Walt Mossberg of Re/code has penned a call for “open, shared home Wi-Fi,†and he’s done so with the help of Steve Jobs, as he recounts a conversation about the iPhone, and a dream to have secure, shared and free Wi-Fi be the norm for everyone.
In an article posted on August 5, Mossberg talks about a conversation he had with Jobs regarding home Wi-Fi networks, and the fact that the majority of them had a password protecting them. While Jobs admitted a need for security, he was reportedly determined to find a way to offer safe, secure and free Wi-Fi for everyone, whether it was between small businesses while walking downtown, or from house-to-house as someone walked through their neighborhood.
Jobs even told Mossberg that he wanted to get other companies involved, “in a sort of consortium,†to make this dream come to life:
“His idea was to get as many wireless router makers as possible to build in a “guest network†option â€" essentially a second Wi-Fi network, securely walled off from the rest of the home network, and with its own name. Then, he hoped that the industry would encourage people to share their bandwidth with strangers via these guest networks. That way, a smartphone user could walk around, moving from one Wi-Fi hotspot to another, without logging in â€" much like people using cellular data move from one cell tower to another.“
Anyone who gained access to a guest network would not be able to access the main network, or any of the computers, printers, drivers, or other devices on that network, either. They’d simply be able to get online. The report notes that many wireless router manufacturers, including Apple, have included a “guest network option†of some kind or another, but Mossberg points out he has no idea if this stems from Jobs’ vision or not.
It’s certainly an interesting idea, and considering how prevalent Wi-Fi is in many areas, it could theoretically work quite well. However, it’s a slow process that many tech companies aren’t all that focused on. Movements like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is trying to achieve much of the same things as Jobs’ vision with their Open Wireless Movement, is having a slow go at it. Mossberg does mention the U.K.-based company Fon, and Comcast as “moving in the right direction,†but also points out that many of these options have strings attached, and so are less appealing than Jobs’ envisioned open, free networks.
What do you think of an idea like this? Would you use it?
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