4 Comments

  1. The technology is different (Fon is not actually a mesh) but I think the business model is the same. Meraki – consumer get’s a kind of ‘carrier’ income. Fon – consumer gets a clip of the sale if their router is used and its taken off the monthly bill. I think….

  2. Not at all the same as FON.

    FON is very different technically and in terms of their sharing model.

    Firstly, as Laurel says, FON does not offer mesh networking. Each FON router runs on it’s own network and connects to the net via its own connection – they do not share connections with each other.

    Secondly, there is no way to get free net access from a FON system without being a Fonero. If you have a FON system at home, you can get free access on any other FON system you find anywhere. Which is v cool but is a different model to Meraki. Any non-Foneros (known as ‘Aliens’ – classy) need to pay for access to a FON system.

    Meraki, on the other hand, allows for free net access to anybody. In fact, if you buy the cheapest version, you *can’t* charge for access.

    Both systems broadcast two separate networks (allowing for a private encrypted network for the system owners).

    As for billing, both allow users to pay with their credit card at the time – directly to the company. FON then takes a 50% cut and passes on the rest to the owner of the system via PayPal. Meraki takes a transaction fee (not sure how much, you’d have to ask somebody who’s done it – the language makes it sound like it’s simply to cover credit card processing and mail, though) and mails you a *cheque* once a month (if you make over $20)

    I hope that’s clear! 🙂

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