Internet is too expensive.
[Product Design for a Internet Sharing Website]
Internet service providers push everyone to get the bundle package. You know the bundle package, it's why you technically have a phone line. Whether you're living alone, with roommates, or with family, you probably have a package similar to this. In most cases, you have more bandwidth than you need.
A secondary problem is short term internet service. When people rent an apartment for three or six month contract, they still have to pay for the installation fees and may struggle to sign a short term deal with an good internet provider.
Bandwith is a platform that allows users to safely and securely share their internet and it's cost. This way, people can be more efficient about their internet service. People living in the same building can share internet service, and that includes short term residents. Everybody wins, because everybody is paying less for internet.
Concept
People register as hosts to share their internet by inputing their location, service type, and what type of contract they are offering. Users can search for available hosts in their area and choose a connection based of location, price, and strength. In the initial version, users will have to sign 3–month, 6–month, or annual contracts with hosts.
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Takeaways
Factors to consider:
Security: People are sensitive to internet and computer security, even though sharing of wifi passwords is not actually that dangerous. Just because someone is on the same wifi as you does not mean they can "hack" into your computer.
Legality: Per most contracts with service providers, the reselling of internet is illegal, and sharing is a gray area. There are internet sharing programs in other countries that are discussed at the end of this page. Coffee shops are allowed to provide internet for their patrons because they have a business account. Airports serve more as a broker for internet and take a fee from the transaction.
Connecting: If a person moves into a new apartment, they won't have internet service to search for available connections. They will have to use a Bandwith application that can search for available connections and then the user can obtain the password. One idea is having hosts label their wifi name to indicate they are with Bandwith.
Passwords: How are passwords generated and monitored. Possibility of a plug-in that holds and randomizes passwords.
Internet Speed: 60-75 Mbps is the average connection speed, which can easily mange a family of four, including streaming and online gaming. Testing for range. Making sure both parties have high speed.
Currently, reselling of internet is against most contracts that individuals sign with internet service providers, as a precaution to these kinds of measures. It has yet to be seen how serious these penalties would be, whether they would take legal action against Bandwith, it's users, or it's hosts, and also if this is a policy that could be changed.
One option is registering Hosts as "business accounts" so that they will have the necessary permissions. A second option could be similar to existing company Fon, which is purely about sharing your service with others who are a part of the Fon network. If you are registered and you are traveling, you can use any Fon signal you can see. This does require the purchase of a Fon router which emits two signals, one for the owner and one for sharing. This does not solve the problem Bandwith is attempting to.
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