A new system from wireless network ‘enabler’ Fon promises to make you rich by selling on the wireless networks of places like Starbucks. The Fonera box will let you resell a wireless network you’ve tapped into for $2 a user. After the Fonera owner pays the $12 for accessing the Starbucks network, Fon will split the $2 charge evenly with the owner for every person who uses their WiFi box. Their site says:
Welcome to Fonbucks, where FON + Starbucks = cash for you. If you live above or next to a Starbucks (or any cafe/coffee shop for that matter!), you are eligible for a free wireless router that will earn you cash from the minute you plug it in. This also means if you are a cafe, coffee shop, restaurant or other public venue you are eligible too! By installing your FON router, you let others share your broadband for a daily fee. A fee that goes straight into your pocket. A savvy patron of your Starbucks need only pay $2 a day for your WiFi. They’d have to be a grande drip to pay the $10 Starbucks charges. Each customer who chooses you puts $1 into your latte fund. Cha-ching.
We suppose that someone with a Fonero in the vicinity of another Fonera could pay $2 and connect to the neighboring box and then go and to sell more wireless packages. And so on and so on. Commenting, Engagdet says:
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.
La Fonera
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To heck with trying to make a buck with FON. I’ve been a member since they beta-tested their idea in the US. I had one of their modded Linksys wireless routers, but couldnt find a place to make a buck with it. So I started using it as my own personal router. Now I get free Wifi wherever theres a FON member’s router. And you always know where they are, they map them online. Then I was one of the lucky 10,000 to get a free Fonera.
Im still not making a buck. But the free Wifi for having a FON router hooked up somewhere is a sweet deal.
February 22nd, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Hey it’s Jacqueline from FON here. I thought you might be interested hearing about the Fonbucks campaign success:
FON ended up giving away just under 7000 routers; 5,000 more than they anticipated. And these Foneros don’t lie! Fon saw a huge increase of Fon hotspots in highly dense, Starbucks populated areas.
Fon’s been having a lot of fun with this campaign. Check out the latest fun with Starbucks and meet Fon’s new favorite matador (Joselito):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=syNeaVewv5o
Comments welcome!
June 25th, 2007 at 2:48 pm