La Fonera Wireless Router

Other products by Fon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0016C8SC8
• Item model number: FON2201B
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 11, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer

The La Fonera+ wireless router by FON gives you wireless access to your internet connection like other major brand routers, but also comes with free access to thousands of WiFi hotspots around the world.

It's a WiFi router, but also a global WiFi sharing community The La Fonera+ is a cool looking router about the size of your hand. When connected to your internet connection, La Fonera+ creates a wireless network for your laptop and other WiFi enabled devices to connect at speeds up to 54 Mbps. What's even cooler, La Fonera+ is not just any router, it is also a WiFi sharing community. La Fonera+ lets you share a bit of your broadband internet connection with others, and in return, you get free access to the WiFi hotspots of everyone else who is sharing. That's more than 180,000 locations worldwide and growing fast. With La Fonera+, you join the world's largest WiFi community!   It's as easy as 1-2-3 It's incredibly simple how FON's WiFi community works. Just three steps: 1. Buy a La Fonera+ wireless router 2. Connect it to your existing internet connection (cable, DSL, fiber) and register 3. Enjoy wireless roaming for free. Each person that uses a La Fonera+ for WiFi at home or office creates a WiFi hotspot for the FON Community. The more people sharing, the more WiFi hotspots for all. Now that's good WiFi karma. Share a little bandwidth, Gain a lot of access Did you know most people use a very small percentage (2-10%) of the bandwidth they have available? With La Fonera+ you can dial up or down the amount of internet bandwidth you want to share, so you can always be sure you have enough for your needs. Dial it up when you are gone and make money from those connecting in your absence, dial it down when you download movies or stream videos online. Cha-ching! Make money with your WiFi With La Fonera+ you can also make a little money when you share your WiFi with others. Put a paypal account into your FON profile, and when non-sharing members connect and buy access passes--you get 50%! Use the cash to subsidize your broadband service, or give the proceeds to your favorite charity. Safe and Secure Open hotspots can be risky, that's why the La Fonera+ makes it possible to share bandwidth safely. The router protects your connection by creating two secure WiFi signals. One encrypted, password protected WiFi signal that is only for your own private or business use, and a second WiFi signal that requires authentication and is for all other registered FON members to connect. The two separate signals insure your network & data stays safe and private. More Internet in More Places Do you surf the web, check email, listen to Pandora, upload pictures to flickr, watch YouTube or make Skype calls? Want to be able to do that when you're out and about? For free?? WiFi liberation is here. Get your La Fonera+ and help make internet access available anytime, anyplace!

About FON
FON is building the world's largest WiFi network though a global community of 'Foneros'. FON's 'La Fonera' wireless routers enable people to share a small part of their broadband internet service with the FON Community. In return for sharing, Foneros gain free WiFi access at FON hotspots worldwide. FON, whose investors include Google & Skype, has grown virally to a membership of 700,000+ since its founding in 2006.

Talk about for FON
"Top 10 Startups worth watching in 2008"
--Julie Sloane, Wired

"FON has quietly built the world's largest Wi-Fi network—without the slow, expensive process of having to string up hotspots in light poles and coffee shops. Instead, the company is trying to capitalize on the community-minded ethos of the Web. To become a FON member, people either purchase one of the company's routers or install its software in their existing cable modems. The technology turns every "FONero" household into a Wi-Fi broadcasting station."
--Spencer E. Ante, Business Week

Product Description

The La Fonera Router from FON is a WiFi router that allows users to share WiFi in a safe and secure environment. It also lets you connect all your WiFi-ready devices (laptops, phones, PDAs, and other gadgets) to your broadband connection. The router comes equipped with an Ethernet WAN port for Internet connection. While the Ethernet LAN port allows for connecting a computer or other device (network printer, storage, etc). With 2 SSIDs, one public (named FON_AP by default) non-encrypted, and one private (named MyPlace by default) encrypted with WPA-PSK, it offers enhanced security. The 128/64-bit WEP and WPA/WPA2 encryptions further fortifies the security feature. The Automatic Channel support allows selection of optimum wireless channel at boot up. The included external detachable antenna enhances the range of your WiFi signal and offers a gain of 1.5 dBi. With the La Fonera, you get WiFi at home and can roam FON Spots around the world too!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wireless Access Community, December 10, 2008

By	Alex Kah "ack" (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews

When purchasing this product you are not only purchasing a device that will allow you to access the Internet over your own wireless network but you are also assisting in building out the worlds largest wireless access point network. You can configure your FON wireless router to broadcast two SSID's one for your personal network which would be encrypted and then one for the public. The public would be other owners of FON routers around the world. The benefir here is you will have a FON user/pass that you can use at any of the tens of thousands of FON routers around the world. If this continues to grow there will be FON routers almost anywhere youo need.

The FON wireless router is a great concept being implemented with a great product. There are also all sorts of possibilities as far as customizing certain FON routers which you could locate by doing a Google search for FON and Pineapple. :)

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay, October 28, 2008

By	S. Elmore "Pirate Marmot" (Oklahoma City, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this router seems to work just ok. I have been using it for a month or more now and haven't had too many problems. Although every once in a while it just like stop sending out a signal and I have to reset it which is rather annoying. I've been using it while playing WOW and it works ok but the game seems a little laggy but it probably doesn't help that I'm on a laptop.

Overall it's not bad for the money but I would still recommend getting a different wireless router if you can.

2 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT HAPPY IN HAWAII, October 5, 2008

By	Hawaii Man-O-War "Kahuna Kane" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

WI-FI All around the world - baloney!! You need to be within 300 yards of someone else who has purchased this same type of WI-FI router to get WI-FI. My recommendation - don't get it unless everyone else in your city has it, otherwise it is useless when taken out of your zone limit. I can barely connect to WI-FI when I am downstairs in my basement. WI-FI AROUND THE WORLD - BALONEY!