WiFi For Dial Up ISP Customers

By Doug Olenick -- TWICE, 8/27/2004

New York - Always On Wireless wants to give dial up modem users something new, the ability to create a Wi-Fi network using dial up ISP service.

Like floppy disk drives and CRT monitors, dial up modems are still used by a respectable number of people, millions according to Always on founder Rudy Prince, and he believes they want the ability to go wireless.

The Always On WiFlyer is an 802.11b-based wireless hub that connects to a phone line and works with all the major dial up ISPs. It will become available direct from the company on Oct. 1 with a $149 suggested retail price. Other retail plans were not announced. This is Always On’s first product.

In order to make it more attractive the company has included a proprietary data accelerator that can quadruple normal data transfer speeds and will work with the ISPs. There is a $49 per year charge for the accelerator service.

Prince sees business travelers being the first WiFlyer customers. The device is smaller then a paperback book for easy travel and also has an Ethernet port so it can turn any hotel room into an instant Wi-Fi hot spot. Eventually, home owners will dominate, he predicted, as those who either cannot or do not want to go with broadband learn about the WiFlyer.