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How To Share Ethernet Over Wi-Fi Without Creating Access Point?

Why hasn't Fon, or a similar product, been successful in creating a distributed Wi-Fi network in the United States?

  • Fon (Fon Wireless Ltd.) is a company that operates a system of dual access wireless networks. Fon claim to have the largest Wi-Fi network in the world, with over seven million hotspots. Members, whom the company calls "Foneros", agree to share a part of their bandwidth as a Wi-Fi signal, so that they can connect to other members' hotspots. Consumers who choose not share their internet connection can buy Wi-Fi access passes or credit from Fon. Fon members whose hotspots are used to access Wi-Fi by a paying customer can receive part of the revenue.

  • Answer:

    They've had a lot of success, but Fon's model has some limitations, and those limits might have more impact in the US. For one thing, their system is not viral -- customers can't recruit other customers, because you need Fon hardware to join the Fon network. Also, Fon providers don't get any money back when their hotspots get used by other Fon members. Fon is more successful in Europe, where roaming charges for internet access via the mobile networks are higher than in the US, and countries are generally more densely urban; both of those make it more likely that you'll run into a Fon hotspot, and make it more attractive to be a Fon member.

Tom Hughes at Quora Visit the source

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My first instinct was it would be something to do with population density, however the US has a higher population density than I expected to see. The other thing I would consider is what sort of relationship does Fon have with the telcos in Europe as compared to the United States.  Also, what sort of relationship do the telcos in those regions have with their customers? If download caps are in place the idea of sharing your connection might not be very appealing. If the telcos in Europe are more amenable to working with Fon directly that could have a significant impact on Fon's ability to get much of a footprint. Meraki tried to build out a broad wifi network in their earlier days, but they more or less pivoted into enterprise wifi deployments because they couldn't monetize very well. I don't know how well Fon is doing in Europe so it's difficult to compare really.  They're privately held I believe??

Emmet Gibney

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