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July 27, 2003

Kensington WiFi Finder

This gadget is getting a lot of mentions lately. Of course it's cool to be able to see whether you're in reach of a WiFi network - but 3 lights to show the signal strength - come on - that's not really that helpful. At least add an indicator that shows whether it's an open network and display the SSID. Please.

Posted by Matthew at July 27, 2003 10:11 AM

Comments

Got mine with the Firmware update yesterday. Very good now...Love mine i can see sig at 50MPH. This is the ultimate wardriving tool...good for chalking!!!

Posted by: Jayson Tanega at August 13, 2003 08:25 PM

WiFi finder is not the only WiFi detector in the market, as claimed. Smart ID has a similar version, WFS-1. There is a very detail evaluation of both WiFi detector at the following link:
http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1727

The choice is clear.

Posted by: cowboy at September 3, 2003 04:39 AM

First, it's simple. You turn it on and it tells you if you're near a hotspot.

Second, it's erratic. The indication of signal strength varies greatly depending on the direction the device is pointing.

Third, it's cheap. The on/off button doesn't work very well. I had to press it about 20 times to get it to turn on, then when I was done, I couldn't turn it off. After a couple of days, the batteries died.

Conclusion: $30 for a use-once-and-throw-away WiFi Finder is too much. I'll use my Axim, thank you.

Posted by: T. Cav. at September 30, 2003 03:08 PM