Facebook's Wi-Fi Access Program

Facebook is aggressively pursuing its goal of being completely ubiquitous. Every time it seems that they have started to plateau, they find a new spire to climb. The social network’s newest stunt is their most interesting yet, with wide-ranging implications for the future of public internet access, and for businesses social media marketing.

The project, called Facebook Wi-Fi, offers a free wireless internet and router to businesses in their area. The only catch is that when a customer goes to use the Wi-Fi, they’re stopped at a login screen. To progress to the internet, they need to check-in at the location through their Facebook account. If they want to keep their location private, they can assign the check-in’s audience setting to be “only me”.

Once the user checks in, they are dropped on the businesses Facebook page. From there, the owner of the business can add an additional layer. In the current test run, most businesses elect to add a survey that must be completed before the full internet access is granted.

Right now the Wi-Fi program is only available in the area near Facebook HQ, but if the testing goes well, it will soon be available nationwide.

This program could prove to be a welcome addition to the landscape, for both the businesses and the customers. Customers get the Wi-Fi at no cost, just the short hassle of dealing with some advertisements. Businesses get a free way to provide Wi-Fi, a commodity that is expected more every day. Additionally, businesses get the benefit of every one of the customers Facebook friends seeing their name on the wall.

Again, it’s still in the test phase, but if Facebook decides to roll it out on a larger scale, it could have a lasting impact on the way we connect to the internet while we’re out in the world.

Original article about Facebook Wi-Fi posted on Wikimotive's blog under the title Facebook’s New Wi-Fi Program.

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Comment by Brad VanMagness on November 9, 2012 at 10:39am: Great article Tim, can't wait to see where this goes and how people start utilizing it.

Comment by Greg Devlin on November 9, 2012 at 10:29am: The potential with this service is huge, hopefully they do start offering it nationally.

Comment by Abner Cavalcanti on November 9, 2012 at 10:27am: You definitely want to be careful with that additional layer though, you don't want to make it to complex or long to finish. If a customer thinks it may take them forever to finish or they have to enter too much personal information they may decide it's not even worth it.

Comment by Dan Hinds on November 9, 2012 at 10:25am: Great point Zach, dealers can also use the "additional layer" to add a survey, collect customer information and feed back, and even run promotions for people who have checked in multiple times.

Comment by Zach Billings on November 9, 2012 at 10:23am: Specifically for dealers this could be an excellent service. Sometimes it's tough to get sales people and other personnel to ask for check-ins and social engagement, with this service anyone waiting in the showroom or your service area will have to check-in.

Comment by Larry Rettig on November 9, 2012 at 10:19am: Yea this is definitely great news, can't wait till we get it nation wide.

Comment by Andrew Martin on November 9, 2012 at 10:17am: Awesome! Hopefully this means more free Wi-Fi in more places very soon.