La Fonera (FON2100)

Region

Spain

Associated With

FON - developer and brand owner

Defining Feature

Separate private and shared Wi-Fi networks

Status

Unresolved - the FON2100’s retail and service endpoint is not established

Overview

La Fonera (FON2100) was FON’s home router for sharing a household Wi-Fi connection with other members.

It provided private wireless access alongside a separate FON network for sharing.

The device arrived ready to use, removing the need to install replacement firmware on a compatible router. It went on sale in Spain on 18 September 2006, before FON’s worldwide announcement that October. The end of the original FON2100’s retail availability and service life remains unestablished.

Why It Mattered

La Fonera brought reciprocal Wi-Fi sharing into the home through a purpose-built appliance. FON’s Linus, Bill and Alien model combined mutual access, paid guest use and revenue-sharing, but participation could be constrained by internet providers’ terms. The scheme illustrates an early attempt to build wider wireless access from privately supplied broadband connections.

Network Design and Setup

• FON described La Fonera as its first custom-built and branded Wi-Fi router.
• Founder Martín Varsavsky later said FON moved to dedicated hardware after its downloadable-router approach failed; a September 2006 report described the device as ready to use rather than requiring router flashing.
• The router separated private and shared wireless access, although early sources differ over whether the private network was called MyPlace or MyPlay.

Launch and Access Model

• Xataka reported Spanish availability on 18 September 2006 at €5 plus shipping; FON’s worldwide announcement followed on 13 October with a stated US$5 sharing offer.
• FON’s model distinguished Linus members sharing broadband for reciprocal access, Bill members eligible for part of paid-access revenue, and Alien users who paid for access.
• A February 2006 Wired report noted that many US ISP contracts did not permit connection sharing, a practical constraint on the scheme.

Later Hardware and the Original Model

• A separate FON2201 La Fonera filing by Fon US Inc. is dated 4 June 2007, but does not establish that it replaced the FON2100 or when the earlier model left sale.
• The supplied record supports Spain as FON’s organisational and first-market origin, not as the router’s proven manufacturing location.
• The approved 2007 photograph preserves a later view of La Fonera, but its exact visible hardware revision is not legible.

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