Installing a city-wide WiFi network (aka municipal WiFi) from scratch is commercially not viable. New examples of this evidence pop up everywhere: Earthlink backing out of the San Francisco project, Chicago’s WiFi project canceled, etc. The top-down commercial solution with huge capital expenditures will never fly and the tax-payers are usually paying a high price for these failures.
On the other hand, you can find everywhere you go 4, 5 or more networks available around you. If people would share their network using Whisher, you’d get  “Free Municipal Wifi” without spending extra on infrastructure. Certainly a model worth trying.

A new cool Twitter feature for Whisher will be released in a couple of days. Every time you change your WiFi location and/or status, Whisher will automatically post an update to Twitter with the name and location where you are connected. For example, you get to the office, open your laptop, and Whisher goes online - since Whisher knows where you are, it will post an update to Twitter automatically.

Obviously you will have the option to disable this feature in your preferences. Isn’t this a great way to let everybody know where to find good WiFi connections, while letting them know what you are doing? We’d love to hear about other things you would like to see in these automated updates - this is just the beginning!

Our Beta Testers will be able to use this new feature as of today, and as soon as they give us the OK will pass it on to all of you.

We’ve made it! Whisher 2.0 is now available for download here, in our super cool new site. Right now Windows XP, Mac OS X and Linux versions are available…and hopefully Windows Vista by next Friday - Microsoft makes it very hard for developers on their shiny new OS.

What’s new? Well, a lot, which is the main reason why we haven’t had summer holidays this year…but it was worth it!

First of all the application is much more stable than previous versions. There are still minor issues to fix, and the occasional crash, but we are counting on the precious help of our active beta testers team to solve them. Secondly, we have pretty exciting new features, the most remarkable being:

• Guided process for easy and automatic WiFi sharing, WiFi tagging and connectivity to other hotspot networks.
• Integration of multiple instant messaging platforms: GoogleTalk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ and AIM, all integrated in the same interface.
• Twitter: yes, you can also send and receive tweets directly on Whisher. We’re not completely sure, as there always seems to be some hidden lab somewhere working on pretty much anything, but this is probably the first cross platform Twitter application ever.
• Catch up with your friends: check your online address books and find out if your friends are already on Whisher, and optionally invite them if they are missing out on the fun.
• Better usability on the online coverage maps; have fun seeing how Whisher spreads all over the world. We bet you to find a country without Whisher presence.

On top of all this, geolocation of buddies, notification balloons, sounds, LAN support, faster file transfer…we’ve added so much that we encourage you to download the software and join us in the effort of creating The World’s Largest Free WiFi Network.

Said all this, we wish you a nice WiFi experience and very much look forward to your feedback.

The Whisher Team.

It has been just over four months of very hard work, listening to users, adding features, implementing changes, and generally improving Whisher, but we’ve done it! A private beta program is set to start in a few days, and we are looking for users to participate in it. In general terms, we are looking for the following - you must:

• be knowledgeable in WiFi technologies and networking, we’re not asking for gurus, but we need people who know what an SSID is
• have at least one laptop computer with WiFi, be it a PC with Windows or a Mac. A desktop with a USB or PCI WiFi adapter is also good.
• have at least one WiFi access point or router, and be knowledgeable in its configuration and management.
• be willing to test a software application and report frequently and consistently using an online bug tracking platform (don’t worry, it’s dead easy to use!).

As part of the beta testing program, we will offer two prizes, one for the most active tester, and another randomly drawn amongst all participants. The prize for each winner consists of a Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N router and a matching WUSB300N Wireless-N USB adapter, so that you can enjoy up to 12 times more transfer speed than normal 802.11G technology, and up to 4 times more range!

If you feel like you can make a difference, please contact the beta team at beta@whisher.com today! We will give you more details about how the program will play out, and get you started. Beta testers will also have access to a private area of the Whisher Forums to exchange experiences, make comments and participate in the beta program. Please include a brief description of your experience and equipment so that we may better evaluate your application.

We are honored to have been picked as one of the ten Tech Startups to Watch by Laptop Magazine, the leading publication related to mobile computing and connectivity. Quoting the article on Laptop’s website:

Whether they’re creating new products or redefining the technologies we already use, these ten companies are working on improving the way we learn, compute, and communicate. Their names probably won’t ring a bell, but we guarantee that what they’re doing will get you excited about the future of technology. We’ll introduce you to a company that wants to make quid pro quo Wi-Fi sharing the norm, a company that will deliver your voicemail as text messages, and a company that wants to sync and update all of your gadgets simultaneously. Read now and remember their names: We’re sure this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing from them.

