Always On Wireless, Inc.Product: WiFlyer
Description: The WiFlyer
™
base station is the first portable Wi-Fi access
point to provide wireless Internet access using dial-up or
broadband. It attaches directly to a phone line or Ethernet
cable to create a Wi-Fi hot spot with shareable Internet
access. Targeted at road warriors and homes without DSL or
cable, the pocket-sized WiFlyer is easy to set up with an
Internet browser, making it great for PCs and Macs.
DEMO says: Just when you think dialup is dead, along comes a product
that reminds us that dialup Internet continues to play a big role
in the online market. (In fact, there are still about 50 million
dialup households in the U.S.) The handy WiFlyer device cre-ates
an instant wireless networks for dialup (and broadband)
connections, and in so doing, delivers WiFi networking to
households stuck in the dialup dark ages. The device
includes built in acceleration to deliver an online experience
that rivals an ISDN connection. It would be easy to write this
product off, but road warriors should think twice: WiFlyer is
compact and portable, supports broadband and peer net-working,
and just might save your back side when you find
yourself in a no-broadband zone.
Market Outlook: While Wi-Fi has rapidly become pervasive, its use is limited
to broadband Internet connections. Globally, more than
100M dialup subscribers could benefit from Wi-Fi while more
than 30M U.S. homes will rely on dial-up access for several
years (United Online and Hambrecht). Millions of business
travelers who cannot receive or won’t pay for hotel broad-band
frequently use dial-up.
Funding: Self-funded plus Series A of $1 million with institutional and
angel investors. Led by Trilogy Capital Partners and Laulima,
L.P.
Competitors: Portable Wi-Fi access points (without dial-up) include Apple
Airport Express, Netgear WGR101 and ASUS WL-330.
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