Now it's Facebook WiFi

The idea is to get small business (or perhaps even big business) users into the amenity WiFi game with a switch-flick (more or less).

In conjunction with Facebook it’s developed an application for the WiFi router that enables merchants to provide free Internet access to their customers when they "check in" at the company’s Facebook page.

The only user requirement is that they have to be a Facebook user already and that they then give the company a ‘like’ so they can surf on to whatever other site or service they want to utilise. There’s a chance, given the context, that the customer will then “engage” with the company’s posted Facebook content.

The business, in turn, will get access to Facebook’s data for customer “insights”, so that’s the amenity WiFi pay-off for the provider.

Netgear says it’s making the Facebook WiFi login available on its premium line of WiFi routers which support the ultra-speedy dual-band 802.11ac standard.

“Businesses also benefit from aggregate Facebook page Insights about their customer base and can participate in promotions to those Facebook users that have used the service,” says the press release.

In other words, once a user has logged, liked and surfed, he or she will probably be pestered with announcements, coupons, special promotions and so on. What fun.