This year will be very exciting, with plenty of movement, ideas and announcements in the WiFi space, so stay tuned!

People often ask about the three sharing modes that Whisher offers - unlike other initiatives, we are not about all or nothing, share or not share, have access or be left outside. Our approach is to let people decide how, when and with whom they want to share, and not be bound by their choice in a way that it affects their ability to interact with the rest of the community.

With this in mind, we created three sharing modes: public, buddies-only, and private.

Public sharing mode

Public mode basically means that anyone with a Whisher client and a registered account can access your WiFi. When you register your WiFi, the credentials needed to access it (WEP or WPA key) are distributed to the rest of the Whisher clients out there in a secure way, so that whilst they can connect, they will never see your key. Whisher keeps logs of connections to your WiFi, and these will be available soon in a private account page at whisher.com for you to review.

Buddies-only sharing mode

If you are not ready to share with the rest of the community, but would rather start with your friends and relatives, or maybe you want to setup a small community WiFi network with your neighbors, then this mode is for you. The credentials to access your WiFi are distributed only to those Whisher users you have added to your buddy list, so controlling your sharing becomes as easy as managing buddies - don’t want to allow someone to connect any longer? Remove them from your buddy list. Someone coming to visit and you don’t want to go through the hassle of giving them the key to your WiFi? Add them to your buddy list, and when they arrive, they will be able to connect transparently.

Private sharing mode

If you are downloading important stuff, you probably want to enjoy the full speed your broadband connection offers. Simply enable private mode, and even those in your buddy list will be denied access - saving those users who you have added as VIP.

VIP you say?

When you enable private mode, you may want to keep some Whisher users connected, such as your family members or close friends, thus, all you have to do is add them to your VIP list. This is very simple, just select them on the local WiFi users list, right-click, and choose the ‘Add as VIP’ option from the popup menu. You will see a star next to their name, meaning they are now VIPs. To remove a VIP, you can either right-click on the user again and reverse the process, or you can open the WiFi profile window, where you will see all the VIP users you have added.

As you can see, sharing your WiFi with Whisher is safe, fun and hassle-free. You don’t have to wait for things to happen, fight unfamiliar hardware and settings, or install extra equipment - if your existing WiFi works, you can share it!

We’re pleased to announce the release of an updated Mac Whisher client, which fixes the same issues that were fixed in the last Windows release, plus the following:

• Fixed WPA and WPA2 support, with Apple’s latest APIs.
• Fixed some crashes during registration of WiFi signals.
• Improved login time.
• Improved general stability.

The download is available here, as before, simply mount the .dmg, and drag the icon to the Applications folder. There is no need to uninstall the previous version, although it could help if you have a much older release and you experience problems with this one.

As always, we welcome your comments and reports, and development continues to adapt and improve Whisher in many different aspects, more news to follow!

This is the first in a series of mini-tutorials that aim at getting you aquainted with Whisher and the functionality we offer through our client. Today, we will see how easy it is to share your WiFi network with others, and we will answer a few frequently asked questions at the end.

Whisher allows you to share your WiFi without having to purchase new hardware or even reconfigure your existing equipment. Before we start, one common question: Why should I share my WiFi? Well, you don’t have to, but we love to share because we make the world better. It’s fine to have broadband at home, but it’s even better if you enjoy free access elsewhere. If we all give a little, we can gain a lot.

The process is extremely simple:

1. Connect to your protected Wi-Fi using Whisher. If you have an open hotspot, the process is the same, but it will be tagged (more on this later).
2. Click on the “Register as my access point” link, which is right below the signal name (SSID) in the main window of Whisher.
3. Fill in the form: nickname and welcome message, which is what visitors will see when passing by your Wi-Fi, and the location where your Wi-Fi is, so that others can find it.

Your Wi-Fi is now shared!

Can you decide with whom and when to share? Sure! In the second tab of Whisher, you have 3 buttons on the top toolbar: Public, Buddies Only and Private. You can switch between them at any time to control access to your Wi-Fi. Remember that private mode won’t allow anyone to access your network except you and your VIP users.

VIP users you say? Even if you enable private mode, those closest to you (family members for example) should still be able to get connected. You just have to right-click on the local users and add them to the VIP list.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Is it really that simple? How does it work?

A. Yes it is! What Whisher does in the background is distribute the credentials to your WiFi in a secure manner, to those who you have authorized. If you are sharing in buddies-only mode, only those in your buddy list will get the key to your WiFi, and even then, in an secure format.

