Devicescape: Networking the World's Wi-Fi

Devicescape develops software for wireless networking, based on the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard and other network protocols. The company was founded in 2001 by Eduardo de-Castro and Roy Petruschka, in San-Francisco as Instant 802 Networks. In January 2005, it was renamed as Devicescape.

Devicescape’s mission is to discover, understand, and harness the world’s Wi-Fi. Devicescape enables brands and service providers to auto-connect customers to high-quality Wi-Fi and delivers targeted proximity engagement messages at numerous popular consumer destinations. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Devicescape is privately held by leading venture capital companies including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, August Capital, and Icon Ventures.

“One network. Millions of Locations. Limitless Opportunities ” is the slogan that the company runs on. It enables an ecosystem of brands, app owners, merchants, and operators to connect and engage with consumers. “We believe that, by enabling Wi-Fi everywhere to function as part of a single network, it is possible to create a resource far greater than the sum of its parts,” says the CEO of Devicescape, Dave Fraser. The company specializes in Proximity engagement at huge scale, Quality connectivity for apps and service providers, and Global, virtual Wi-Fi Network of +300 million access points.

Curated Virtual Network

At the heart of the Devicescape solution is the Curated Virtual Network of more than 300 million Wi-Fi access points worldwide. It enables the customers to auto-connect consumers to quality Wi-Fi across a huge footprint of high-footfall locations.

As a connectivity resource, it offers a unique combination of coverage, simplicity, and cost-efficiency, which is the perfect complement to cellular, and a powerful standalone asset. As a proximity engagement platform, its scale and effectiveness cannot be matched. It enables the delivery of highly targeted, location-specific engagement messages to consumers’ smartphones wherever there is Wi-Fi.

“We are building an ecosystem of app developers, product brands, mobile operators, device manufacturers, and venue owners to maximize and extract value from our network — and to share that value with consumers,” adds the CEO.

Devicescape licenses software and operates its services for service providers, device makers, and application makers. Primarily, Devicescape provides the following products and solutions.

• Devicescape Curator Client (automated hotspot authentication and provisioning system)
• Devicescape Network (curated virtual hotspot network)
• SoftGPS (location service over Wi-Fi)
• Devicescape Security (supplicant with Wi-Fi Protected Setup and CCX, supported by dB Performance)

The Network of Million Locations

Everybody loves free Wi-Fi! Being able to deliver it as a service to customers, Devicescape offers significant benefits to a wide range of consumer-facing brands. Devicescape’s network enables businesses to automatically connect with customers to high quality, freely shared Wi-Fi at popular consumer destinations around the world.

With Devicescape, millions of shared Wi-Fi access points perform as a single, ubiquitous, and pre-installed beacon network that offers and messages at popular consumer destinations. One can consider this scenario to understand how this works. First, let’s presume a consumer enters a store within Devicescape’s network where advertising is live. The company’s solution serves a lock screen notification to the consumer’s smartphone. The notification directs the consumer to an online advertisement, offer, or coupon.

Devicescape’s DNA comprises six values that are at the core of the company’s culture. They are:

• Integrity
• High Standards
• Team Play
• Passion with Humility
• Customer Centricity with a Pioneering Spirit
• Creativity with Resilience

For a Challenging Career

Devicescape offers exciting career challenges where employees grow, innovate, collaborate, and transform the mobile experience–for operators, mobile application providers, and their customers–around the world.

As wireless and Wi-Fi networks converge in new and dramatically powerful ways, Devicescape is providing smart technologies and service innovations that allow for an Always Best Connected experience. Making all of that happen is a big job. And one for which Devicescape employees are ideally suited. The employee’s drive and a solid track record of more than 10 years of experience in Wi-Fi technology and advanced mobile software are being leveraged into powerful solutions that are shaping the industry.

The work is intellectually challenging, yet the work environment is casual. Salaries are competitive, and benefits—including stock options, 401(k) plans, and medical coverage—are comprehensive. 

Meet the Mastermind of Devicescape

Dave Fraser is the CEO of Devicescape. He has been designing, building, marketing, and managing software for more than 30 years. He was instrumental in the development of the Curated Virtual Network — which sits at the heart of Devicescape’s multi-service Wi-Fi platform — and in its positioning for the delivery of enhanced connectivity, engagement and insight services to the telecom, mobile application, and retail verticals.

Prior to joining Devicescape, Dave worked for Wind River (acquired by Intel), holding a variety of executive positions including chief marketing officer, and senior VP product business. He previously held senior roles at Convergent Technologies and Hewlett-Packard.

“Because the crowd discovers new Wi-Fi every day, our network is always growing.”

"One network. Millions of locations. Limitless opportunities."