Do clouds burst?

[Dave2002]

Ah - that makes more sense. So you were probably accessing the "with-FON" from your nearby neighbours, who presumably had working routers.

I have done that in some more remote parts of the UK, though the problems there are that the "with-FON" service tends to be worse in remote areas than in dense urban areas. However, it may do better than mobile WiFi - it all depends .... Sometime mobile WiFi devices do the business, but not always. Also mobile WiFi tends to be expensive, unless you only have a relatively small number of modest sized files to transfer.

I don't know enough about the "with-FON" mode, but I assume that each active domestic router in an area (typically urban) functions as a hot spot. This would work if one assumes that external users may be close by - neighbours, or pedestrians, or drivers in cars in the nearby road(s). I don't think (but I could be wrong) that the routers work co-operatively in the wireless domain, or do anything clever like beam shaping and adjusting power levels to assist a casual user who "logs in" to a hotspot. If you imagine an iPhone user walking down a road using WiFi rather than cellular networks, it is plausible that the phone could pick up WiFi signals from each nearby house, which would then mean that some form of handover would have to take place as each router came into range, and then went out of range again.

In dense areas, such as blocks of flats, there may be many possible router "hotspots" to choose from, and the hardware/software will simply select those which it considers best at the time. Note that there's no gurantee of service level - a router in a house might be switched off if the user there so decides, and there's nothing the external users can do about that, but on average in an urban or dense area there will be sufficient router "hotspots" to make the connections feasible.

This approach isn't necessarily going to give really high performance uploads/downloads, but may be sufficiently good for some less demanding applicaitons.

[french frank]

Ah - that makes more sense. So you were probably accessing the "with-FON" from your nearby neighbours, who presumably had working routers.

How would that work though? Wouldn't I need their (neighbours') security key to access it?

This suggests that the hotspots function via public spaces (cafes, libraries &c) and that even some of those need the key/subscription.

[Dave2002]

How would that work though? Wouldn't I need their (neighbours') security key to access it?

This suggests that the hotspots function via public spaces (cafes, libraries &c) and that even some of those need the key/subscription.

Didn't you just put your own BT user name in, together with the password you set up with BT?
Essentially, AFAIK, the BT Hubs have several private "stations" which only you can use with your own Wireless keys within your home, or probably need the BT key if used with the LAN network. That's your normal use of the BT service. As your own router was not operational (I assume completely) you must have been accessing other nearby routers. It's just possible I suppose that your router might be able to provide "with-FON" service even if it is not working with your local networks, but let's assume your router was completely out of it.

The open access network which your (or your neighbour's) router will make available can be picked up by anyone. However, they don't actually gain access to your files and LAN, but they do gain access to the BT broadband line. There is then a password level of protection which allows the "external" user to gain (or not) access to the internet. This is done in such a way that it does not affect the user who "owns" the router (strictly that might still be BT), nor does the owner/user of that router get charged for any uploads/downloads done by the "with Fon" links.

That's my understanding, anyway. The system treats your neighbour's routers in pretty much the same way as if you go into MacDonalds or Starbucks. I hope I've understood this correctly myself. I think if you go into a map of "hotspots" for BT (there are some around on the web), and look down at the street level, you'll find that a large number of houses have dots in them, indicating the presence of a possible router - though it's not perhaps guaranteed, as not all the routers may be working, or switched on. You can then work out which houses have a BT internet service!

[french frank]

Didn't you just put your own BT user name in, together with the password you set up with BT?

Yes, but I assumed I was connected to the restaurant just down on the corner, which advertises free wifi (and may or may not be BT). But you're probably right that any BT router would do.

Anyhow, for the best part of a week, I had a strong signal and an instant, reliable connection. And, obviously, the service is available to anyone, but you get it free if you're a BT customer (which seemed to me to be a good reason to be with BT?).