Passionate open-sourcers often argue that we should have our wi-fi networks unprotected (allowing strangers to share our web-love), but now it seems corporate behemoths have caught on…
Sphere: Related ContentISPs aren’t known for encouraging users to share bandwidth, but that’s exactly what BT wants UK customers to do. The Spanish WiFi specialist FON offers routers that enable people to “securely” share their high-speed connections with strangers; in return, the sharers get access to any other FON access point in the world. Now, the model is coming to the UK as BT partners with FON.
BT will encourage its three million broadband users to pick up a FON router and start sharing signals. The router provides two channels: one for public access, and one for access by the owner. The public channel is bandwidth-limited so as not to disrupt the user’s own connection. Other “Foneros” can access the public channel for free, while non-Foneros can pay a few dollars a day to use the access points.
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Seems like a good idea. Tyger, I don’t know much about how all this works, but could there be security issues/concerns from this?
Hi Bel,
I think the new routers provide two separate ’streams’ of Wireless internet. One protected for the paying user, another ‘open’ stream for passing surfers.
The primary user will have first dibs on the supply, the scraps will be diverted into the ether for the freeloading goons.
I’d be quite happy to have the local waifs and strays have my netty leftovers, if indeed I have preferential access first.
Trouble is with BT throttling/capping whenever it gets busy there might not be any scraps left over! I dumped them a little while ago when my 8meg connection was slowing to under 1meg between 6pm and midnight. I’m with ADSL24 now and I get fast speeds 24/7.
Thanks for the explanation, Tyger.
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