The claim: An 11-year-old orphan from Detroit created a device that can provide high-speed WiFi
In the age of quarantine, the internet has become more essential than ever. Americans increasingly turn to social media for interaction and streaming services for entertainment. Not everyone has the same access to the internet. Shifting to online learning is especially difficult for students in underserved areas.
There may be a solution, a Facebook advertisement claims, in the form of a device created by an ingenious preteen.
A video titled "11-Yr-Old Shows How to Get FREE Internet (100% legal)" claims a device called Wifi Ultra-Boost can help users "upgrade" their internet speeds to 700 megabits per second, especially in "hard-to-reach areas." It boasts the ability to extend wireless signals up to 25,000 square feet – transforming one's house into a "gigantic 'hot spot' " – and is outfitted with "FastLane Technology™."
The video claims the creator behind this innovation is Johnny, a boy "lifting 3rd world countries out of poverty with Free Internet."
"Johnny, an 11-year-old genius, was living in an orphanage in Detroit, a City where only 25% of homes have Wifi. The families here are so poor, the WIFI providers don’t even offer internet to half of Detroit," the video's captions read.
Stock footage of children, families and cityscapes are intermingled with interview footage of "Johnny." The six-minute video, which uses captions throughout, claims his unfortunate situation inspired Johnny to create Wifi Ultra-Boost – in less than a year – to help "families everywhere grab Fast Internet."
The video rolls footage of Johnny's appearance on the business reality TV series "Shark Tank," saying one investor gave him "$1.5 million to manufacture his amazing technology."
Within the comments, Facebook users appeared intrigued, asking how much the device cost and where to purchase it.
USA TODAY awaits comment from the Facebook user who shared the advertisement.
There is no 'Johnny'
A young boy did appear on "Shark Tank," but his name is not Johnny.
In an episode of "Shark Tank" that aired in November 2016, Jack Bonneau, 10, of Denver pitched his lemonade stands and marketplace startups, officially known as Jack's Stands & Marketplaces. At the end, one of the "sharks," Chris Sacca, was impressed with the boy's pitch and awarded him a $50,000 loan with a 2% interest rate.
USA TODAY reached out to Jack, now 13, for comment, and he acknowledged footage of him was misappropriated.
"I am aware ... but this seems to be an updated version with new clips from some of my videos outside of 'Shark Tank.' It keeps popping up over the last 6-9 months. It's 100% fake and I have nothing to do with it," he said via Twitter.
Jack shared a link to a September 2019 YouTube video from which some of the advertisement's footage was taken.
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Fast, but not that fast
Improving a wireless internet signal either by rebroadcasting it from a router or extending its coverage is not a recent technology.
The Facebook advertisement claims the device can achieve internet speeds up to 700 Mbps, but another online seller says it can reach only 300 Mbps. (For reference, average internet download speed is 12 to 25 Mbps; with a fiber-optic cable, speeds are much faster at 100 to 2,000 Mbps.) This number is substantiated by a manual for the same device sold under a different name and identical devices sold on Amazon.
Unless a user has free access to a wireless network, the device cannot provide free internet. To function efficiently and correctly, a WiFi repeater or extender generally needs to be securely configured to a wireless network, which includes security information and other encrypted credentials. Though there are ways to use a public wireless signal, stronger equipment is needed, and the methods are more intricate than simply using the Wifi Ultra-Boost.
It is unclear whether the Wifi Ultra-Boost device actually employs FastLane Technology, a modality used by computer networking company NETGEAR in some of its devices. It is also unclear whether the coverage range is 25,000 square feet, especially given identical devices on Amazon claim a range of 1,500 square feet.
Our ruling: False
We rate this claim as FALSE as it is not supported by our research. The 11-year-old orphan from Detroit portrayed in the video is actually young entrepreneur Jack Bonneau, who appeared in November 2016 on a "Shark Tank" episode and in September 2019 on a YouTube video. Footage of him was misappropriated. The claim of increasing internet speed to 700 Mbps is doubtful, as are claims of usage of FastLane Technology and a 25,000-square-feet coverage distance. Unless a user has free access to a wireless network, the device in and of itself cannot provide free internet.
Our fact-check sources:
- The New York Times, April 7: "The Virus Changed the Way We Internet"
- USA TODAY, April 1: "Coronavirus for kids without internet: Quarantined worksheets, learning in parking lots"
- Forbes, Feb. 23, 2018: "How 12-Year-Old Jack Bonneau From Shark Tank Is Leading The Way For Kid Entrepreneurs"
- ABC, Nov. 10, 2016: "Jack's Stand Pitch – Shark Tank"
- PC Magazine, Aug. 6: "10 Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal"
- Business Insider, April 20: "'What is a good internet speed?': The internet speeds you should aim for, based on how you use the internet"
- Classroom: "Will Wi-Fi Extenders Boost a Signal From an Open Wi-Fi Area?"
- Classroom: "What Equipment Will Amplify a Wi-Fi Signal?"
- Reddit: "WiFi Extender in an open WiFi network"
- NETGEAR, Feb. 24, 2015: "FastLane Technology | Ensuring Faster Downloads with your WiFi Range Extender"
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Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
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