Q. Do I have to leave my PC running all the time connected to my WiFi?

A. Not at all. All the information and configuration regarding how you share your WiFi is handled by the Whisher backend systems. Once you have registered your WiFi and chosen a sharing mode, you can turn off your laptop and go on holiday, everyone using Whisher will follow your settings. Of course, if you want to see the action on your WiFi in real time, you need to be connected to it - we are working on a remote feature that will allow you to see what is going on in your WiFi from anywhere!

Q. Is WiFi sharing safe?

A. Is crossing the road safe? Just kidding! Sharing one’s WiFi is a matter of choice, some people would never share anything (not even an icecream!), while others would leave their house door open so people could come in for a coffee at will. This is why at Whisher we give you choice - share with everyone, with just your trusted buddies, or with your closest relatives. Unlike other initiatives, we don’t believe in an all-or-nothing approach, so you decide. We of course always recommend running a personal firewall and antivirus, even if you are not using Whisher at all.

Q. But my ISP’s contract says sharing is “illegal”.

A. First, we have to make a clear distinction - one thing is sharing WiFi as a gesture of goodwill to others, and a completely different thing is reselling the access. Simply sharing your WiFi, and more so if it is in a controlled way, is tolerated by most ISPs, despite what their contracts say. When we talk to ISPs they admit that it would not make sense to go after their own users for simply sharing without profit. On the other hand, to resell access without an operator license (like ISPs are forced to have) is actually illegal in some countries, and not tolerated by most ISPs - the end user is becoming a mini-ISP in effect.

Q. I have an open (unencrypted) hotspot, can I still register it?

A. Yes, but you will not benefit from the control mechanisms that Whisher offers, such as the sharing modes. Since your signal is open, anyone can connect, even non-Whisher users. Right now you can tag an open WiFi, and give it a welcome message, but you do not become its owner. We are working on ways to enable open-hotspot owners to be able to register and manage them, which will make their way into future releases of Whisher.

Q. I have further questions.

A. No problem! Feel free to join us on the Whisher Forums, or drop us an email.

Many things have happened since we made Whisher public a few days ago. We’ve had many good reviews and comments, some bad ones, which are probably explained by this, and generally, a lot of attention from the media. We consider our launch a success, as we managed to be on the #8 spot in Technorati searches, and we are having a healthy rhythm of downloads and registered users.

Of course, not everything can be perfect, and we screwed up the forum and blog. Our idea was to provide a seamless integration between the accounts created through the Whisher client, and the login details in the forum and blog, so our users would not have to re-register each time. The backend mechanism worked, but the propagation of the accounts did not, resulting in a lot of confusion, and people not able to login to the forums and comment on our blog. We have now solved this, by setting up a forum and a blog separately from the main site, which you can still access using the links on whisher.com. For now, users will have to register again, while we apply the account propagation mechanism - this should happen early next week.

On the software side, we have received many comments and some bug reports, and we will be changing many things over the next days and weeks - so expect to see frequent updates. For example, the whole login / online / offline / connectivity issues will be merged, so you will not have to login after getting connected, the client will do everything for you with the minimum disturbance. Our development teams will also be very very busy fixing other bugs, and increasing the stability of the client, so stay tuned for news! When a release happens it will be announced on the main site, in this blog and in the forums, plus you may get a warning when you start the client (which can be turned off).

That is all for now, ahead of us we have 20 hours traveling back to Barcelona, after which we will be at full speed again.

Thank you all for your great support, and see you at the LIFT conference in Geneva, and at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona!

Whisher has launched!

Maybe you saw us at DEMO. Maybe you read about us on a blog, and maybe you have followed our below-the-radar signature for the last few months. So, you will be asking yourself, what is Whisher? Whisher was born out of two premises: one, that WiFi will (and should!) become salt & pepper, free for everyone, and ubiquitous; second, that WiFi, until now, was really boring. There were the early times of wardriving, when we used to enjoy toying with equipment, and chasing new WiFi networks, but over time, WiFi has become yet another access technology, with no personality, and lacking fun.

Whisher will let you do too many things to explain - it is better to download it, and check it out by yourself. We will dedicate the next few posts to explain the various features and possibilities Whisher offers.

One of the main highlights is that Whisher allows you to share your existing WiFi with others, without having to reconfigure your router, reflash it, or purchase additional equipment. If you have a WiFi router or access point, no matter what brand or model, you can share it with Whisher. Sharing can also be precisely controlled - with the whole world, or with just a group of buddies, creating community networks within the network.

2006 was a really hectic year, with development taking place in five countries across three continents, the coordination of which became a really complex task. It all came through, and we are very proud of our team, and what we have achieved over such a short period of time. So, welcome to the new era of WiFi, enjoy the ride!