Finder of Wi-Fi hot spots

By Noah Matthews, Electronic Devices / Consumer & Gadgets

I recently took a trip to Providence, R.I, for a family wedding. Since my connecting flight from Atlanta was on a regional jet, with limited overhead and under-seat space, I left my laptop at home, and decided to rely on my Wi-Fi-equipped BlackBerry Curve.

I had it set up to receive messages from all nine of my e-mail accounts, and I knew that my hotel had both free and fee Wi-Fi hot spots. Obviously, I wanted to find the free one, which was located in a second-floor lobby that, strangely, had no tables or chairs. I might add that this was a four-star hotel, and the fee for an in-room Internet connection was $20 a day.

Whenever I have this kind of challenge, I have to boot up my notebook and wait for a list of Wi-Fi signals to appear. This time, however, I used a small keychain-like device called Wi-Fi Finder. I pressed a silver key, and immediately, I was able to track down the Wi-Fi spots, not only in the hotel, but later as I roamed the Brown University campus. Five LEDs on the device (which weighs only a few ounces) light up as the search begins. If all five lights stayed on, I knew I could browse the Internet on my BlackBerry (or my notebook, if I had brought it). Fewer lights mean weaker signals, but I walked in different directions to find the strongest signals.

The lights, however, don't tell you if the hot spots are free, secured or fee-based. For that, I had to try to connect from a list of Wi-Fi spots on my BlackBerry. Once connected, I could browse the Internet, download and send e-mail and make endless phone calls without using my minutes (a feature of my T-Mobile service). Of course, I could have done all this (except for the free minutes) without connecting to a Wi-Fi network, but the speeds would have been quite a bit slower.

The Wi-Fi Finder also finds Bluetooth devices, and it has a tiny flashlight on the flip side. It can be attached to a laptop handle, but I use it as a keychain.

How useful is it? The other day, with my laptop in its case, I was waiting for a ride that was long in coming. Without having to boot up my laptop, I used the Wi-Fi Finder to find a free, unsecured hot spot, and was able to do all the things one can do on the Internet, including e-mailing my ride at her office to get the lead out.

The Wi-Fi Finder works independently of your PC or notebook. To order, send $20, plus $6 for shipping, to WashingtonCD, PO Box 351531, Los Angeles, CA 90035, or online at http://www.washingtoncd.net .

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© 2008, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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