Travelling and looking for Internet access? A new smartphone app allows users to share mobile Web access for free with other people nearby who have the same app. Called Open Garden, the app forms a mesh network that enables each person connected to it to relay it to other users. When there is no direct Internet connection in the network, the app accesses the Web through links to other devices such as laptops or mobile phones. If the person whose connection is being shared leaves the network, the app automatically connects to the next best connection. The app is available for Android devices, Windows and Mac. It works as a mesh network only if it has been installed by other people nearby to form the peer-to-peer connections.
Despite criticism from mobile carriers concerned about losing revenue, the app could benefit them by helping to decongest crowded 3G and 4G networks by offloading them to WiFi, where there is more capacity
