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Access to Fon

cjsquire
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: ‎05-11-2012

Access to Fon

I am a PlusNet subscriber. I am loath to move but I have just found out about Fon and the free access to it I can get from BT. I am surprised this is not also part of our deal as BT owns Plusnet.
How can I access Fon from Plusnet?
24 REPLIES 24
x47c
Grafter
Posts: 881
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎14-08-2009

Re: Access to Fon

Welcome to the forum
Plusnet Ltd and BT Retail Ltd are totally separate companies although both are owned by the parent company BT plc
Each operates their own policy in terms of pricing/packages and what extra facilities they may offer their customers.
Plusnet has chosen not to do any deal with FON so I'm afraid the answer is that it is not available on Plusnet.
As a wild guess it would all add to costs for Plusnet and as the Plusnet brand seems these days sold to subscribers on the "as cheap as possible at all costs" basis it seems unlikely to be provided in the foreseeable future.
pwatson
Rising Star
Posts: 2,470
Thanks: 8
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎26-11-2012

Re: Access to Fon

There's nothing stopping you buying your own Fon router if you wish to make use of the service of course...
TORPC
Grafter
Posts: 5,163
Registered: ‎08-12-2013

Re: Access to Fon

Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Access to Fon

No he means buying a Fonera Box which gives you free access to the FON Hot Spots http://fonera.fon.com/
pwatson
Rising Star
Posts: 2,470
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Registered: ‎26-11-2012

Re: Access to Fon

cjsquire
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: ‎05-11-2012

Re: Access to Fon

Thanks for these comments. I asked Plusnet to confirm that the Fonera router would work with their service but this question was not answered: ‘we are unable to provider access to the FON network at this time’. I do not wish to be the guinea pig or indeed an early adopter of this kit.
I discovered BT+Fon when my phone line was out last week so that for  2 days I subscribed to it to log onto a neighbour’s BT Wifi kit, which worked but not perfectly. Last night a friend - a BY Wifi user - bought his tablet to the pub to try out Fon; he was easily able to log on to a hub in a neighbouring house. This is for me the ’killer app’: now that I know this facility exists, I want it.
It seems to me that my best course of action is to switch to BT. It appears that this costs about the same. Have I missed anything?
matthews
Rising Star
Posts: 145
Thanks: 8
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎13-08-2014

Re: Access to Fon

I can confirm that FON works on PlusNet. Basically you just plug the WiFi point into your router, and it then activates your FON account to be used elsewhere. You can use it at most BT spots, but not Openzone ones.
RobPN
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 5,103
Thanks: 2,668
Fixes: 13
Registered: ‎17-05-2013

Re: Access to Fon

Quote from: matthews
I can confirm that FON works on PlusNet. ...

I was about to type a similar reply when I was notified of the latest addition to the thread ...
IME the FON app, use of which is advisable to automate logon to the BT/FON WiFi hotspots, is not available for download in the UK - stupid IMO.  The BT WiFi app which is available for download doesn't work (for me at least) with my FON account details and seems to require BT account details.
Solution;  Download the FON app from elsewhere.  It then works fine, automatically logging in to available BT WiFi hotspots.
sjptd
Grafter
Posts: 494
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎01-09-2014

Re: Access to Fon

I have just spent quite a time looking into this.  You will also see more information on the thread I started at http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/plusnet/f/4349985-move-bt-to-plusnet-bt-fon.html
In summary: it looks as if you can buy a Fonera for 40 euros and get running on the FON network, but connection may be a little awkward each time,
What the previous two posters say confirms this.
The FON pages direct you strongly to BT.  However, if you visit their support pages it appears that you can buy a FON router direct from FON in the UK:
https://support.fon.com/hc/en-us/articles/200529832-How-to-join-through-an-ISP-that-is-not-a-Fon-par...
There is the possibility, in some countries, that if your ISP is not a Fon partner you can still join Fon by purchasing and installing a Fonera.
If it's available on our online store (https://shop.fon.com) for your country, buy a Fonera and connect it to your broadband. Once your Fonera is active and registered, you will be ready to enjoy free WiFi at millions of Fon Spots worldwide.
 Going to the online store and entering United Kingdom as your country does permit you to buy.
It appears that to connect you will need to go via a login page and enter your credentials each time following what they say in https://support.fon.com/hc/en-us/articles/200392102-Connecting-to-Fon-in-the-UK under "Fon members who joined directly through Fon installing a Fonera".  There is a FON app to make connection easier, but that is not downloadable from the UK (and the links to the .apk referenced from that Thinkbroadband thread don't work either).  The BT Wifi app that does the equivalent task will only connect for BT customers, not for general FON customers.

