RESELLER CHANNEL: Meet Brian, the ISP Next Door

Posted: 9/2003

Meet Brian, the ISP Next Door


By Khali Henderson

Anyone who has neighbors is used to
the occasional pitch Girl Scout cookies, Amway cleaning products or Avon
cosmetics. Now, the knock could be from the ISP next door thanks to a new
program from broadband service provider Speakeasy.

In July, Speakeasy introduced Wi-Fi NetShare, which allows
Speakeasy subscribers to easily and legally resell broadband
connectivity to their neighbors via Wi-Fi in exchange for a credit to their
monthly broadband bill.

Wi-Fi NetShare enables Speakeasy customers to become Wi-Fi
administrators, who then can set up wireless zones within an available perimeter
(usually 300-500 feet) of their respective homes or businesses, using any
commercially available Wi-Fi equipment. From that point, administrators can
promote the Wi-Fi NetShare service to neighbors within the zones and establish a
subscription fee for those who elect to become customers. Then, all subsequent registration and customer billing
relationships are managed by Speakeasy. Wi-Fi NetShare customers will receive
all of Speakeasys basic services as part of their subscriptions, including
e-mail (POP3, IMAP, Web-based), news, dial-up, antispam/ anti-virus, and music
services. They also may purchase additional services such as Web hosting
or gaming subscriptions.

Approximately 40 percent of Speakeasys subscribers
already operate home-based WiFi networks (compared to a 3 percent national
average), and many of them already enjoy sharing their connection through our
free Wi-Fi sharing policy. The natural next step was to enable them to monetize
their zone and become broadband evangelists of sorts, says Arnaud Gautier, Speakeasys director of product
management.

One of the first resellers is Brian Youngstrom, a
resident of Ballard, Wash. A system administrator for the University of
Washingtons Computer Science Department, Youngstrom answered Speakeasys
call for beta testers. He already had a Wi-Fi network set up in his home
part of a sixplex condominium and figured extending his broadband to his
neighbors would be reasonably easy. Its a great way for me to share the
cost of my DSL while giving my neighbors a Speakeasy e-mail address. Thats
one of the things they would not get if I were just to give them access to my
wireless and have them give me a case of beer or $10 bucks a month or something,
he says.

Youngstrom enlisted neighbor Mitch Manning, a network
administration consultant, as his first customer. Manning was using dial-up
service from MSN at $19.95 plus tax per month. His NetShare account through
Speakeasy gets him broadband service for $20.

Mannings service fees are charged to a credit card account
each month; half, or $10, is applied as a credit to Youngstroms DSL invoice,
which is about $55 per month.

Since Youngstrom already had a Wi-Fi network in place for his
own use, he simply had to provide Manning with the network name and wireless
encryption keys. For his part, Manning had to buy a wireless network interface
device; he chose a USB version, which plugs into his laptop.

Youngstrom plans to recruit other neighbors in his building to
the NetShare program. Using his current antenna, he says he could support five
or six subscribers with typical usage patterns e-mail, Web browsing and some
streaming. While he could get enough shared users to cover his entire bill, that
is not Youngstroms goal. I dont think I have enough people in my
airspace within range of my antenna to do that, he says. If I wanted to, I could put a stronger antenna on and reach
more people, but I dont think I will. I think I will focus on the people
within my building. I dont want to become the support group for the block.

Administrators are responsible for some aspects of customer
support including initial Wi-Fi setup, signup and basic troubleshooting. Administrators also are responsible for the security and
integrity of their shared network. Speakeasy may recommend security measures,
but it will not be responsible for enforcing specific Wi-Fi network security
measures.

If one of the machines I have between the DSL and their
machine goes down, then I get to fix it … like a router or firewall. If there
are issues with signal strength with my access points, then thats something I
get to deal with, explains Youngstrom.

He says these responsibilities are reasons that being a
NetShare administrator is not for everyone, but he adds its not really that
complicated. All the technical stuff is done upfront, he says. The
access points that are being sold now are really easy to set up. They are almost
to the point where you plug in two cables and you are done. Even if you cant
do that, you find the teenage kid down the block and have him come and set it up
for you.

On the user side, its also straightforward, says Manning.
The documentation that Speakeasy puts out is very nice and rolls it up in a
nutshell. It lets you know what it is and how it works, he saying,
adding that its not that hard to hook up.

He says having Speakeasy in the loop also is reassuring. From my standpoint, I feel more justified, he says. I dont feel Im breaking any laws. If you were doing
it under the counter, you are always going to be worried. Its like stealing
cable.

While neighbors clearly are the intended target market for the
NetShare program, Gautier says Speakeasy already is getting inquiries from
property management companies and building owners to use the system to provide
services to their tenants.

Brian Youngstrom, right, resells Speakeasys broadband
service to his neighbor Mitch Manning, left.