Fon Extends Range of Routers with 'Fontenna'

Fon said Friday it had begun offering 'La Fontenna,' a directional antenna that could be attached to the routers the company offers along with its service. A coverage gain of about 3 to 5 times the typical range of the router is realized, the company said. As an example of the new functionality, the company has outfitted the Chueca neighborhood of Madrid with the routers and antennas.

Made up of about 400,000 registered users, Fon is a network of individuals who have agreed to share their Internet connections freely. In exchange, those who share are allowed to roam on the network free of charge. Non-members can access Fon Wi-Fi access points for a small fee.