Fon wants you to help steal business from Starbucks and T-Mobile

Oh tricky, sneaky Fon. Fresh off their 10,000 Fonero giveaway, they're stepping up the ante with how they give away their loss-leader routers. Their newest campaign is sure to strike a chord with armchair entrepreneurs and Adbusters fans alike: if you live within the immediate vicinity of a Starbucks (read: WiFi range), Fon would like to send you one of their Foneros. Why? Because, if you recall, when you allow users to connect with your internet connection over your Fonero, Fon splits the profit with you -- $1 for every user (who pays $2 to use your connection). So for every $10 T-Mobile / Starbucks WiFi user you swipe, Fon gives you a buck; now, granted this still isn't a scheme for those paranoid about home network security, bandwidth usage, or nefarious hax0rs type with a spoofed MAC and a keen eye for easy hotspot access, but who knows, for those near Starbucks (yes, they'll be checking against known locations) it might even be worth it to buy a budget DSL line just to profit with Fon.

[Reese @ Feb 21st 2007 12:17AM]

damn... theres a starbucks like 200 yards from me... i dont think it would reach... what about a cantenna?

[kerunt @ Feb 21st 2007 12:18AM]

Awesome idea. Too bad there aren't any Starbucks near me...

[Juan @ Feb 21st 2007 12:25AM]

I should move near a Starbucks for Fon and profit.

[Yankees368 @ Feb 21st 2007 12:26AM]

Too bad I live in an apartment complex that is just oozing wi-fi all over the place. Anyways, I already have one of these little access points, pretty cool for free.

[wako @ Feb 21st 2007 12:47AM]

Awesome! I love free stuff!

[Josh Warner @ Feb 21st 2007 1:01AM]

The truly diabolical are those who OWN Starbucks franchises and start installing a second router on the sly for a second revenue stream...

[dave @ Feb 21st 2007 1:07AM]

I just got one of the 10,000 free fonera routers today. but I'd buy an uber-cantenna to get that second fonera with the green logo on it, there's a starbucks 6 or 7 blocks from my house.

[chuck @ Feb 21st 2007 1:21AM]

Except Starbucks doesn't franchise...

[Richard Vialoux @ Feb 21st 2007 1:35AM]

augh. there is a starbucks RIGHT beside my house but i live in Canada.. SUCH A TEASE

[Shadyman @ Feb 21st 2007 2:04AM]

FON is in Canada too, eh?

[Nic @ Feb 21st 2007 4:03PM]

I work for FON, I'll send you one in Canada if you want it. (Seriously, no strings attached, legal and free). Email me at jjjshabadoo at google's mail service.

[Dan Kronholm aka hamster aka pezz @ Feb 21st 2007 1:47AM]

I wish FON was here in Denmark still. They pretty much vanished after the danish tax system ate them alive (their business plan doesn't quite work well when users have to start paying taxes on their system).

[saq @ Feb 21st 2007 3:04AM]

Those of you contemplating a cantenna need to realize that a higher gain antenna is only going to increase the power output and reception for your particular radio. That doesn't include the radios that all the laptops that would be connecting. If your range is great enough that you would need an antenna, you will probably need an antenna on the other end as well.

[lejupp @ Feb 21st 2007 3:31AM]

> a higher gain antenna is only going to
> increase the power output and reception
> for your particular radio.That doesn't
> include the radios that all the laptops
> that would be connecting. [...]

That is not quit true. The path loss on an RF signal is always the same in both directions, a directional antenna on one side of the link improves reception and transmission just as well.

The real drawback of using a directional antenna is that it derives it's signal gain from focusing the RF field to a narrow angle, so you would probably need one uber cantenna pointing at each single user who connects to your service.

[Dale @ Feb 21st 2007 3:21AM]

Fon charge $3 for access which means you get $1.50 a pop - see http://www.fon.com/en/info/whatsFon

[Scabies @ Feb 21st 2007 9:51AM]

"The path loss on an RF signal is always the same in both directions, a directional antenna on one side of the link improves reception and transmission just as well."
objection. That statement is misleading. If you have two identical wireless devices, and one puts out 25mw on a directional antenna and one puts out 25mw on a small omni-directional (standard) antenna, device A will have greater range and signal quality, but it's hardware will not improve performance of the unmodified device.

