What is the La Fonera
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Description
The La Fonera is FON’s own, specially designed WiFi router. It gives you wireless access to the Internet like the other top wireless routers on the market. La Foneras are cool looking routers about the size of your hand and, of course, they create a wireless network for your laptop and other WiFi enabled devices to connect to a single internet connection at speeds of up to 54 Mbps.
What’s even cooler, La Fonera is not just any router; it is also a WiFi sharing community. La Fonera lets you share a bit of your broadband Internet connection with others, and in return, you get free access to the FON Spots of everyone else who is sharing. That’s more than 300,000 locations worldwide and growing fast. With our routers, you join the world’s largest WiFi community! In effect, the La Fonera router is both a powerful WiFi router and your passport to a worldwide community of people who are making WiFi universal and free.
What is the difference between the La Fonera and the La Fonera+?
The La Fonera+ is FON’s newest WiFi router. Unlike the original La Fonera, La Fonera+ comes with a LAN Ethernet port and four coloured LEDs to show Foneros the status of all of your router’s activities: whether it’s online, whether you’re connected, or whether you’re sharing WiFi with other Foneros.
Both the La Fonera and the La Fonera+ have all of FON’s great security and community features, and are automatically updated whenever the latest version of FON is ready.
What are the requisites for having the La Fonera?
In order to have a La Fonera operational you will need a spare Ethernet port on your current cable or DSL router/modem. In the case of the La Fonera+ you can unplug a device and then plug it to the La Fonera+
FON is not an Internet provider which means the La Fonera will be using your current ISP connection. Once it is connected and turned on, the La Fonera will emit a private and public access point. By having an active La Fonera, you will be able to roam and connect to any other router provided by FON for free.
Can I use the La Fonera behind my current cable-modem or ADSL-router?
Of course, in fact that is the most common way to use it. You only need a spare LAN port. All traffic on the La Fonera's public WiFi signal is routed through your current device (gateway) into the Internet, so nobody can access your existing network and that way it remains secure. There is no need to touch the configuration of your existing network.
- If you have a ADSL router without WiFi, the La Fonera is a inexpensive option to get a WiFi Access Point.
- In case you have a ADSL modem (not router), La Fonera must be switched to PPPoE or PPTP mode.
Does the La Fonera run with MacOS or Linux?
The La Fonera is an autonomous network device. No software installation on your PC or notebook is needed. Any configuration is browser based, so there are no operating system dependencies of any kind.
How does it work?
The La Fonera router uses your existing connection and sends out a public and private wireless signal. It is the public signal that makes your La Fonera a FON Spot. You will use the public signal of other FON routers to connect when you are traveling. The private signal is strictly for you, your family, and friends that live in your residence since it is encrypted.
Once you plug a La Fonera router in and register it to your FON account, you will become either a "Bill" or "Linus" which means that you will be able to roam the world and connect to any FON router for free. However, you must have a FON router that is active and running to get this.