a small price to pay. What you get in return is a less congested wireless network and a better, more reliable, and often faster connection to your devices.

Don’t forget that your primary router can still serve as its own main network hub. You can place the main router in your living room to connect your console and TV to it, and then run your Ethernet cable from there to the access point on the other side of the house.

Ethernet cable plugged into the back of a Samsung Frame TV One Connect Box. Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

And if you’re wondering which device you should use for that access point, most of the time, an old router that you’ve got lying around is your best option. While a simple switch can turn one Ethernet cable into multiple ports, a router can do that as well, while also giving you the option to use its wireless capabilities.

Because it relies on wired backhaul rather than wireless, its wireless connection will generally perform better than a wireless repeater, which has to share or retransmit its connection. You can use the same SSID (network name) and password, or set up a separate wireless network, which is ideal if your AP is upstairs or far away from the main router.

Even decade-old routers often support access point (AP) mode out of the box, which makes the setup as simple as connecting the Ethernet cable from the main router to a LAN port. If it doesn’t, and you want a geeky solution, you could flash OpenWRT on the old router if it’s supported. Alternatively, just use one of the other ports and set up a static IP.

This project might still require you to do some drilling, but it’s way easier to drill a single hole through a wall than to route cables and install a bunch of wall plates.

Brand

StarTech.com

Length

125ft

This extra long StarTech Cat-6 cable is a high-quality Ethernet cable that supports up to 10Gbps data transfer speeds.


Enjoy better internet without rewiring your house

A simple setup that delivers big gains

You don’t need to drill holes and run cables through every wall to enjoy the benefits of a mostly wired home network. A single Ethernet run to a strategically placed switch or old router in AP mode already gives you a fast, reliable connection where it matters most.

For most homes, this simple setup provides most of the benefits without having to go through a full-blown renovation project. And the best part is that you still get the convenience of Wi-Fi everywhere else.


An ASUS router on a shelf.


Your old router is faster than mesh Wi-Fi if you wire it correctly

You don’t need a $300 mesh Wi-Fi system (the ultimate home network fix is already sitting in your closet)



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