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Living Near Starbucks Can Finally Pay Off!


By

Jen Chung

Published Feb 21, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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By

Jen Chung

Published Feb 21, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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2007_02_routerfon.JPG

Have you groaned about how much those Grande Mocha Lattes are costing you? Have you ever wondered how you can make money from the Internet? And do you live in wireless-Internet-access range of a Starbucks? Wireless company Fon is offering free routers and the lure of cash to anyone who lives above or near the coffee chain. How does it work?

By installing your FON router, you let others share your broadband for a daily fee. A fee that goes straight into your pocket. A savvy patron of your Starbucks need only pay $2 a day for your WiFi. They'd have to be a grande drip to pay the $10 Starbucks charges. Each customer who chooses you puts $1 into your latte fund. Cha-ching.

Engadget notes

"now, granted this still isn't a scheme for those paranoid about home network security, bandwidth usage, or nefarious hax0rs type with a spoofed MAC and a keen eye for easy hotspot access," but Fon says there will be private and public channels. And if you're thinking of going for it, businesses, like other cafes or shops, are also eligible.

Here are pictures of Starbucks in NYC. The gravitational pull of Starbucks in Manhattan is at 39th between 5th and 6th Avenues. Recently, the Reverend Billy was arrested at a Starbucks and in the past, we've wondered about latte shortcutting.

Tagged

coffee

internet

mac

manhattan

money

News: NYC

nyc

pictures

reverend billy

starbucks

technology

wifi


Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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