[pere1234 @ Feb 21st 2007 5:53PM]

saq, Scabies: Learn in awe from the wise words of lejupp. Antenna gain in just one side of a link is beneficial for the link, thus beneficial for both sides of it.

lejupp: A 'cantenna' is better than nothing, but it is not directive enough for dsiscriminating among a number of users in the same Starbucks cafe--unless you're inside.

[Casey @ Feb 22nd 2007 10:09AM]

You best bet for doing something along the lines of a high gain antenna would be to use something like a 24dbm Grid Dish or even a 9dbm - 12 DB OmniDir .. both are available for around $40.00 - $50.00 from us distributors, those same distributors can also supply you with custom co-ax to fit your needs.

Casey
http://wisp-router.com

[Moakmatulak @ Feb 21st 2007 4:27AM]

Seattle FTW!

[Taylor @ Feb 21st 2007 5:45AM]

Or just pay $5 for a "normal" FON router like i did, regardless of how far you are from a starbucks.... or are they not doing this anymore? Then you can reflash the firmware and have a nice free WRT54G router... :)
-Taylor

[g3n3tiX @ Feb 21st 2007 7:16AM]

Na it's over. No more WRT54G... they have made their own, but I heard you could still flash linux on them.

[mike @ Feb 21st 2007 8:06AM]

you can read the feeds (ex. feed://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/HomePage.xml) for free at starbucks without having the subscription.
I found out that. Also the same in Detroit Airport.

T-mobile forgot to deny access to those. ahah

[J Ozer @ Feb 21st 2007 9:39AM]

Those FON La Fonera routers (the little white ones) are fire hazards!I bought one and it nearly melted a hole in my desk. The things have totally inadequate cooling, and I can't imagine them functioning for more than a month or two.

[Yankees368 @ Feb 21st 2007 12:02PM]

>Those FON La Fonera routers (the little white ones) are fire hazards!I bought >one and it nearly melted a hole in my desk. The things have totally inadequate >cooling, and I can't imagine them functioning for more than a month or two.

Holy crap dude! This thing is totally red hot! I never noticed that before!

[Excuse @ Feb 21st 2007 10:27AM]

Wait so is the router free for a limited time or is it free for as long as you are running it off of a wifi hot spot?

[Aron Trimble @ Feb 21st 2007 11:16AM]

I don't live anywhere near a Starbucks, and I was able to order a free router.

[adg1034 @ Feb 21st 2007 11:42AM]

On a more technical note, the La Fonera is extremely barebones, with no Ethernet hub; don't think you can use this as a replacement for an old wireless router if you currently have any wired devices plugged in.

[(CyKiller) Aaron Johnson @ Feb 21st 2007 11:50AM]

DD-WRT+Chillispot - nuff said - be your own FON

[BAMF @ Feb 21st 2007 12:00PM]

I just got my free La Fonera last week. I'm hesitant to hook it up though, as I would be held responsible for any illegal activities that take place over the FON router. Until FON comes up with some solution (VPN to their servers?) I'm not gonna pay the consequences of someone pirating music/movies or looking at kiddie porn on my connection.

[Kieran Coghlan @ Feb 21st 2007 1:09PM]

It is a great idea, but there are a number of hurdles to be concerned about:

1) If anyone uses the wifi for illegal activity (file-sharing, kidi-pron, etc) it will be traced to
you and you will be held liable. This likens back to the case where grandparents were busted
for their kids downloading music on their computer... the defense of "it must have been
someone else on my computer" doesn't hold up in court.

2) All ISPs state in their contracts that you cannot re-issue or resell their service.

3) They don't have any mention of how the bandwidth between the "private" and "public"
ports on the router is metered or throttled. A savvy laptop user may easily be able to hijack
a lion's share of the bandwidth.

