Sell Your Wireless Bandwidth

BilSabab writes "Yahoo! News is reporting on the release of LinSpot 1.0 for Mac OS X. Linspot enables users to sell access to their wireless network to anyone who enters the hot zone." The software is free, but LinSpot takes a cut of the action.

Comments

No thanks

[greentree]

I'll just continue using my neighbor's cable internet for free.

Re:No thanks

[Gropo]

Yes. God Bless Microsoft for fostering a world in which people are so afraid of borking things that they leave everying set up with the base configuration.

-Posted over 1.3mb down/380k up, leeched RoadRunner :)

Re:No thanks

[Greedo]

Even better: use his internet connection, but resell it to your other neighbours!

Interesting read on I, Cringely

[oacis]

This sort of ties in with the ideas of Robert X cringely, which can be read here:

For Love Not Money: How WhyFi can turn hotspots into a real industry

and

WhyFi Not? - Bob Defends his Wireless Networking Idea

Yes, I realise WiFi, not WhyFi - those are the titles.

A quick note

[Tim_F]

Please be sure to read the EULA that came with your cable or DSL high speed connection. Oftentimes a high speed provider will prohibit the reselling of bits of the connection.

Be aware people. I'm surprised something like this is even available...

Only works through CPU not AP

[Blinkslowly]

What they don't make obvious is you can only sell your bandwith with your CPU acting as the access point. You can't just setup your Air Port base station and rake it in.

Re:Only works through CPU not AP

[Greedo]

What they also don't seem to mention is that you can't set the price of your bandwidth. They do that for you.

But, in relation to the parent comment, It'll only be a matter of time before this is ported to Linux, and someone gets it installed on those configurable, cheapo LinkSYS routers.

Mistaken identity?

[GoRK]

First, the software is commercial and proprietary (LinSpot takes a cut off of your bandwidth sales), yet seems to tie itself dubiously to OSS. Although I have not actually looked at the application myself, I suspect that there are likely untold amounts of license violations in LinSpot. Read these two faq entries while keeping in mind the way the software is advertised and used:

From the LinSpot FAQ:

1.6 WHAT'S UP WITH THE PENGUIN?
First of all, we LOVE penguins! Secondly, it is the logo of the GNU/Linux operating system. The 'Tux' penguin logo is originally created by Larry Ewing using The GIMP as a drawing tool. With it, we want to honour the OpenSource projects who are at the basis of LinSpot: the Apache Web Server, the ISC DHCP server, the ISC BIND Nameserver, the SQUID Web Proxy Cache and lots of other things created by motivated programmers across the globe.
The penguin puts the end-users into the spotlight!

4.3 WHY THE NAME LINSPOT?
Inside LinSpot there's a lot of OpenSource software: the following OpenSource projects are packaged with LinSpot: Apache Web Server, ISC DHCP server, ISC Bind Nameserver, Squid Proxy server and several other smaller ones. With the first 3 letters we want to bring tribute to Linux and the OpenSource community, as they form the basis of the current Internet and it's popularity. Linux is the best known icon reflecting this FLOSS community!
Also, LinSpot is free and wants to spread rapidly, just like Linux.

The other information in the FAQ is very telling, including the telltale "Investment Opportunity" section that is present in the websites of so many dubious businesses.

I would caution any user against attempting to use this application. There are several good alternatives that are not difficult to set up including using NoCatAuth with a micropayment system. Since LinSpot happily handles the billing of the users for you and then sends you your 'share' later, you'll really have to decide whether or not you trust them to do the right thing, since they do not seem to be forthright in their other business practices.\

At any rate, this software hardly deserves a "1.0" release or attention on slashdot. It could likely be a scam, though I have no evidence to beleive that it is anything more than a really dubious, hacky, misguided implementation of someone else's good idea.

Am I the only one...

[System.out.println()]

....voluntarily sharing my wi-fi broadband as an act of good will to passersby?

At one of the stoplights the bus I ride stops at, there is a wifi network somewhere within range, and we generally stop long enough for me to get a connection, check my email, click the 'post' button, before we move on. There's no way I'd be able to click 'Pay', enter all my info, etc, while I was there - even if I wanted to.
I prefer to leave my wifi unprotected and make sure my computer itself is secure... the worst anyone can do is put files into my Guest shared folder, and I may be helping some geek nearby look up something on the internet in a hurry.