How to set up your own Wifi access point

Public access to Wifi points can be awkward and expensive. Nigel Whitfield looks at setting up one at home

Wifi is undoubtedly a useful technology, but for people who stray beyond the home or office, the cost of using an access point can be prohibitive.

While business users can soak up the extra cost, home users are less willing to pay over the odds. It’s no surprise, then, that many people use unsecured networks, hitching a free ride on someone else’s broadband.

But there are alternatives to expensive commercial broadband services or unauthorised piggybacking on unsecured networks. One of the fastest growing is Fon.com, with more than 85,000 users worldwide – 3,000 of whom are in the UK.

The idea is fairly simple: Fon.com users – or Foneros – set up their broadband so it can be accessed wirelessly by other Foneros. In return, they’re able to connect to any Fonero’s shared access point around the world, free of charge. Anyone else can connect to a Fon access point for a charge of 3 euros (about £2) for a 24-hour period – less than the rates charged for casual use by the main hotspot operators.

The income from these other users (Fon calls them Aliens) is used to subsidise the cost of the Fon Wifi routers that power the service. You can have a share of the income from people who use your hotspot, but then you also have to pay to use Fon hotspots around the world. In Fon’s rather bizarre lingo, those who share for free are called Linus, while those who expect cash are Bills.

Fon is keen to make its service as simple to use as possible by taking the hassle out of setting up a hotspot and dealing with random unknown users. It provides customised firmware for some Linksys and Buffalo wireless routers, which ensures all the access points work alike, allowing registered users to connect, and other users to purchase payments and register.

And if you don’t have a router already, you can buy one preconfigured for only 5 euros (about £3), plus postage and Vat. However, if you don’t register it with Fon within a certain time period, you’ll be charged an additional 45 euros (about £30) to prevent people simply joining up for the cheap hardware.

The technical side
On the technical side, it is fairly straightforward. It’s based on open-source software – Chillispot – which is the hotspot software, and custom firmware images for the routers. It’s about as close to plug-and-play as you can get.

Chillispot serves up the login page users first see when they try to browse via your hotspot with the sort of sign-in form familiar to anyone who has used public access Wifi. It then relies on a Radius server for the authentication. Fon operates a central server, which your access point queries when someone connects, verifies that they’re entitled to access, and then informs the Chillispot software.

The Fon software package allows you to specify a couple of URLs that people can browse for free. So, for example, you could allow them access your own website, or a page of local information, and it’s supposed to allow for some basic customisation as well.

Of course, not everything is perfect. While there are plenty of Foneros around – Spain, for instance, has more than 10,000 and France more than 6,000 – the forums on Fon’s website suggest that the number of active hotspots is actually much smaller. Some users may have simply bought the router because of its price, while others may have failed to set it up.

And with hotspots typically set up by home users, don’t expect to be able to sit outside a major tourist attraction and connect to the web for free. Locations tend to be outside the city centres, and the maps on the Fon.com website aren’t always accurate, making it somewhat hit and miss.

So, while the talk from Fon’s team is of widely available low-cost wireless access, it appears the reality is rather different. Sharing your broadband connection may entitle you to free access from a Fon hotspot, but finding one when you travel could be tricky.

Security conscious
There are other concerns, too. While Fon makes much of the fact that there’s no anonymous access – all users have to be authenticated against their servers – some users are concerned about the possible security implications of allowing other people to share their connections.

It’s certainly true that if you don’t configure an access point in the right way, other people could potentially access systems on your network, and this is especially true if you are connecting via the access point yourself, opening up the possibility of sniffing data, such as your email passwords. Since there’s no wireless encryption used, such sniffing is quite easy.

Technical worries are not the only concerns users have. Some are wary of the amount of control Fon has over the system, including the potential of updating the router firmware remotely, or restricting the abilities of sites to customise the login page that visitors see.

Fon.com isn’t short of cash, with backing from companies including Skype and Google. In addition, some view it as a network being built by users providing bandwidth and electricity in return for a subsidised router and free access to other hotspots while Fon takes most of the income.

Depending on your view, Fon is either an altruistic effort to extend Wifi access in Europe and America, or a means of building a business on the back of volunteers.

While Fon.com may be the most well-known of wireless community operations, it’s not alone, but thanks to the subsidised routers, it’s certainly the cheapest to join. In theory, though, there’s nothing to stop you setting up your own public access system, using Chillispot and a local Radius server.

But Chillispot and Fon aren’t the only solutions for Wifi access. Locustworld is home to the popular MeshAP software, which can link broadband connections and multiple wireless routers together, providing seamless coverage over a larger area, while information hops from one node to another.

The Locust system uses dedicated custom units, extending the range beyond that which is possible with a standard access point, and making it a useful system for those wanting to provide blanket coverage in a particular area.

It has also found favour with a number of rural community Wifi projects, and the latest versions now support Sip (Session Initiation Protocol), so VoIP (Voice over IP) phone calls can be routed around easily.

Other solutions for sharing Wifi include: Wi-Here for companies that want to provide free access to customers, and the Wifi Freespot site, which lists free hotspots around the world.

If the altruistic side is what appeals to you, there are other projects around the country aiming to provide community wireless access. A partial list is available from free networks, including projects such as Bristol Wireless or the Lancaster Mesh. They may not offer the 5 euro router, but are arguably more effective at targeting internet access at those who really need it.

Making money out of your broadband connection may seem attractive, especially if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where there are lots of potential visitors. But is it legal? And what happens if someone downloads material they shouldn’t do or uses the connection for illegal purposes?

Potential legal implications
Charging others for access to your broadband is a legal grey area, but regardless of this, your ISP’s terms and conditions may prohibit you from doing it. And even if you want to offer free access, you need to make sure your broadband connection can be shared.

Some ISPs will be happy as long as you stay within your terms of use. Don’t forget that if you have a download limit, other people will be contributing towards it. Other ISPs may ban this type of sharing, unless you take out a more expensive business account.

More importantly, where do you stand when someone uses your connection to do something illegal? The Fon.com system doesn’t allow anonymous access, so their servers will, in theory, have a record of the user who was logged in to your access point.

In practice, however, obtaining that information and proving it was that particular user hacking a bank or downloading illegal porn may not be so straightforward. Clearing your name could depend not only on Fon’s willingness to provide another user’s details, but also on the willingness of those investigating to consider any evidence that’s produced.

Finally, if you’re selling internet access, or profiting from it, you’ll be liable for income tax – don’t nurture the false hope that no-one will ever find out to whom the likes of Fon.com are making payouts.

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