Portable wifi locator

[bdk3clash]

I've been looking for a portable wifi locator and was curious if anyone out there had any specific ones to recommend. There are plenty of cheap ones that indicate the presence of a wifi network, but I'd want one that locates both a network's presence/signal strength and whether said network(s) were password-protected or open, since an available but password-protected network wouldn't do me much good.

So far the only one I've come across that does this is the Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter.



Any comments on this model or recommendations on others?

[cbloom]

Can't comment on this model, but I've used standard ones and agree they're garbage. They pick up way too many wifis that aren't actually open/usable.

[Ray Zee]

for 2 dollars a day you can get a cell phone card to get internet at high speed anyplace cell phones work. why chase free crap and headaches.

[guids]

Whats your price range? I have a dell axim running netstumbler, it cost about 350.

[guids]

Ray,
some people think the network is more interesting than actually getting on hte internet, a hobby actually has developed of mapping out whole cities wi-fi networks, with people writing in chalk different signals (like transients did in the depression).

[bdk3clash]

Basically I just want to be able to walk into (or stand outside) a coffee shop/restaurant/bookstore/park/whatever and know if I'll be able to use my laptop without actually opening up my laptop, booting it up, checking if wifi networks are available, and then checking if they're open to the public.

Ray: Thanks for the suggestion but I think I'm going to stick to just wifi for now. I may look into cellular Internet in the future but wifi seems sufficient since I live in NYC where wifi coverage is nearly omnipresent.

Quids: $350 is way too much--the Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter is pushing the top end of my price range at $60 or so.

[eviljeff]

[ QUOTE ]

some people think the network is more interesting than actually getting on hte internet, a hobby actually has developed of mapping out whole cities wi-fi networks, with people writing in chalk different signals (like transients did in the depression).

[/ QUOTE ]

what is war chalking?

[bdk3clash]

What war chalking is

[eviljeff]

for those willing to plan ahead, check out:
http://www.jiwire.com/
http://www.wififreespot.com/
http://maps.google.com/ (type in "free wifi near...")

[eviljeff]

[ QUOTE ]
What war chalking is

[/ QUOTE ]

what Jeapordy is