Most Wi-Fi hot spot locators have a few LEDs to inform you of the presence of a wireless signal and its general strength. The Canary Digital Hotspotter HS10, on the other hand, provides comprehensive hot spot information on a 12-character LCD. The HS10 displays the network name (SSID) or cloaked signal strength (SSID suppressed) in one to four bars, whether the network is open or secured, and the operating channel.

If multiple wireless networks are present, the frontpanel push button scrolls through additional networks. The HS10 is bulkier and pricier than LED-based locators, but the additional information will probably be worth the trade-off for Wi-Fi reliant travelers.

If you are having trouble getting wireless network online, it’s time to practice your troubleshooting skills. Here are some simple steps that should help you to quickly pinpoint the source of the trouble.

1. Is Wireless Card Installed Properly And Turned On?

Many notebook have the ability to disable the wireless card, either through software or a physical switch. Is your card inserted in properly, is it turned on, and does it have all of the proper drivers installed? This is the troubleshooting equivalent of is it plugged in, but is certainly worth checking first.

2. Are You In Range of An Access Point?

When in doubt, always check your signal meter. Do you have enough signal strength to talk to the Access Point? You could simply be out of range. If your client software shows noise levels, check them as well to be sure that you have a high signal-to-noise ratio. It is always possible that a neighbor has just started microwaving a burrito, or maybe they just answered their 2.4 GHz phone.
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With wireless networks and access points springing up like mushrooms, wireless network printing is becoming an increasing viable option. For those who already have wired networks, wireless printing makes sense - especially if there is at least one notebook with wireless connection. It also makes sense for those who don’t have wired network and don’t want to spend money and time putting cables through walls.
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There are many ways you can do to extend the range of your wireless network and get more throughput throughout your home wireless network.

1. Centrally Locate Wireless Access Point

This way, it’s most likely that all of your wireless computer and notebook will get reasonable signal strength. If you put it in one corner of the house, nearby computer may get high signal strength, but signal strength for others may drop significantly.

2. Orient Access Point Antennas Vertically

As a general rule, transmission will be better when antennas are vertically straight up rather than horizontal. Keep in mind, that this is only a starting point for positioning its antenna. The exact layout of your house may alter the best positioning of the antenna.
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InterpretAir provides wireless LAN installers and network professionals with the vision they need to plan, deploy, verify, and document their 802.11a/b/g WLAN networks. InterpretAir is a wireless site survey tool and much more; it provides visualization of RF health metrics, greatly simplifying WLAN environment analysis and enabling performance tuning. Discover where and why WLAN network performance is sub-optimal and take action; proactively addressing problems that could affect mobile application performance.
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Wireless networking is easy to set up, and it’s convenient, especially if you like to move around in the house or office with your notebook. But because they use the airwaves, wireless communications are more vulnerable to interception and attack than a wired connection. Here are some tips for securing your wireless network.

1. Use Encryption

Encryption is the number one security measure, but many wireless access points don’t have encryption enabled by default. Although most WAPs support the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol, it’s not enabled by default. WEP has a number of security flaws, and a knowledgeable hacker can crack it, but it’s better than no encryption at all. Be sure to set the WEP authentication method for shared key rather than open system. The latter does not encrypt the data; it only authenticates the client. Change the WEP key frequently and use 128-bit WEP rather than 40 bit.
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AirSnare is an intrusion detection system to help you monitor your wireless network. AirSnare will alert you to unfriendly MAC addresses on your network as well as to DHCP requests. If AirSnare detects an unfriendly MAC address, you have the option of tracking its access to IP addresses and ports or of launching Ethereal.

Read the setup page for AirSnare.

Product Details
Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server
Web: home.comcast.net/~jay.deboer/airsnare
License: Freeware