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{{Infobox company
|name= MetroFi
|logo= MetroFi logo.jpg
|foundation= 2002
|products= [[Municipal wireless network]]
}}
'''MetroFi''' was a provider of [[municipal wireless network]] service in several cities in the western [[United States]].
==History==
MetroFi was founded in 2002 by Chuck Haas, who helped start [[Covad]], and Pankaj Shah, in [[Mountain View, California]].<ref>{{Cite news |title= Santa Clara ready for wireless / MetroFi to finish one of largest Wi-Fi networks in nation |author= Todd Wallack |date= April 19, 2004 |work= SFGate |publisher= San Francisco Chronicle |url= http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Santa-Clara-ready-for-wireless-MetroFi-to-2791136.php |accessdate= August 18, 2013 }}</ref>
Investors included [[Sevin Rosen Funds]], August Capital, and Western Technology Investments.
Funding of $9 million was announced in April 2004, as well as an "Investors' Choice" award at the Dow Jones Wireless Ventures private equity conference.<ref>{{Cite news |title= MetroFi Receives ''Investors' Choice'' Award at Dow Jones & Co.'s Wireless Ventures 2004; Recognition Comes on the Heels of Company's $9 Million Series A Funding |work= Press release |date= April 27, 2004 |url= http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20040427005413/en/MetroFi-Receives-Investors-Choice-Award-Dow-Jones |accessdate= August 18, 2013 }}</ref>
MetroFi announced conventional [[Wi-Fi]] wireless [[Internet access]] to municipalities in September 2005 at the MuniWireless show in [[San Francisco]].<ref>{{Cite news |title= MetroFi Launches Wireless Broadband for Municipalities |date= September 29, 2005 |work= Press release |url=  http://www.metrofi.com/press_releases-18.html |publisher= Metrofi |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070705100047/http://www.metrofi.com/press_releases-18.html |archivedate= July 5, 2007 |accessdate= August 18, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="self">[https://web.archive.org/web/20071214195039/http://www.metrofi.com/index.html Official website] via [[archive.org]]</ref>
It began offering free, advertising-supported, unencrypted, low-bandwidth wireless Internet access in December 2005 in parts of its local [[Silicon Valley]] area.<ref>{{Cite news |title= MetroFi and City of Sunnyvale Launch First Free Advertising-Sponsored Community Wi-Fi in U.S |date= December 5, 2005 |work= Press release |url=  http://www.metrofi.com/press_releases-14.html |publisher= Metrofi |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070705100154/http://www.metrofi.com/press_releases-14.html |archivedate= July 5, 2007 |accessdate= August 18, 2013 }}</ref>
In most of its service areas it provided an unencrypted, advertising-supported "free" service as well as an encrypted (using [[Wi-Fi Protected Access]]), ad-free "premium" service for approximately $20 per month. During 2006, its [[Bandwidth (computing)|data rate]] was restricted to 1&nbsp;Mbit/s [[downstream (computer science)|downstream]] and 256&nbsp;kbit/s [[upstream (networking)|upstream]]. Coverage and performance of the premium and free service was otherwise identical.  MetroFi also provided fixed-wireless service.
The company planned to use  [[wireless mesh network]] technology from SkyPilot,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Case Study: Free Wi-Fi Access in Silicon Valley |publisher=Trilliant, Inc. |date=June 17, 2006 |url=http://skypilot.trilliantinc.com/pdf/cs_MetroFi.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128121716/http://skypilot.trilliantinc.com/pdf/cs_MetroFi.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 28, 2009 |accessdate=August 18, 2013 }}</ref>
and the Webwise targeted advertising service from [[Phorm]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Phorm secretly tracked Americans too |work=The Register  |url= https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/13/phorm_us_tests/ |author=Cade Metz |date= August 13, 2008 |accessdate= August 19, 2013  }}</ref>
Cities covered, according to the MetroFi Web site, included:<ref name="self" />
*[[California]]: [[Concord, California|Concord]], [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]], [[Foster City, California|Foster City]], [[Riverside, California|Riverside]], [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]], and [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]]
*[[Illinois]]: [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]]
*[[Oregon]]: [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]
The Riverside announcement included a partnership with [[AT&T]] announced in July 2006.<ref>{{Citation |title= AT&T, start-up team in citywide Wi-Fi bid |work= cnet news |author= Marguerite Reardon |date= July 21, 2006 |url= http://news.cnet.com/AT38T%2C+start-up+team+in+citywide+Wi-Fi+bid/2100-1037_3-6096822.html |archive-url= https://archive.today/20140706214508/http://news.cnet.com/AT38T,+start-up+team+in+citywide+Wi-Fi+bid/2100-1037_3-6096822.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= July 6, 2014 |accessdate= August 19, 2013 }}</ref>
A test of the ability to get a connection in outdoor areas within 500 feet of an access point in the Portland proof-of-concept network in the early spring of 2007 showed about a 58% probability using a standard 30&nbsp;mW, low-gain client device.  The report concluded that the probability the network was providing a connection to those devices in 90% of outdoor areas, as called for, was two in a billion.<ref>{{citation |last1=Phillips |first1=Caleb |last2=Senior |first2=Russell |title=Unwire Portland Proof-of-Concept Network Testing |date=23 May 2007 |url=http://unwirepdx-watch.org/files/report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626151015/http://unwirepdx-watch.org/files/report.pdf |archive-date=26 June 2007}}</ref>
The Portland network was less than 30% complete, and as of October 2007 further deployment halted.
