WiFi Seeker, Finder, Detector Roundup

captainJam points to this review at handtops.com of five reasonably priced hardware WiFi finders. A snippet: "If you're not using a WiFi enabled PDA, you either have to turn on your handtop or laptop, or wake it from standby just to check if there's a network in the area. While a WiFi Finder / Seeker won't make a connection out of thin air, it will conveniently tell you whether there is a WiFi network in the area."

In Soviet Russia

[Anonymous Coward]

In Soviet Russia, finder WIFIS YOU!!!

A conversation regarding my WiFi detector...

[Anonymous Coward]

My girlfriend's dad once asked me what I was doing with my curious little LED encrusted black box... "It's a WiFi detector" I said.

"A wife detector?" He replied.

"Erm, no. Would be a good hack, though".

New fangled methods!

[Penguinoflight]

What ever happend to licking your finger and feeling for which way the wifi is blowing?

Re:New fangled methods!

[Soko]

IME WiFi sucks, it doesn't blow.

Sok[LOST_IP_CONNECTION_ON_WLAN0]

This makes me wonder...

[brxndxn]

I think our generation is gonna be walking around the city with these things when we're old like the old people at beaches with metal detectors..

Re:time

[rzebram]

You can, yes, but don't you think it would increase your chances of ever getting a date if you could just pull a small device out of your pocket instead of whipping out the laptop? No? Me either... Unless, of course, you find a girl in a bar where you're checking for WiFi access who happens to be amused by LEDs and shiny objects.

Re:Home Depot selling these?

[double-oh three]

Yes, but WiFe technology is still only availible as a commodity from Russia. /resisted in-soviet-russia joke

Re:Application?

[aaza]

1. "Hmmm, I wonder how far I can get from the office, and still be connected to the network..."
And you can tell its YOUR network how?

Well, it lets me log in with my username/password, so I should see my home direc... Nuts. I just gave my work username/password to the identity theif that runs this network next to ours.

2. "I wonder if someone else has a WiFi connection in my appartment block that is causing problems with my laptop connection to my home network" (do they interfere? Or can you just choose which to connect to?)
And you can tell its not your network how?

"Hmm, what does this switch on the back of my WiFi hub do?"

3. "Does this library have WiFi?" (Yeah, I know. Ask at the desk. But what kind of self-respecting geek asks, when he/she can find out for him/herself?)
And you can tell its the library network and not the people nextdoor how?

Fire up laptop. Attempt to connect. "Well, it says 'pulic library WiFi hotspot' in the connection name. Must be them guys at the coffee store next door.
Seriously, though - in this case it doesn't really matter who owns it if it is a public hotspot - but if you are next to Starbucks (or someone who is known to have hotspots), ask at the desk anyway. They might not like it if you use their connection without buying a coffee.

I never said that they were good uses, or that these uses will work, they are just examples.

NOTE TO MODs: This is humour (yes, I'm Australian. We spell it like that). Not flame/troll.

Re:fp

[Darth_brooks]

That is the sort of nonsense up with which I shall not put!

Re:In Soviet Russia

[stevenvi]

Wouldn't it have been funnier as "In Soviet Russia, WIFI finds YOU!"?

Re:A conversation regarding my WiFi detector...

[AndroidCat]

Well.. At least you weren't using a Stud Finder. [msn.com]

WiFi-B-Gone

[Anonymous Coward]

Will the next generation combine the WiFi-detector keyfob with the TV-B-Gone [tvbgone.com]? Press the button and within a minute all WiFi in the area goes down...

Why the need for a WiFi finder?

[theantix]

Most areas these days are covered by the gratis "linksys" network, so just set your essid and join the ranks of people who use "linksys" as our ISP. My apartment had access to two strong "linksys" signals, left completely unsecured by generous donors, and the same network is available at my girlfriend's place a 2.5 hour drive away. These WiFi finders seem pretty useless to me.

Erm

[rodrigogo]

"While a WiFi Finder / Seeker won't make a connection out of thin air.."

Isn't that what wireless is supposed to do?

Re:WiFi detectors only do half the job ...

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean you were in the French Quarter, and the only thing you were essentially shouting was, "Show me your... hotspots?" Did you happen to see the thousands of other people with beads? Did you happen to see what the people with beads were doing with them?

Re:Expensive but excellent solution.

[Anonymous Coward]

I can probably print up a bunch of fliers and distribute them around the neighbourhood where there are open access points offering to secure their access points for cash

Since the access point is open, you could print your flyer directly to their own printer. Would be a lot more effective :)

Re:Why the need for a WiFi finder?

[hummassa]

And some of us just log everything that passes and then read all your e-mails, store all your passwords and a credit card number or two. But, it's the price you pay for connecting to a network you should not...

Re:WiFi-B-Gone

[Anonymous Coward]

Press the button and within a minute all WiFi in the area goes down...

you could probably do it with Windows machines. Then it would be called, "Seek, Find & Destroy".