Wifi Detector Makes Finding Hotspots Easy

For us who travel the roads accompanied by our faithful computers, finding a connection point to the Internet can be a hassle. Sure, many of the truck stops do have Internet access, it's hard to tell whether the system is up and running or not--unless you drag out the computer and fire it up.

StarTech.com may have an easy answer: Their Wi-Fi Detective is a 'slip in in your pocket' device that sniffs the Internet air and reveals if there are available wifi networks in your range. What's more, the Detective's LCD screen tells you a lot of other helpful information:

• Operating channel of the detected Wi-Fi signal.
• The total number of of Wi-Fi signals detected.
• Encryption indicator - What type of encryption is being used for any given signal found, or if the signal is unencrypted.
• Indicators for whether the signal is an 802.11g wireless signal or an 802.11b wireless signal.
• Signal Strength indicator measured in increments ranging 5 (full strength) to 1 (low strength).
• An indicator showing whether the signal is an infrastructure mode signal or an Adhoc mode signal.
• Battery indicator with 3 bars.

Plugged into your computer's USB port Wi-Fi Detective also acts as a USB wireless LAN adapter with transfer rates up to 54Mbps. Kind of like a Swiss Army knife for your laptop.
There aren't any batteries to change, the thing has an internal battery that recharges when plugged into your USB port.

We took a Wi-Fi Detective with us on our last big road trip and it more than earned its keep. Where we were "sure" there was an available hotspot signal, the device told us in a hurry whether it was up and running or whether we should move along. "In camp," where we set up our own network we use the detector to find out whether friends are close enough to piggyback on our system to get Internet access.

The only squawk we've had with the little detective is that he's not as resilient as you might hope. Carrying the detector in the same pocket with a set of car keys leaves lasting scratch impressions on the LED screen. Still readable, fully functional, but not a pretty sight.

You can get one of these little critters at Radio Shack for less than $70.