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Show HN: "Dropbox for Wi-Fi"

86 pointsby niklas_aabout 12 years ago
Since the server just went down: Since the site is having problems: Vimeo video: http://vimeo.com/54228044 Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instabridg... Blog: http://blog.instabridge.com/

22 comments

SODanielabout 12 years ago
Dropbox for Wi-Fi? I haven't even gotten past the first page of instabridge and I already think the tag-line is more confusing then explanatory.<p>Do you anything that has to do with shared cloud storage or collaboration? If not, just don't compare to Dropbox just to try to seem disruptive or give yourself an 'air' of success even before launch.<p>Also: Frontpage explains nothing about what the service does. I would try boiling it down to a few short bullets or an effective one-liner instead of leaning on people knowing what dropbox does and somehow apply it to your model.
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niklas_aabout 12 years ago
Hi, Niklas from Instabridge here. To expand a bit on the "X for Y" description: Instabridge makes it easy to sync wifi credentials across different devices, share credentials with friends, and revoke access. The Dropbox analogy has been proven to be an effective one-sentence way of giving people an idea of what Instabridge is about, but of course there are differences between wifi access and file storage, so that's as far as it can be stretched.<p>Apart from trying to solve the usability issues with wifi, we also support sharing of hotspots with the entire Instabridge community. This is intended for cafés, restaurants, and so on.<p>We've had a short beta run in the Nordics, and launched globally a couple of days ago at LAUNCH 2013 (where we won the "Best International Startup" prize. Yay, us!). I'm a long time HN reader and have seen many "Show HN" posts during the years. I'm really eager to read what you guys have to say, both the good and the bad.
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ewoutkleinsmannabout 12 years ago
When I read "Dropbox for Wi-Fi" I thought the app would be something like a shared folder between clients in a local Wi-Fi network.<p>"Couple your Wi-Fi passwords to your FB account and easily share them with friends" would have been a clearer description for me.<p>I really like the idea, though. I sincerely hope it will catch on.
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vineetabout 12 years ago
It would be awesome if you guys took this to the next step: let me share my wifi to all my Facebook friends (or for some people anyone) as long as they have signed up to share their wifi with me as well.<p>(Great idea. I also don't like the tagline.)
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bobwaycottabout 12 years ago
Sorry, but "Dropbox for WiFi" pretty immediately invokes a product like Apple's AirDrop feature, where one can--to quote from Apple's site[1]--"[d]rag and drop a file to send it wirelessly to someone on the same network."<p>This is exactly what I expected to see the app do--ad hoc file sharing between devices on the same network.<p>You have chosen a poor descriptor.<p>[1]: <a href="http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/#sharing" rel="nofollow">http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/#sharing</a>
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Groxxabout 12 years ago
Since the site is having problems:<p>Vimeo video: <a href="http://vimeo.com/54228044" rel="nofollow">http://vimeo.com/54228044</a><p>Android app: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instabridge.android" rel="nofollow">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instabridg...</a><p>Blog (which seems to be working): <a href="http://blog.instabridge.com/" rel="nofollow">http://blog.instabridge.com/</a><p>And text-only Google cache the above came from, which has a couple other links, but not much to show: <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.instabridge.com&#38;hl=en&#38;strip=1" rel="nofollow">http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.ins...</a>
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lancefisherabout 12 years ago
The video was more explanatory than anything. Great job with it. I'll be waiting for the iPhone version. I'm not sure if you can access the Wi-Fi settings through the SDK on iPhone, but it looks like they've done it on Android. Cool app!
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latortugaabout 12 years ago
Cool app, I like the idea of it. I installed it and went through the verification process in the app and two problems: first, the verification text message it sent to me was auto-populated into the box (I suspect this to be some debug code that got shipped accidentally). Second, it couldn't actually connect to my Wifi using my password despite entering it multiple times, even resetting my router's wifi password.
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andrewpiabout 12 years ago
Great job on the video.. seems pretty professionally done and explained the purpose of the app with clarity.
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notmarkusabout 12 years ago
The "Don't have an Android phone?" link brings you to an early access signup page. Can this be used on a device besides Android? While I have a droid and really like the idea, it doesn't help me if all of my friends (all of them iPhone users) are unable to use it.
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bitskitsabout 12 years ago
I am super interested in this, and I think it is a fantastic idea. One critical problem (for me): I don't use Facebook. I look forward to seeing the address book integration, or even better, G+.
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nigelsampsonabout 12 years ago
Dropbox for Wi-Fi seems a more confusing description that just "Wi-Fi password sync".<p>This happens out of the box on Windows 8 (when tied to a Microsoft account) and freaked me out a little when it first happened. Took a work tablet home for some testing and found it connected to my Wi-Fi automatically. Had me hunting for security problems before I realised what had happened.
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shloimeabout 12 years ago
While I agree you need to get rid of the "Dropbox for Wi-Fi" tagline, that is one hell of a well done promo video.
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davekinkeadabout 12 years ago
Nice to see an explanation video that isn't just stick figures and animation. It was really slick - informative, humorous, and on brand (love that your socks match your brand's colour).<p>Agree that dropbox for wi-fi is confusing. Why not something like 'easy wi-fi sharing' or the like.<p>PS - where was this filmed? Geneva?
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felipelalliabout 12 years ago
I prefer WifiPass: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.movile.wp" rel="nofollow">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.movile.wp</a>
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sp332about 12 years ago
I'm a little confused on how you keep the password private. Can't an Android user just go to Settings-&#62;Wifi and look at the current network password?
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nodataabout 12 years ago
For Android: <a href="http://blog.qr4.nl/QR-Code-WiFi.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://blog.qr4.nl/QR-Code-WiFi.aspx</a>
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ramirez60about 12 years ago
I think this is awesome..but I have almost no friends with android. Do you guys have a timeline for the iOS port?
ominousabout 12 years ago
I'm guessing you can still see the password in wpa_supplicant at least when connected to the network ?
cmicaliabout 12 years ago
Loved the video - funny, a little cute, and not overdone. Great job!
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joeblauabout 12 years ago
While the name is confusing, the concept is pretty awesome.
plgabout 12 years ago
how about "browsing patterns of strangers get attributed to your network connection"