I have just moved from BT and I can confirm that BT-FON worked pretty well using the BT-FON android app.  For me Plusnet was a considerable saving; partly because I am on the 40/20 package that just fits my needs, partly because Plusnet are basically cheaper, and partly because of Plusnet new customer deals (including cashback) that were much better than anything BT retentions could offer.  I found that I didn't use the FON as much as I expected, but it certainly came in handy a few times.  Still pondering whether to fork out for the Fonera; my cashback for the switch will more than cover the cost!
TORPC
Grafter
Posts: 5,163
Registered: ‎08-12-2013

Re: Access to Fon

I asked fon support a few questions
Quote
Oct 05 18:40
Is purchasing the Fonera box a one off payment or is it a subscription service
To whom it may concern
As per the tittle &
If it a subscription service, what are the costs involved ?Huh
What is the proposed WiFi Range without restrictions eg: walls, doors etc ?Huh
How many can be added / connected to a single Fonera box without degradation in service ?Huh
How secure is the firewall, to prevent guest access to private network ?Huh
I have chosen BT (UK) Network, although my ISP is Plusnet
Thank you in advance
Warm kind regards

This was Josephs reply
Quote
Joseph (Fon Support)
Oct 06 12:23
Hi,
Thanks for using Fon!
I will try to explain the Fon concept, providing a quick scan of our global network.
The concept of Fon is based on the idea that anybody with a broadband subscription can join Fon simply by purchasing a Fon router.
The Fon router, enables Fon members to share their internet connection securely with the Community and roam on all Fon WiFi Hotspots for free in return.
Fon is not an Internet Service Provider (ISP), so you must have a broadband connection to join Fon.
When you are ready for broadband, you can buy a Fonera router, share a bit of your broadband with other Fon members, and get free access to over 8 million Fon Spots worldwide.
Fon works by putting the unused portion of your broadband to work for you.
Fonera routers (or ADSL/ broadband router via a partner), make this possible by broadcasting two powerful, dedicated WiFi signals.
One signal is encrypted and private - it's just for you. The other signal is public, and accessible to registered members of the Fon community.
And, because you only share a little bit of your WiFi, you won't even notice when others are connected.
Regarding the Fon community, everyone who creates a Fon account and joins our Community is called a “Fonero”, regardless of whether or not they have a Fonera router and are sharing bandwidth. (https://fon.zendesk.com/entries/20106081-what-is-a-fonero-linus-bill-alien-sharing-member)
We currently have the following partnerships:
- in France with SFR (wifi signals SFR WIFI FON);
- In UK with British Telecom (wifi signals BTWiFi-with-FON, BTFON);
- in Portugal with Zon (wifi signals FON_ZON_FREE_INTERNET);
- in Japan with Softbank (wifi signals FON_FREE_INTERNET)
- in Russia with MTS (wifi signals FON_MTS)
- in Belgium with Belgacom (wifi signals Fon_Belgacom).
- In Poland with Netia (wifi signals FON_NETIA_FREE_INTERNET)
- in Brazil with Oi (wifi signals OI_WIFI_FON).
Use our maps to help find a Fon Spot near you (https://corp.fon.com/en/maps).
You can also download Fon apps for iPhone and Android to make connecting automatic.
Furthermore, to read more about the security of Foneras, check out the link below:
https://support.fon.com/hc/en-us/articles/200527392-Are-Foneras-secure-
Additionally, you can also check our article on Internet sharing on Fon Spots:
https://support.fon.com/hc/en-us/articles/200390612-Will-my-Internet-speed-be-affected-by-sharing-
Feel free to contact us at anytime, should you require further assistance.
We hope you continue to enjoy the Fon network!
Kind regards,
Joseph
Fon Customer Care
For more information about Fon, please click here: http://corp.fon.com
We also recommend you to have a look at our FAQs at https://fon.zendesk.com/forums

Therefore that implies that it only works on ADSL
Maybe that can be confirmed or denied if it works with a diet of fibre ?Huh
Also some of the links I get the "oops.
You're not authorized to access this page." page flagging up
sjptd
Grafter
Posts: 494
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎01-09-2014

Re: Access to Fon

I can confirm it works on Fibre, at least on Infinity.  As the Fonera it is connected to the LAN side of your standard router it won't even know how the WAN side connection is made.
Their reference to 'ADSL/ broadband router via a partner' means items such as HomeHubs,; all the recent ones have FON capability and depending on model and your service connect to the broadband by ADSL, via VDSL direct, or via VDSL indirectly using an Openreach modem.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem you can set up a non-BT FON connection on the HomeHubs.  I'd love to be told I am wrong on that; if so I'd connect my HH3 to FON and register it right now.  (I'm using my HH3 on Plusnet rather then their router, partly because it seems from comments to be a slightly less bad router, and partly because I and others already had lots of devices configured to use it.)
TORPC
Grafter
Posts: 5,163
Registered: ‎08-12-2013

Re: Access to Fon

Have you got the direct links to the corresponding apps in Google play ?Huh
RobPN
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 5,103
Thanks: 2,668
Fixes: 13
Registered: ‎17-05-2013

Re: Access to Fon

If anyone on here needs the FON app for Android I can email it to them if they PM me a suitable email address.  I have version 3.0.7 in a 8.58MB zipfile.
I also have an older version which didn't work for me (189KB APK file).
sjptd
Grafter
Posts: 494
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎01-09-2014

Re: Access to Fon

Seeing TORPC's question I went to the Google Play store on this PC and searched for FON, and the FON app came up first in the search.  
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oakley.fon
I then choose Install and installed it from my PC onto my phone ~ no need to download apk file or fiddle with sideloading.  As I'm not (yet) a FON member so I haven't been able to verify it all works.
Searching on Play Store on the phone did not show it, and following the link from the FON site brought it up but it wouldn't install in UK.