The Number of FON Access Points that are Available
For months now we have explained in our maps that the markings we had in the FON Maps were not access points, but registered FONeros. Nevertheless, everyone at the community felt that we needed to show active hotspots as well as registered FONeros. So we developed software that now queries all access points many times a day. This was done by the team headed by Jose Antonio Arribas and it was not easy to implement. Unfortunately, this software does not work on access points that do not have the latest version of our software, so basically when you see our maps an orange point is a maybe for access while a bright green is guaranteed access.
So how many active access point do we have? We do not know. But we do know now how many are active and with the latest software. Those anyone can see in our maps. We apologize that we were not able to come up with a way to query the earlier installs.
Posted on FON | 9:44 am
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Posted by Torsten - September 27, 2006 10:35 am - #
Why have foneros to register with their address when they do not grantt access to their router - if they have one? I do not see any sense in maps of people who just registered to get online access.
Posted by Tom - September 28, 2006 12:21 am - #
Usually, companies don’t share the information about their numbers with your clarity. It’s not easy, but in my opinion is the best way to create the community that all of us want.
Congratulations for the maps!! The improve is impressive and now we can “see” how the movement grows”
Posted by Jeroen van Velzen - September 28, 2006 11:54 am - #
Martin,
The maps look great. One thing though, why use the firmware to see if the hotspot is active.
My FON Router logs in to your Radius servers and uses the FON DNS. Why bother checking the heartbeat of a router. Your Radius Logs show if i’m logged in or out.
Regards
Jeroen
Posted by Paul Jardine - September 28, 2006 1:49 pm - #
This is a major step forward for Fon, and I have said for a while that Fon needs to start treating each element of the movement as part of a living, growing entity.
If I cannot see or feel my hands, what use are they? Fon needs to know who is logged in where and which parts of the network are ‘lit’.
There is a huge amount of synergy to be had in having Fon access points ‘collaborate’ with each other.
Posted by pradyum - September 29, 2006 3:10 am - #
This topic reminds me of a recent FOX News interview I saw
Global initiatives, people donating billions!! and all of a sudden a question on FON maps? 
Must be the global warming!
Cheers,
-pradyum
Posted by Anonymous - September 29, 2006 12:22 pm - #
Dear FON,
I don’t see any justification for publishing Alien’s addresses at all.
On the contrary, Aliens do not have either implicitly or explicitly given their permission to you to do so.
The fact that you do publish their private information is close to breaking privacy laws.
Apart from being misleading (and please don’t brag about your communicative achievements) it’s a reason to distrust your adherence to privacy laws.
Posted by Martin Varsavsky - September 29, 2006 7:09 pm - #
Anyone that registers as a FONero (including Aliens) accepts the T&Cs and Privacy Policy of FON. However, everyday we remove from the maps those users that have bought a pass (Aliens).
Posted by euronerd - September 30, 2006 11:44 am - #
I take it 7 is the reply to 6.
Martin, where in the T&C does it say an Alien agrees to have his data published ?
If there is no specific article, please explain how an Alien should understand, within reason, that his data will be published?
It is very interesting that removal from the maps takes place AFTER an Alien buys a ticket. There is a legal term for that.
Posted by euronerd - September 30, 2006 11:48 am - #
Martin, you probably will refer to:
“FON Respects your Privacy
You accept and agree that FON needs to share the address of your access
point to enable other FONeros to find it.”
It says: “address of your access point”.
An Alien has no access point.
Posted by Martin Varsavsky - October 3, 2006 12:10 pm - #
When someone registers, he/she is included in the maps, since we do not know if it is going to be a Linus, Bill or Alien. If then that user buys a pass, then we take him/her out of the maps. It is only users that buy passes (i.e. Aliens) that are taken out of maps.