BT to offer free wireless WiFi nationwide

[Nick F]

Copied from another forum but through it well worth a post here. Looks like BT's master plan for those home hubs is coming into effect.

BT and FON have joined forces to create a Wi-Fi community that allows its members to connect for free in thousands of places around the UK and the world.

Any BT Internet/Broadband customer can join for free and those with Home Hubs can also be set up a HotSpot for other customers.

Anyone doing this seems to get:

- free access to other BT customers WiFi hotspots
- free access to BT Openzone hotspots
- free access to any FON Hotspot anywhere in the world.

Note: that is someone else uses your connection as a hotspot, it doesn't come out of your own usage allowance and contains security so they are 100% separated from your own home network

Anyone opting in will be sent a firmware upgrade to their Home Hub (if they have one) from Monday

More details including FAQs and a forum at http://www.btfon.com/

[muddyfox470]

It's a good idea, but how many people ar elikely to pick up on this, how will it affect peoples connections and how secure will it really be, despite them saying it will be independent...

Ian

PS. I cannot personally see how if all the traffic is coming through the one router thus same IP how they could prevent illegal downloading and/or abuse of this system, as surely there will be leaks of how to access these systems - if there is some sort of authentication or code that BT users are entitled to?

[Splash]

Essentially the FON segment will be VLANd off from the other traffic. Not sure if/how they plan to polic it though, but if you were to sign up to it (and I was looking at this a while ago when deciding between a Vigor 2800 and a 2800G, but I went with the 2800 in the end so no wireless.) your machines and the data held on them should be safe.

[merdat]

Well, they would have to make it 'secure' or it would be a complete disaster. To have 'hotpoints' via H/H / FON is a good idea for 'people on the move' but I just don't know if I would sign up for that or not.

[MadduckUK]

im actually trying to join fon, but there's no way im paying anything more than a tenner for one of there routers for the privilege. preferably id just wait till they do them free again.

[Claire S]

If the hubs involved in anything I doubt it will work

[UltraMagnus]

hmm, i have actually been running fon for some time

this worries me a little really, for two reasons

1) this could mean greatly increased traffic, luckily the fon router allows me to throttle how much they can use...... so it shouldn't be a problem

2) will fon users get the same privileges, if not, i am outta here. its really not at all fair if normal fon users do not get free access to the homehub fons and the opnezone...

anyone have any information on this?