An Architecture Using Payment Channel Networks for Blockchain-based Wi-Fi Sharing

Enabling Internet access while taking load of mobile networks, the concept of Wi-Fi sharing holds much potential. While trust-based concepts require a trusted intermediary and cannot prevent malicious behavior, for example, conducted through fake profiles, security-based approaches lack adequate accounting mechanisms and coverage. Against this backdrop, we develop a Wi-Fi sharing architecture based on blockchain technology and payment channel networks. Our contribution is twofold: First, we present a comprehensive collection of design principles for workable Wi-Fi sharing networks. Second, we propose and evaluate a reference architecture that augments current approaches with adequate accounting mechanisms and facilitates performance, scalability, security, and participant satisfaction.