Wi-Fi finders aren’t the most exciting devices around, but they come in handy if you want to check for wireless connectivity without firing up your notebook. Kensington’s WiFi Finder Plus has a column of LEDs that indicate signal strength for any 802.11b/g networks in range. Of course, a positive test doesn’t mean that the network is accessible, but you can rest assured that you’re looking at a true network, as the Finder filters out irrelevant 2.4GHz signals (such as microwave ovens and cordless phones). The keychain device also has a moderately bright flashlight and an LED that denotes active Bluetooth networks.

It’s easy to get sucked into the habit of heading for the nearest McDonald’s or Starbucks when you need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot but at $5 to $10 per connection, this quickly becomes expensive. Why pay latte prices for Wi-Fi when you can get it for nothing?

Free public hotspots are proliferating in city parks, libraries, independent coffee shops, universities, and airports (including those in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Sacramento). The problem is finding free hotspots when you’re offline. The solution: Download hotspot directories before you travel.

Free hotspot locators are available from AnchorFree and JiWire. AnchorFree has a version for iPods, and both companies let you access their online directories from cell phones using a WAP browser.

Alternatively, you can use Wi-Fi Finder.

Who needs GPS when you have Wi-Fi?

The Loki service has mapped out the Wi-Fi networks in most major U.S. cities, letting you use your Wi-Fi equipped PDA, smart phone, or notebook to pinpoint your location. Loki installs as a toolbar in Internet Explorer or Firefox, which allows you to look up nearby movies, stores, restaurants, weather, traffic, and other information. My two favorite Loki services are driving directions and the location of Wi-Fi hotspots. Other channels provide Amtrak train schedules, a radio-station finder, apartment rentals, and real-estate values.

A nice touch: At the press of a button, you can send an e-mail or SMS with your location to a friend, who then clicks a link to look at a map and get directions to join you. Another way-cool feature lets you create “geotags” to attach to blog entries, Flickr uploads, and other Web-based content, showing the location at which it was created. Best of all, Loki is free!

[tags]Wi-Fi Location[/tags]

The performance of Wi-Fi devices could suffer as the 2.4 GHz ISM band becomes more popular and congested. There’s a solution for this : Wi-Spy. THe world’s smaller 2.4 GHz spectrum snalyser. Designed specifically for troubleshooting and analysing Wi-Fi networks, it shows the signal strength for all Wi-Fi networks as well as Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz cordless phones, microwaves, Zigbee and all other 2.4 GHz transmitters.

It help in identifying a Wi-Fi interface and possesses a frequency range of 2.400 – 2.485 GHz.

Wi-Fi Network on Channel 11

Product maker : MetaGeek

[tags]Wi-Fi Finder, 2.4GHz[/tags]

It’s not hard to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. They’re everywhere these days and therein lies the problem. Sure, there are plenty of places for a notebook user to get online wirelessly. But how many of those Wi-Fi networks are truly open, usable by anyone wandering down the street?

That’s what makes Canary Wireless’s Digital Hotspotter more than a cute gadget, it doesn’t just tell you that a Wi-Fi network is in your vicinity, it tells you the network’s SSID, channel number, and signal strength, and whether it requires a password.

Most WiFi 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 front panel push button scrolls through additional networks. The Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter HS10 is bulkier and pricier than LED-based locators, but the additional information will probably be worth the trade-off for WiFi reliant travelers.

Click now for Canary Wireless HS-20 Digital Hotspotter

The Kensington WiFi Finder Plus quickly finds Wi-Fi signals and displays their level of strength. With this device you don’t need to boot up your notebook to track down Wi-Fi hotspots. The WiFi Finder Plus detects 802.11b/g and active Bluetooth networks within range. It also automatically filters out signals from cordless phones, cell phones, and microwaves.

The Kensington WiFi Finder Plus device includes a clip that attaches to a carrying case or key chain. Its five LEDs (light-emitting diodes) indicate the signal strength in a meter format. And for those times when you need a bit of extra light, the WiFi Finder Plus also has a built-in flashlight.

Kensington includes a one-year warranty on the device and provides free technical support.

Get the WiFi Finder Plus now.

Smart ID‘s newly revamped Wi-Fi Trekker is only slightly larger than PCTEL’s Wi-Fi Seeker but comes with a neck strap rather than a key ring. Holding the device’s single button down continually scans the area. This device features a unique Auto Scan Mode, which continually searches for a wireless network when you click the button twice.

The Wi-Fi Trekker‘s small size and sleek design make it one of the few devices that you’d want to be seen wearing around your neck. This unit performed better than average when scanning for the corporate and home access points but had a difficult time locating faint signals.

Website: www.smartid.com.sg

Click now to get the Wi-Fi Finder

The Wi-Fi HotSpots Finder DS2400 features five green LEDs dedicated to displaying the wireless network’s signal strength. A sixth green LED indicates the unit’s power and scanning status.

Pressing the Detect button once scans the area for a signal, while holding the button down continually scans while you move.

This unit was our top performer of the bunch, detecting a usable signal in all circumstances, even at 100 feet away from the coffee shop, which stumped four of the six devices we tested. Despite the unit’s effectiveness, the green LEDs were hard to distinguish under direct sunlight.

Raytac Wi-Fi HotSpots Finder has roughly the same surface dimensions as a standard business card and is the thinnest unit we tested. As we went to press, you could purchase the Wi-Fi HotSpots Finder by through numerous online retailers.

Click now for Mobile Edge MEASL1 WiFi Signal Locator

Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter has by far the most potentially useful sniffer of the lot. The Digital Hotspotter is equipped with an LCD screen that informs you of a hotspot’s SSID (Service Set Identifier), channel data, signal strength, encryption status, and whether the network is open or closed. Pressing and releasing the single button initiates a scan.


Canary’s device is the only one that uses AAA batteries, which are an easy find just about anywhere, but the unit suffers for the added dimensions. The Digital Hotspotter weighs in at 2.5ounces, which also makes it the heavier unit, if you don’t mind.

The Digital Hotspotter finished last in the performance tests. Although it performed satisfactorily when scanning for people home wireless access point and the coffee shop’s access point, it failed to identify a usable signal in the office. The office access point is a closed network, but the Digital Hotspotter should have picked it up nonetheless.

I think, this Canary Wireless HS-20 Digital Hotspotter is better choice.