So I've been posting my ideas on here and on Martin Varsavsky's blog regularly, I'm still not sure if my ideas and suggestions have generated any significant debate or if any were regarded as good by anyone looking at FON or working from within. Here are some of my previous threads:
FON should release auto-meshing Foneras:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4346Cheapest NAS ever (special Fonera 2.0 hard drive enclosure):
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4842When is Fonera 2.0 coming? Mon Jan 29, 2007
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2627Fon Liberator IDE/SATA.. Wi-Max Fon routers? Wed Sep 27, 2006
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2080So now that I read that FON is AGAIN doing something awesome in the Fonera 2.0n product, at only 79 euros coming in a couple of months. I feel the urge to post here again my latest ideas for making FON a much more tangible revolutionary product and community:
1. FON should be free WiFi. Allow Foneros to opt-in to enable free ad-supported WiFi access on their FON spots. That voluntary opt-in free WiFi access can also be throttled to only be limited at a certain bandwidth, the bandwidth can be in the category of third priority (behind Fonero owners own activity and behind Paying or Roaming Fon Aliens and Linuses). Perhaps is the registration of a regular FON account not necessary for the free WiFi access, you could require people to login with any of their existing Google Friend Connect, Facebook Connect, Twitter, OpenID or other existing well established user accounts. You just need some sort of user authentification to prevent most abuse before granting the free bandwidth-limited and ad-supported WiFi access.
2. FON needs to implement worldwide WiFi Roaming much more efficiently. I want to login on ALL worldwide hotspot networks using my FON username and password, and thus PAY using my current and latest FON WiFi income (taking from whatever I would have earned on my home WiFi). FON absolutely needs to implement WiFi Roaming in much more clever ways. For example, how much bandwidth do you provide at your Fonspot, gives you more or less access to roam on FON and OTHER WiFi hotspots worldwide. If I provide lots of bandwidth to Boingo, Neuf, Free, BT or other such customers, I want to be allowed to roam for free or cheaper on their networks as well.
3. FON mesh networking, absolutely, this is needed. Sorry, but FON cannot wait for ISPs to start thinking this is a good idea. FON should sell cheap Fonera 1.0 meshing routers for people to buy and be allowed to install just only in an electric outlet, which expands instantly the original FONspots reach and gives that new Fonero a cheaper, free or better access to that original FONspot. Basically, for customers accessing FONspots, let them click "Buy FON mesh router now 19 euros, install it at your window to expand the reach of this FONspot and you will get _these_ advantages" (advantages which can include perhaps free, or cheaper FON access, or better bandwidth less ads if already free, all based on the performance of that mesh access point).
4. Fonera 2.0n is green colored. Now is the time to make sure it can absolutely provide following perfect features based on its announced much more powerful embedded processor:
4.1 Unlimited amount of BitTorrent and Emule downloads/seeds should be supported. Turning it immediately into a reliable pc/laptop replacement for all p2p usage.
4.2 Gigabit/s local lan speeds, it should start to be fast enough for managing Terrabytes of local personal file backups and synchronizing terrabytes of personal files with cloud backup storage as well.
4.3 Support for unlimited amount of local USB hard drive total-switch-off-over-usb (see
Cheapest NAS ever), this will provide NAS local and Internet-wide storage using 1000x less power since USB hard drives should absolutely only be turned on using usb-auto-power-switching only when they are absolutely needed.
4.4 Google Chrome OS, Chrome Browser, Firefox should start getting plugins, extensions, gadgets, that handle user interaction with their Fonera 2.0 box. Any click on .torrent files within the browser (any of desktop/laptop/mobile phone browser) should automatically launch by default the torrent download on the Fonera 2.0n box. Any other downloads should right-click and download onto the Fonera 2.0n box from any http or from other types of download systems. Clicking on BitTorrent or podcast RSS feeds should add the subscription to the Fonera 2.0n box. Completed downloads should be sent from Fonera 2.0n through IM or other type of ping to the user and instant link to stream the original file (considering there should be enough upload bandwidth from the Fonera 2.0n to support it).
4.5 Fonera 2.0n should automatically become the router box to have together with the best VOD set top box systems. HD VOD BitTorrent RSS feeds should auto download to Fonera 2.0n USB hard drive, and play locally to the HDTV through local network and available $100 HD VOD set top boxes.
FON should quickly be synonymous with biggest free wifi community (for all not just Foneros), at for example max 512kbit/128kbit speeds for free with ads (show relevant location based Google ads somehow) and simply let people pay for more bandwidth.
I recently got a nabour who simply decided not to have any password on his regular WiFi access point, since then I nearly don't get any customers anymore for my FONspot. Why would they pay or use my access point when they can get free Internet on a nabours unprotected open wifi spot.
FON = Free WiFi (when Foneros opt-in). Or activate that Free thing based on current performance of each FONspot. Simply put, if a current FONspot is very popular, earning a lot of money, do not touch it. While other less popular FONspots, you could if you want, just automatically activate FREE access now without even asking the owner for permission. Then only make it an opt-out thing for them.
6. Important opportunity for FON, advertising for high Bandwidth. FON could quickly have all the Fiber Internet providers using FON to advertise and sell their high bandwidths. Simply put something like this on Fiber-2-FONspots:
512kbit/128kbit FREE showing relevant localized Google ads regularly
1mbit/512kbit 1 euro per 1 hour
1mbit/512kbit 3 euro per day-pass
1mbit/512kbit 10 euro per week-pass
Let bandwidth be symmetrical 1mbit/1mbit when on Fiber connections.
10mbit/1mbit 1.50 euro per 1 hour
10mbit/1mbit 5 euro per day-pass
10mbit/1mbit 15 euro per week-pass
If on ADSL or Cable when upload connection can max out at 1 or 2mbit/s, then warn the user that the upload is only best effort and comes in second priority after the FONspot owners own activity, graph of current available bandwidth over the past few hours can be shown.
Let bandwidth be symmetrical 10mbit/10mbit when on Fiber connections.
100mbit/100mbit 2 euro per 1 hour
100mbit/100mbit 8 euro per day-pass
100mbit/100mbit 20 euro per week-pass
Again, bandwidth is shared among connected users, with priority given the FONspot owner.
Let Foneros modulate bandwidths that people can get based on how much bandwidth they actually have and eventually also set GB/user/time usage limits, and always making it possible for the Fonera to set it so he will ALWAYS get absolute priority on the bandwidth used when he uses it himself on his own private WiFi signal or otherwise locally.
