B T Broadband

[quo vadis]

I have B T Broadband at home and remember seeing somewhere about signing up to a system whereas I can log onto any B T hub anywhere providing I sign up to it, does anyone know about this who could help?

Bob

[Guest]

BT offer their "Openzone" access to any of their Broadband subscribers who are willing to allow their home wifi network to act as a mobile hotspot for other BT Openzone customers.

http://btopenzone.hotspot-directory.com/

Their much boasted "millions of free wifi hotspots" is actually based on customers like yourself allowing strangers to share your BT wired connection via wifi access.

Hopefully, their Openzone software protects the hosts from network hacking, but even so, anyone allowing their home connection to be a wifi hotspot for others will lose exclusive use of their own bandwidth. Not a problem for city dwellers perhaps, but in rural areas, especially poor old Norfolk, the average lousy 0.9mb speed will become even more of a nuisance when shared with multiple "wifi guests" !

[wayneakp]

Hiya

Try this : http://www.btfon.com/images/media/commo ... n_faqs.pdf

I use BF fon and never had any problems at home

regards

Waynee

[VetChugger]

I think the principal of this scheme is great! It does, as Strowager hinted, need maximum take up by BT customers to make it work. I have had very good connections on the Broads to both Openzone and BT Fon. Never experienced any problems on my home connection.

Trevor

www.normanboats.co.uk

[Guest]

It's confusing the way BT uses the terms "BT Fon" and "Openzone".

They sometimes infer that Openzone is quite different, as here:

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/deta ... 049/~/what’s-the-difference-between-a-bt-openzone-hotspot-and-a-bt-fon-hotspot%3F

but then when you use the BT Openzone hotspot search facility at http://btopenzone.hotspot-directory.com/ and input your local postcode, it also shows the approximate locations of the BT Broadband private customers in your area, and refers to them as:

"This marker identifies a postcode where there are one or more hotspots, but not their exact location. The Wi-Fi signal is subject to the BT FON

owner making the hotspot available. BT does not have any control over this availability."

Presumably the special BT Fon router is able to separate the wifi "guest" usage and downloads from your own monthly allowance.

Call me old fashioned, but the thought of someone watching a streamed movie, (or worse), over my connection is something that would slow the appalling wired service down even more. Maybe it will be more practical when we all get fibre optic service at 20mb or better....

[RedRover]

Does anyone know if its 100% secure on wifi at home?

[Guest]

Does anyone know if its 100% secure on wifi at home?

I have no personal experience of it, and a Google search shows divided opinions.

As it depends on a specific hardware device, the special "BT Fon" Router, potentially it could be 99.999% safe, because hardware firewalls are, to all intents, unhackable.

The online blurb even mentions separate wifi channels, for the host user and the "guests", and prioritisation for the owner-user.

Digging through the online info though, one user mentioned that he had some locals "sitting on his garden wall" to access his hotspot !

[littlesprite]

To the best of my knowledge.

Openzone. a BT/partner provided service such as McDonalds, airports ect.

BTFON. a home or business phone that is available for other BT customers to use, it seems not to reduce your own speed or bandwidth. The option to opt in or out of FON is available to all BT customers, all new BT customers are opted in as default, you have too take action to opt out.

[mbird]

I've also got BT Broadband and use the BT Openzone/FON when out and about. Living in a small residential close in a rural Norfolk village, there's not a lot of chance of passing users taking up my bandwidth. As I understand it, the FON part uses a totally separate port within the router and it is (reportedly) 100% secure from your own network.

I believe any customers that have signed up to BT Broadband within the last 18 months or so are automaically joined in the FON network unless they opt out.