Patent ID: 8306502

Claim:
A system for providing a distributed wireless network, the system comprising: at least one information processor operatively coupled to one or more processor readable media; at least one database stored on at least one of the one or more processor readable media that stores authentication information associated with a plurality of registered users; wherein the one or more processor readable media has instructions for causing the at least one information processor to: receive, via a first wireless gateway device, first authentication information associated with a first user, wherein the first wireless gateway device provides first wireless access to first bandwidth for accessing a communication network within a first transmission range; include the first wireless access to the first bandwidth in the distributed wireless network; receive, via a second wireless gateway device, second authentication information associated with a second user, wherein the second wireless gateway device provides second wireless access to second bandwidth for accessing the communication network within a second transmission range; include the second wireless access to the first bandwidth in the distributed wireless network; receive, from a first user computing device operated by the first user a first request to use the second wireless access to the second bandwidth, wherein the first request includes authentication information associated with the first authentication information; authorize, as a function of the first request, the first user computing device to use the second wireless access to the second bandwidth; receive, from a second user computing device operated by the second user a second request to use the first wireless access to the first bandwidth, wherein the second request includes authentication information associated with the second authentication information; and authorize, as a function of the second request, the second user computing device to use the first wireless access to the first bandwidth.