Is It Really Possible to Get Paid for Using the Internet?

The world of Wi-Fi Hotspots has a high barrier to entry. Customers with the appropriate technology can access the Internet, but only through paying to the appropriate provider. Traditionally, that’s meant the Internet has been centralized, with individual users relying on big-data providers for its use.

Justin Caswell and his company, RevoFi, are looking to revolutionize all that. Describing RevoFi as sitting “at the intersection of software, cloud native microservices, networking, and blockchain,” Caswell believes this new technology will change the way individuals access the Internet.

How RevoFi’s Technology is Changing the World of Hotspots

According to Caswell, the traditional way people think about accessing the Internet is so ingrained in us, we don’t even question it. We buy devices, purchase Internet access from a provider, and then enjoy the privilege of surfing the web.

RevoFi has the potential to change that. The company recently began selling its Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Routers. When in use, this router would create high-speed Internet access throughout an entire building, like an office or a home.

But Caswell says that’s not the only reason this technology is changing the world. When someone purchases a RevoFi hotspot device, they can open it up to public access. In doing so, they can then earn RVS (Revos) cryptocurrency. Anyone with the physical unit can then join the network to begin earning that cryptocurrency.

Caswell envisions the RevoFi hotspot device as the latest victory in an overall campaign to decentralize the Internet. By incentivizing individuals to create their own hotspots and share public Wi-Fi, the hope is that public Wi-Fi usage will become more widespread. This has the potential to increase competition on paid Wi-Fi services and broadly expand the availability of high-speed Internet access.

Justin Caswell: The Journey to Decentralizing the Internet

Although the company only began selling its physical devices recently, the journey has been a long one coming for Caswell.

Since 2000, Internet access has been something of a personal project for Caswell, now the CEO of RevoFi. Caswell has long envisioned an Internet with no centralized authority—and therefore no corruption. Caswell believes that it’s open-sourced trust that is going to make the difference for users.

Years ago, Caswell remembers his time as a recently-divorced single dad, working a full-time job while also attending school so he could learn how to work on the technology that would become RevoFi. That meant intense personal sacrifices, including failing to make relationships stick.

Working in Exxon Mobil communications, Caswell had gainful employment but knew he wanted out of the oil and gas industry. Eventually, he earned an offer as CTO for a company based in Fort Collins, CO—all while raising a teenager.

In 2016, Caswell was laid off from this CTO job. A summer break seemed in order. Caswell regrouped and decided he wanted to start his own company: Revo Grow. The company offered community-based gardens with a virtual online marketplace. But over time, he lost the company, eventually working odd jobs and traveling a lot until he was able to break back into the oil and gas industry in 2018.

The Turning Point

For Caswell, an invitation to the Aspen Institute, a Blockchain and Crypto Conference, changed everything. He earned a meeting that helped solidify the company and his patent. After all those years of dedicated study, the technology appeared ready. With his patent in hand, Caswell was ready to start a new company—and work toward making his vision of a decentralized Internet a reality.

He left the oil and gas industry for good. Although it took a year and a half, the company was eventually up and running. As an independent contractor, Caswell earned money on the side while building the company. But it was only recently—in 2021—that Caswell decided that he was finally ready to go all in.

RevoFi began selling devices only recently, and broke $200,000 in sales in one month. Like many “overnight success” stories, it wasn’t truly an overnight success—but a story of grit, determination, and patient commitment to important technology.

Now, Caswell’s investments in RevoFi are paying off. And they may just pay off for consumers, as well. RevoFi has the potential to start a new way of looking at Internet access. By incentivizing customers to make their Wi-Fi publicly available, a new approach to Internet access is taking hold. The success of RevoFi’s sales is a testament to the viability of the technology. From here, it only appears there’s more potential for RevoFi to redefine what the Internet looks like—and how everyday people interact with it.

Just don’t call it an overnight success.

About Justin Caswell

Justin Caswell is the founder and CEO of RevoFi and an advocate for a decentralized wireless infrastructure platform owned and powered by the people. RevoFi’s Hotspot Devices ensure that anyone can begin building their own network by providing network coverage and sharing resources. Learn more at www.revofi.com