Griggi: A Wi-Fi sharing ecosystem for affordable Internet everywhere

by pocha • 11 years ago

66 44 11 years ago

jannic2• 11 years ago

Please consider contributing to something like Freifunk, instead: http://freifunk.net/en/

Similar technology (OpenWRT based firmware), easier to use, less privacy issues as it's not necessary to track your network usage. And completely free.

pocha8• 11 years ago

Friefunk actually is a pretty cool project. Any such initiative would typically require quite a bit of community involvement if it has to grow organically. How big is the Friefunk community btw ?

jannic2• 11 years ago

According to http://freifunk.net/en/how-to-join/find-your-nearest-communi... there are >15.000 access points, mainly in Germany.

Is there some international equivalent?

imaginator• 11 years ago

+1 on Freifunk. Setup is super easy:

1) order an Ubiquiti Nanostation LOCO M2 (amazing reach and super sensitive antenna),

2) sign-up with them for a VPN key. This will keep your visitors traffic tunneled through their VPN. IF there is any problem with content infringement, it ends up on their network.

3) Flash the box with their OpenWRT port and install the VPN key.

I setup my box last week and and it's been running well (http://monitor.berlin.freifunk.net/host.php?h=imaginator). Nice to see users dropping on and off. The firmware also includes support for the Freifunk mesh network. I'm looking forward to adding more nodes to the neighbourhood and growing the wifi coverage.

Action shots: http://imgur.com/a/q7nOk (Decided that martini bottle is a better solution than the tripod)

Get started at http://config.berlin.freifunk.net/wizard/routers (disclaimer: not clear if you should/must/can be in Berlin for this to work)

1rbn• 11 years ago

should password protect /dashboard

rakesh2215• 11 years ago

Interesting concept..

saarge• 11 years ago

Is this based on openwrt? What all hardware you support?

pocha8• 11 years ago

It should be able to support any linux based router OS. The router package is combination of WifiDog (http://wifidog.org), wshaper & a couple of home-grown scripts. The server side is authPuppy (http://www.authpuppy.org/) tightly integrated.

Most of the linux based OS will support the above packages. For others, we are yet to test.

karram• 11 years ago

have you looked at yourkarma.com?

croupierr• 11 years ago

whats different here from a coovachilli setup?

pocha8• 11 years ago

Its coovachilli with a community & book-keeping server that keeps an account of how much others using your wifi & how much you could use of others. Its very close to Friefunk project actually.

mpsh• 11 years ago

do you have something similar for a multi-access point setup? I am looking for a cloud-based hotspot controller.

kapsteur• 11 years ago

like https://corp.fon.com/en#what_is_fon

pocha8• 11 years ago

Its like Fon except :-

1. There are no telco partners. We directly sell to consumers.

2. Data sharing & usage is metered. You accumulate then you use it elsewhere. Its called Karma GB.

3. We are also thinking of putting up a feature that lets you enable 'free wifi' if you are a cafe/restaurant owner and you need a DIY solution for your customers. Thinking of keeping it as paid feature.

Milner082• 11 years ago

But, if I'm in an area where people are very unlikely to use my WiFi how do I accumulate 'Karma'? Do I then have to buy Karma?

IshKebab• 11 years ago

It sounds almost identical to what Fon was originally.

icebraining2• 11 years ago

Fon also sells directly to consumers: https://shop.fon.com/en/product/fonera

I can use any Fon router despite not being a client of a partner ISP.

sneak2• 11 years ago

In most developed countries, this is against residential service TOS and could subject the operator to disconnection.

nileshtrivedi• 11 years ago

Like how you aren't allowed to rent your house like hotels (AirBnB) or to use your personal car as a cab (Uber)?

sneak2• 11 years ago

No, those are laws that you are subject to involuntarily.

I am talking about a contract that you agree to when you purchase service.

codingdave• 11 years ago

Philosophically a good point, but in reality, that is a bad analogy. Your local gas station won't cut you off if you drive for Uber. The guy who built your house won't tear it down if you rent it out. But your ISP can, and will, disconnect you.

There is a significant difference between freely using something you own. vs changing how you use a service that you do not own, and have signed contracts specifying terms of use.

option_greek• 11 years ago

As a Hindu, I always flinch a bit whenever the word Karma is used in all these different contexts :)

relet• 11 years ago

Ha, next you claim it is not an alternative currency you can buy to unlock more features.

pcthrowaway• 11 years ago

You can't buy it, but as you amass karma you do get access to additional HN features.

verloop• 11 years ago

Interesting concept. I am usually left with unutilized 20GB+ at the month end. If concept picks up, hopefully I will be able to trade same when traveling.

tempodox• 11 years ago

Leftover data volume in that massive amount? That could never happen to me :)

PanMan• 11 years ago

So, Griggi is a new wifi sharing service which counts usage in Karma GB's, while Karma is another, unrelated wifi sharing service? https://yourkarma.com/ That seems confusing, name wise.

colinbartlett• 11 years ago

They need to be careful of calling their shareable wifi credits "Karma", seems confusingly similar to: https://yourkarma.com

ianlevesque• 11 years ago

None of these services seem to address my number one concern with sharing my WiFi - I don't want my IP address associated with guest activities. The last thing I need are frivolous IP threats or cops busting down my door because someone did something illegal through my WiFi point (even if I am ultimately cleared of the charges).

What I'd really like to see is a service like this that pipes guests through a VPN instead of just setting them loose on the internet directly from my connection.

edwhitesell• 11 years ago

When will it be more than a landing page? I'd like to see the installation steps and try it, but instead it just asks for my email address to receive updates.

Side-note: If you're sharing a new product/service, only having a landing page is a big negative in my view. Show me something that works. You should not have a "Get Started" button if you won't actually let me start using it...

eximius• 11 years ago

To be fair, Griggi didn't post there link here* - someone else did.

* probably.

EDIT: welp, saw OP saying 'we'. Nevermind.

pocha8• 11 years ago

Yup, thats right. Sorry for lame landing page. We have a prototype ready but before deciding to formally put it out, quickly wanted to run it down with a few people to see if there is actually some interest. Its largely inspired from the Buffer guy experiment to validate before he decide to finally build it - https://blog.bufferapp.com/idea-to-paying-customers-in-7-wee...

banna3• 11 years ago

I would try to look for shareable AP each time but if my success rate is 1:10 I wouldn't bother look again. And I am ready to pay for it. So... what if I try the push model through telco - light up your AP sharing script in all the APs of this telco you get lets say 1 million shareable AP on Day-1. If an existing subscriber of this telco wants to use any of those APs, you add $1 to your monthly bill and access any of these 1 million APs anytime. If a Telco-Z subscriber wants to use this service pay $2 to the telco - $1 goes to Telco $1 goes to the one whose AP is being shared... everyone happy. Telco-Z jealous.

Now think of going abroad, telco has their roaming partners now they can have their wifi-roaming partners.

-Banna

banna3• 11 years ago

Karma in the US appears to be just a LTE dongle which could be from anyone - At&T/sprint. whats the disruption?

banna3• 11 years ago

If its about giving the power to seek and provide the service to individuals - like what Uber did - "I can share what I have and I don't need a license for it". Quite known to everyone Uber has built its service base by offering lucrative benefits to its drivers/service providers - one of the many reasons it was able to scale. Effect of that is people are buying new cars at the rate Toyota Vios can't fulfill the demand. Grigi could be free to use for a year like Whatsapp. At the end of the year many who shared their service will have Karma GB in their pockets to trade...at this stage bitcoin gained its popularity.. people had something to trade.

Griggi: A Wi-Fi sharing ecosystem for affordable Internet everywhere

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