Wicrypt’s Web3 WiFi hotspots go live on krest

What is happening? 

First Wicrypt hotspots with their own unique peaq IDs go live on krest, now capable to interact with the network and register transactions on peaq’s canary network. Wicrypt also releases a new OS version for the devices, making them natively compatible with peaq off-the-shelf.

Why is it important? 

Wicrypt reaches the first milestone in the peaq Grant Program and takes an important step toward closing the digital divide, with the hotspots set to migrate to peaq later on once the mainnet goes live. 

What does it mean for the community?

Wicrypt is taking huge steps toward making the Internet more accessible across the globe. By unlocking peaq IDs for hotspots, users can work toward connecting others to the web while earning rewards, which will drive more network activity and value for the community.

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Did you know nearly 3 billion people don’t have internet access? That’s about 37% of the global population. Asia and Africa, the world’s two most populous continents, are also the most affected. Furthermore, due to infrastructure barriers and personal costs, many of the communities that could benefit from Web access the most — the poor, the unemployed, and so on — are left behind most often. 

Wicrypt, a startup from Nigeria, is making the web more accessible around the world through its decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) of WiFi hotspots. These hotspots allow people and businesses to share their online connection with others while earning tokens based on usage stats. Currently, Wicrypt’s DePIN boasts more than 1,100 hotspots and stretches across over 30 countries. 

As it set off to integrate with peaq, Wicrypt laid down the foundation for bringing this DePIN into the peaqosystem. Now, it is unveiling its first hotspots connected with krest and outfitted with their own unique peaq IDs, which allow them to interact with the network. These devices can now be found on Subscan: here, here, and here. The hotspots can now register their transactions on krest and will be able to earn machine rewards as part of krest’s transaction fees distribution with further updates. Once peaq mainnet goes live in early 2024, the devices will eventually migrate there.

Additionally, Wicrypt released an updated version of its operating system for the devices, making them compatible with peaq off-the-shelf. New users that join the network will have the option to purchase a device that’s connected with krest in advance, while existing device owners will be able to make the switch manually. To support development on peaq, Wicrypt is open-sourcing the integration and releasing supporting documentation on linking the devices with peaq. See videos step one, two, three, and four for onboarding the hotspots on the peaq network.

Milestone 1 of the peaq Grant Program has been unlocked.

“We are thrilled to be moving ahead with this integration and bringing the first hotspots live on krest. As a production-grade network, krest gives us a perfect testing environment for everything we build on peaq, and in the longer term, it will boost the rewards users earn on our DePIN ecosystem. It’s the perfect incentivisation mechanism to power connecting the disconnected.”

– Ugochukwu Aronu, CEO of Wicrypt

“The digital divide is the plague of today’s world. It’s exciting to see krest work as a testing ground for a project working to cure it. The launch of Wicrypt hotspots on krest is just the beginning as this DePIN takes on the global crisis with top-notch Web3 tools and a desire to make the world a better place.”

– Till Wendler, co-founder of peaq

Wicrypt is a decentralized WiFi internet sharing and monetization network that allows anyone to get paid for sharing their WiFi. To learn more, visit Wicrypt and follow them on X.

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