Boingo, Linksys Offer Hot Spot in a Box

Boingo Wireless and Cisco Systems Inc.’s Linksys division have joined to offer the Hot Spot in a Box program, which is aimed at making it easier for companies to launch commercial Wi-Fi hotspots in public locations such as coffee shops, restaurants, doctor's offices, gas stations, independent hotels, retail outlets, and office lobbies.

"Until now, it has been difficult for millions of small businesses to offer Wi-Fi service to their customers due to the cost, technical expertise and marketing support needed to operate a commercial hot spot," says Floyd Hubbell, Boingo vice president and general manager of sales, marketing and business development. "The Linksys WRV54G is the perfect instant hot spot to help these businesses offer a competitive and profitable amenity for the growing numbers of Wi-Fi enabled consumers."

The Hot Spot in a Box feature is now available on the Linksys Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router (WRV54G), the company's flagship small business Wi-Fi router solution. Current Linksys WRV54G customers can also update their router with the Boingo Hot Spot in a Box feature at no additional charge by downloading new firmware from the Linksys website.

By connecting the router to an existing DSL, cable or other broadband connection and activating the Hot Spot in a Box feature, a business owner can easily add their location to the Boingo Roaming System, a network of nearly 7,000 hot spots worldwide. Once activated, they can access the Boingo Hot Spot in a Box administration site to monitor their traffic, make configuration changes and even add new hot spots in additional locations.

According to the companies, operating a Boingo hotspot can generate profits of between $300 and $400 per month based on an average of only two user connections per day and 10 sign-ups per month.

Every time a commercial user connects to the hotspot, the hotspot owner would receive a connect fee of currently either $4 for a daily user or $1 for a Boingo Roaming System subscriber. And if a new subscriber signs up for a monthly hot spot subscription for the first time, the venue owner would currently earn a $20 "bounty". All related marketing, billing, 1-800 technical support and other back-office services are handled by Boingo and its Platform Services partners.

To attract users, the venue will be listed in online hot spot directories sponsored by Boingo and Intel Corp. and the business will receive a Boingo/Intel marketing kit including table tents, posters, Centrino window stickers and other materials.

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