????既然“分享經濟”能在汽車租賃和度假公寓上大行其道，那為什么不能用于Wi－Fi呢？

????位于西班牙首都馬德里的FON公司在不斷增長的協同消費市場嗅到了商機。它推出了一款能將家庭Wi－Fi變為公共熱點的路由器，僅售59美元。用戶能將自己的Wi－Fi網絡開放給其他FON會員，作為回報，他們能免費使用別人的FON熱點。FON創始人兼首席執行官丁?法薩夫思奇說：“如此一來，人們就能免費暢享全球無線網絡?！?/p>

????共享Wi－Fi聽起來頗為新奇，但FON實際上自2006年起就開始推行這個計劃。這家公司在美國以外市場已經小有成就（FON宣稱，在全球范圍內，它的路由器熱點數已突破1,200萬。），但在美國市場，FON此前的第一次嘗試收效甚微，如今已是它二度出手。

????法薩夫思奇說：“我們第一次推出產品的時候還是筆記本時代，人們對FON的共享Wi－Fi基本沒有需求。如今可是智能手機和平板電腦的時代了。大家幾乎人手一部Wi-Fi設備，對網絡的需求與日俱增?！?/p>

????美國投資者很早就看好FON【它早在2006年就從Index Ventures、紅杉資本（Sequoia Capital）等知名風投手中拿到了2200萬美元］。FON將用戶稱為“Foneros”，不過那時的電信運營商們可不喜歡這家古怪的公司。那個年代iPhone還沒出現，運營商對Wi－Fi如臨大敵，認為它威脅到了自己的蜂窩網絡。時移世易，如今的運營商迫切需要Wi－Fi分擔不堪重負的通信網絡。他們會提醒用戶盡量使用Wi－Fi網絡。BT和德國電信（Deutsche Telekom）等全球性運營商都投資了FON。在美國，FON最近和美國電話電報公司（AT&T）簽署了一項協議——用戶只需繳納一筆費用，就能在國外旅行時免費使用FON的無線網。

????和其它共享服務一樣，FON的價值直接取決于它共享社區的規模。雖然這家公司在全球有1200萬個熱點，但大都分布在城市，在廣大的郊區，Wi－Fi共享幾乎沒有用武之地。

????不過FON十分幸運，它收獲了一款殺手級的產品——最新發布的增強型Fonera路由器。FON用戶的好友們如今無需密碼，只需Facebook證書即可登錄網絡。簡單點說，如果親朋好友造訪你家，只要他們在你的Facebook好友名單上，就只需Facebook證書即可登錄你家的Wi－Fi網絡。（對于經常有訪客，或者Wi-Fi密碼冗長難記、讓別人苦不堪言的家伙，他們一定會感謝這項功能）。FON表示該技術在安全和隱私上沒有問題，新款路由器會將主人的數據和訪客數據放在不同頻段收發。法薩夫思奇稱：“Wi－Fi技術一個顯而易見的使用障礙就是密碼?！?/p>

????FON表示，新款路由器專為美國市場打造，將在亞馬遜網站（Amazon.com）和FON官方網站銷售。這款以識別Facebook好友為賣點的路由器能否在美國培養出大量鐘愛Wi－Fi分享的Foneros？我們拭目以待。（財富中文網）

????譯者：項航??

????The "sharing economy" seems to be working for cars and vacation rentals, so why not Wi-Fi?

????FON, a Madrid-based company, is trying to cash in on the growing collaborative consumption trend by offering a new, $59 router that turns home Wi-Fi networks into community hotspots. Users open up their network to other FON members, and in turn are able to use any other FON Wi-Fi hotspot free of charge. "It gives you the ability to roam the world for free," says Martin Varsavsky, CEO and founder of FON.

????Shared Wi-Fi may sound like a novel idea, but FON's actually been around since 2006. While it's had some success abroad (the company says its routers power a total 12 million hotspots globally), this is its second attempt to make a splash in the U.S. market. The first one didn't work out so well.

????"When we started, it was a world of laptops, and frankly there wasn't enough demand to drive FON," admits Varsavsky. "Now it's a world of smartphones and tablets. There's much more demand for Wi-Fi now, and everyone has a Wi-Fi device in their pocket."

????American investors embraced FON early on (in 2006 it raised $22 million from Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and other notable firms). But mobile operators weren't so quick to fall in love with the quirky company, which refers to its users as "Foneros." Back then, in the pre-iPhone era, carriers saw Wi-Fi as a threat to their cellular networks. Fast-forward to today, and they're trying to offload mobile network traffic by notifying users when they're in the vicinity of a Wi-Fi hotspot, among other tactics. Global operators like BT (BT) and Deutsche Telekom (DTEGY) have invested in FON. In the U.S., the company recently partnered with AT&T (T) -- customers who pay a premium are now able to access FON's network of overseas hotspots while traveling abroad.

????But like other sharing services, FON's value is determined by the size of the community it spawns. And despite the 12 million global hotspots it boasts, the company's product doesn't make much sense outside of urban areas, where proximity to other shared networks could appeal to users.

????Lucky for FON, it's got a nice new trick up its sleeve -- the latest, enhanced Fonera router lets users' friends sign in with their Facebook (FB) credentials, no other password required. In other words, if a family member or friend that's in your online social network is visiting your home, they can log onto your Wi-Fi network using their own Facebook credentials. (Anyone who has had houseguests and ever blanked on their long and unmemorable Wi-Fi password will likely appreciate this feature). In order to ensure security and privacy, FON says its new router separates a user's traffic from their friends' by utilizing different Wi-Fi signals. "One of the simplest obstacles to Wi-Fi has been passwords," explains Varsavsky.

????According to FON, the new router has been tailored for the U.S. market, and will be available on Amazon.com and FON's website. Whether its Facebook friends-recognizing feature is enough to spur critical mass -- and a community of U.S.-based, Wi-Fi loving Foneros -- this time around remains to be seen.