4) Anyone, as the broadband distributor, would have no problem recording/monitoring all
data that streams through that router including passwords, account numbers, etc.

My sense is that they are trying to get Joe-public to resell-rebroadcast their personal
internet connection under the umbrella of ignorance to their ISP contract. If this truly was a
worthwhile venture for this company (and if it was legal to re-sell a $14.95/month DSL
connecton) then this company would be doing it themselves and making their own money. I
am mostly skeptical because I cannot get any further information on the issues I listed
above prior to ordering their product.

[That Guy @ Feb 21st 2007 12:52PM]

Dude, if you just click the "get your free router" it gives you a promotion code. doesnt even verify if you live buy a starbucks. Get your free Router NOW:

http://www.fon.com/en/promos/fonbucks

[BAMF @ Feb 21st 2007 5:04PM]

In reply to Kieran Coghlan:

1) There has also been a case in Germany (if I remember correctly) where a man said that someone unknown to him connected to his WiFi and performed some illegal activity. They found him guilty, saying that he was responsible for anyone he let use his WiFi (I assume it was unsecured). Not the US, but I think it would end the same way. There is an ongoing thread on the message board at Fon's website regarding this, and no one from Fon has chimed in. I don't think a case like this has been brought against a Fon user yet, so it's impossible to say if Fon would come to the user's defense in any way. I suppose you could always run the router through a separate firewall box and filter traffic to certain ports and websites.

2) This is true, although there are some Fon-friendly ISPs. You can see a list of ISPs who have specifically condone or prohibited Fon use here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FON

3) the La Fonera router has to seperate SSIDs: One unsecured for Fon guests and one that you can encrypt for your personal use. It is possible in the settings to limit the bandwidth allocated to the public SSID.

4) This is true.

I have to think that the majority of Fon users are not in it for the money. I doubt that there is alot of potential money to be made, unless it is a situation like this where you live near a Starbucks. I think most people do it for the community aspect and free use of other Fon members' hotspots (a map can be found on Fon's website).

I really want to do this because I think it is a nice concept and I would like to be able to make use of other Fon users' hotspots, but the legal issues are giving me doubt.

[tomwsmf @ Feb 21st 2007 3:57PM]

I am part of the Personal Telco Project up in the Portland Oregon area. The PTP was set out to give people an alternative to pay wifi sites that were springing up back when the group started some 6 years ago. When FON first came up on the radar I was skeptical of its motives and how it fit into projects that tried to build community use and inclusion of networking. As FON has progressed my skepticism has grown.

I know that some folks see the FON router giveaway as a chance to get a no cost openwrt platform that they can then reflash and put to good use, there is a problem with that though.

Look at thier Terms of Service
Section 6 needs reading......

"6.5. As a FONero, you will have the right to grant free access to your own FON
Hotspot to several users of your choice, the exact number of which shall be
defined by FON from time to time."

So you can not, under the TOS of FON be a truly open community networking node/hotspot.

Section 6.7 says you MUST use the offical FON software. There goes the idea of reflashing.

So you want to say your a FONeyario to get the router...Ok...but then your bound to the agreement. Like I said, routers that can use openwrt are damn cheap.

Ok even if you dont mind section 6 read on to section 7. People who are not running a node (as either a Linus or Bill) are called Aliens (can they get any more patronizing?) and they must PAY to use the
service, so there is no inclusion of a community who wishes to offer up bandwidth for neighbors to use free of charge. Before the replies are sent that "No one in their right mind would ever offer up their bandwidth for free" please come visit Portland and use the 100+ spots ( http://map.personaltelco.net/ ) where members of the PTP have set up areas doing just that. All these spots are run by home owners and biz owners who believe being good neighbors.

Look at the FON front page for a summation of what FON believes in...