The contract with Portland required MetroFi to complete the network by August 2009.<ref>[http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?a=129511&c=43149 Nonexclusive License Agreement with the City of Portland]</ref>
A group monitoring the Portland network estimated that the network provided a 90% probability of getting a connection outdoors in about 4% of the city in late 2007.<ref>[http://wweek.com/editorial/3409/10212/ Willamette Week Rogue of the Week] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117061908/http://wweek.com/editorial/3409/10212/ |date=2008-01-17 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title= MetroFi's Portland network slipping into unmitigated decay? |author= Russell Senior |date= January 5, 2008 |url= http://unwirepdx-watch.org/index.php/2008/01/05/metrofis-portland-network-slipping-into-unmitigated-decay/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080422022532/http://unwirepdx-watch.org/index.php/2008/01/05/metrofis-portland-network-slipping-into-unmitigated-decay/ |archivedate= April 22, 2008 |accessdate= August 17, 2013 }}</ref>
On May 15, 2008, MetroFi announced that it was seeking buyers for its networks.<ref>{{Cite news |title= MetroFi Plans Market Exit: Sale or Shutter |date= May 15, 2008  |url= http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2008/05/metrofi_plans_market_exit_sale_or_shutter.html |accessdate= August 17, 2013 }}</ref>
Having failed to find a buyer, it scheduled and performed a shutdown of its network on June 20, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |author = Mike Rogoway |date= May 29, 2008
| url = http://blog.oregonlive.com/siliconforest/2008/05/metrofi_sets_date_to_turn_off.html
| title = MetroFi sets date to turn off Bay Area networks |work= Oregon Live
| publisher = The Oregonian | accessdate=  August 17, 2013 }}</ref>
MetroFi offered to sell its Portland network to the city.<ref>{{Cite news |title= MetroFi may turn off Wi-Fi for Portland, Ore |work= KGW |url= http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D90MV4M82.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080719105547/http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D90MV4M82.html |archivedate= July 19, 2008 |accessdate= August 17, 2013 }}</ref>
However, in October 2008, assets of the Portland network were seized by the city as abandoned.<ref name="port">{{cite web
| url = http://www.xchangemag.com/hotnews/portland-seizes-metrofi-muni-wi-fi-gear.html
| title = Portland Seizes MetroFi Muni Wifi Gear
| publisher = Virgo Publishing, LLC | accessdate = 2009-04-01
| date = 2008-10-09
}}</ref>
Santa Clara acquired the MetroFi network in that city to support its [[Silicon Valley Power]] utility.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Why did the City of Santa Clara acquire a WiFi network? |work= Santa Clara Metro WiFi web site |url= http://www.santaclarafreewifi.com/faqs.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090503053105/http://www.santaclarafreewifi.com/faqs.html |archivedate= May 3, 2009 |accessdate= August 18, 2013 }}</ref>
It redesigned and expanded service in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.muninetworks.org/tags/tags/metrofi |title= Santa Clara Prepares to Re-Launch Free Wi-Fi Network |work= Community Broadband Networks |author= Christopher Mitchell |date= January 15, 2012 |accessdate= August 18, 2013 |archive-date= June 9, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130609035106/http://www.muninetworks.org/tags/tags/metrofi |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title= Free Wireless Broadband Makes Santa Clara Better Place to Live and Do Business |author= Carolyn Schuk |work= Santa Clara Weekly |url= http://www.santaclaraweekly.com/2012/Issue-2/city_desk.html |date= January 15, 2012 |accessdate= August 18, 2013 |archive-date= July 13, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120713023641/http://www.santaclaraweekly.com/2012/Issue-2/city_desk.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist|35em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metrofi}}
[[Category:Wi-Fi providers]]
[[Category:Companies based in Mountain View, California]]