"This partnership can bring more coverage and free coverage to consumers that will let them connect all of their devices on the go," said Esme Vos, founder MuniWireless. "As consumers embrace the benefits of municipal wireless networks, service providers will continue to evolve web-based services and applications like digital photo sharing, music and online gaming that can drive increased revenue possibilities."
Tropos MetroMesh is the world's most deployed Wi-Fi mesh solution that provides more than 500 customers, such as Philadelphia, Anaheim, New Orleans, Corpus Christi and more, the ability to wirelessly connect municipal workers, residents, visitors and small businesses. Even with the proliferation of metro-scale networks, access can still be complex and require different inputs for each network, where the user has to key in account information, typically through a web browser. Devicescape automates this login process on any device to provide effortless access for consumers, and can support an unlimited number of networks to provide users with global coverage and choice.
"Ease of use is a critical success factor to encourage a wide range of users?casual, power or somewhere in between?to take full advantage of the growing number of Tropos MetroMesh networks being deployed worldwide," said Chris Rittler, vice president of business development at Tropos. "By partnering with Devicescape, our service provider and municipal customers can further simplify the wireless experience, driving adoption and creating a compelling solution for their business and consumer users."
Devicescape is free for consumers and the software is available for popular devices at www.devicescape.com. Users simply set up an account on the Devicescape website, register the device and then select the network services they wish to use. After this simple registration process, the user's device will automatically login to supported Wi-Fi networks without any user interaction, making it as easy to use and enjoy. This ease-of-use feature also helps keep support costs down for the networks provider. In addition, if their favorite network isn't among the hundreds of thousands of hotspots that Devicescape works with, users can request new networks with an easy-to-use Web form.
"Devicescape is actively working to make municipal Wi-Fi network access as straightforward as using a cell phone," said Glenn Flinchbaugh, vice president of products at Devicescape. "By supporting Tropos MetroMesh networks, we are expanding the applications that can take advantage of municipal networks, opening up exciting possibilities like wireless VoIP calling and remote metering. Instant access makes it easier to share information with colleagues as well as improve efficiency for business and public workers that need information on the go."
Devicescape already supports more than 45 public networks including the largest carriers in the world such as T-Mobile, BT and NTT; municipal networks such as Google WiFi; universities such as UC Berkeley; and the FON community. Devicescape's service supports PCs with Windows XP, Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones, the Nokia 770 and N800 Web tablets and the Linksys WIP 300 VoIP phone?with many more planned.