"Welcome to FON, where becoming a Fonero will make you dinero"

The ideas that make up the PTP, as well as many Community Wireless Network groups, are spelled out in several documents including the Freenetworks Peering Agreement ( http://freenetworks.org/peering.html ) and the Wireless Commons Manifesto ( http://www.wirelesscommons.org/ )

If you want to build another TMobile type Pay network then FON is for you. If you want to do something truly cool go read those two documents mentioned above and find a near by Community Wireless Networking group (there is a list of them on freenetworks org) or start one up.

-tomhiggins

[martinvives @ Feb 21st 2007 8:57PM]

I've been following FON over a year now, and I can just say that FON is a company which tries to make good money improving everyone's situation. Its founder, Martin Varsavsky created two telco companies which highly increased the quality standards of internet in Spain.

Now FON, if it succeeds, will help many people get internet for free if they share the one they dont need (linus), they reduce the ammount of people being ripped-off by WIFI companies (aliens), and they will help people getting some extra bucks for their wifi (bills)

Of course you can always set up your own chillispot and try to get rich after you spend lots of time setting all the stuff up, you can try to find free wifi (everyday gets harder), or you can continue paying your ISP full-price for a service you just partly use.

And the MAC-changing-HAxXz0r will always be able to hack your internet conection, much faster than it would take him to brake de WPA2 FONERA encryptation.

The fonera DOES get very worm, but for example I hanged it on the outside wall thus increasing signal distance & cooling. There IS people who didn't get their FONERA, but if you think about the ammount of FONERAs being shipped, can be understood.

I have a working fonera in Mallorca, Spain and I'm quite happy being a Linux (for now). I recognize many things can be improved, but it's not bad for a company a little less than a year old. For a little money the FONERA costs, its worth at least to give it a try. Even if you are not happy with it, it will have been at least a cheap and interesting toy to play with to satisfy your geek needs!

Martin Vives

[PreGHz @ Feb 21st 2007 9:34PM]

How about Fon and a WiFi BiQuad Dish Antenna?

8 miles away? No problem.

http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/

[Leo Chan @ Feb 21st 2007 11:13PM]

I ordered a FON router a month ago but I still haven't seen it!!!

I guess FON is just as big a company as their website. I sent them an email to complain and haven't heard anything back. There went my $30.

[Steven Sullivan @ Feb 22nd 2007 8:20AM]

Haha.

Mine arrived today with a nice "FON WIFI HOTSPOT" sticker.

Fully supporting FON!

[Mike @ Feb 22nd 2007 1:05PM]

There is nothing stopping Starbucks from offering free WiFi, and thus killing any Fon router that happens to be nearby, or at least dropping the price accordingly. I would rather pay $2 for a good quality, stable connection at Starbucks than hoping the guy running the Fonera will not switch it off in the middle of the session, or keep a decent broadband connection behind it.

Remember, Starbucks WiFi is professionally-installed high-quality equipment. Not saying some users aren't very good with RF and could put up better setups than Starbucks, the majority of people will not know how to install a cheap piece of hardware to give a more or less level quality of service to potential costumers. Ask anyone who has been running a WISP and they will tell you - as soon as someone pays even $1, you have a customer, with demands and expectations. You simply cannot dream to charge for an infrastructure you have zero control over.

[Ken @ Feb 22nd 2007 3:33PM]

Eff Fon. Open your own hot spot, why split the cost? Secondly what happens if someone d/l's a bunch of child pr0n off the hot spot. You think fon is going to fedex you half a lawyer? No they will stop speaking english and hop the next flight to the Netherlands. Please send me a free router and then split the profits made off MY dsl. Thats hilerious.

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[Phil @ Feb 27th 2007 9:29PM]

@Mike:

There is something stopping Starbucks from offering free WiFi, namely their idiotic agreement with T-Mobile. Sbux has surrendered all revenue as well as branding from wifi in their stores in its entirety to T-Mobile, and there's no way T-Mobile can convert to a free model.

[Charles Allen @ Mar 19th 2007 11:14AM]

What about Domain Blocking on your primary router? Block the La Fonera site that comes up when you connect to the public AP. Shouldn't that effectively disable the public AP and leave the private AP available for your personal use?