Kensington WiFi Finder Plus

List Price: $34.99 Discount Price: $12.99

Features:

• Kensington Edge: WiFi Finder eliminates wasted time and effort booting up laptop or PDA to find hot spots.
• Convenient one-button wifi detector searches and indicates signal strength if 802.11b or 802.11 b/g network is within range, with separate indicator for active Bluetooth enabled device or network
• Finds wifi while filtering out other 2.4 Ghz signals from cordless phones, cell phones and microwave ovens
• Compact wifi finder unit with built-in flashlight fits in hand and attaches easily to laptop carrying case or to keychain
•   5 LEDs display hotspot wifi network signal strength to correspond with most laptop signal strength meters

Customer Reviews:

I find it very useful mapping wireless hotspots about the house - it worked for me. [Posted on 2007-01-11]
This little 'key fob' device has a 4 bright green LED strength meter and is 7 x 4 x 1 cm in size. I has a classy solid feel rubbery plastic case with a simple silver click switch to switch on the meter and measure the WiFi strength. It measures 'g' and 'b' wireless strength (not 'a') in about 5 seconds. The more green LEDs the more the signal (if there is little or no signal you get a red flashing LED). There's also a single blue LED for detecting local active bluetooth (never tried that, but being such short range this device would probably only be useful to see if you have a bluetooth transmission fault). The meter supposedly 'filters out' other signals like mobile/cordless phones and microwave interference. More importantly it seems to work very well with my home D-Link wireless 'g' router/PCI card PC/Centrino Laptop network.

This WIFI Finder is really useful if you have a home network PC in a weak signal location as it helps you quickly find a better site for the wireless router or PC antenna. It's far faster and easier than using Windows XP to show the signal strength (and you don't have to lift the PC up and down). You can move about the house in minutes mapping where the high and low signal areas are. The WIFI finder batteries seem to last ages as well. I have replaced all my WIFI antennas on the router and PCI cards with more powerful D-Link DWL 50ATs and use a Hawking RP/RJ SMA 2.13m antenna extension cable to relocate the WIFI antenna to the nearest high signal area - found with this Kensington WIFI Finder. In most cases this is about 4 foot above the PC monitor. Now my home wireless g network runs at full speed all the time with few drop outs. The PC would connect at reduced speed with a 'zero' flashing red LED, but the connection was often very slow and always very unreliable (so treat the red LED as a warning, not an indication of zero signal). Also use Windows or your cards network utility to check what it thinks of the signal quality and strength (the WiFi Finder seems to measure strength not quality).

So this Kensington WIFI Finder Plus was a great buy for me and our four home networked PC's. It's also easy to take along and find local hotspots when on the move with a notebook (if there are any) - although other reviews suggest the WiFi Finder is a bit fussy about low signals for this - I only ever use this device in relative's houses when accessing their home wireless 'g' network. I have never tried using the Finder with an older 'b' wireless system though.

I'll try to be nice [Posted on 2007-05-13]
This is probably the most useless piece of equipment I've ever purchased. (You should hear me when I'm not trying to be nice)

Couple of examples. One of my neighbors has a wireless network running that I can connect to, with my laptop, from 'good' to 'very low'. Usually low. The Kensington WiFi Finder doesn't find it. There's a coffee shop I go to that I connect to from 'Excellent' to 'Very Good'. It can't even find that one when I'm sitting in the coffee shop.

The only time it was able to locate a wireless network was when I was walking across a college campus. Duh! And the signal registered as 'very low'.

I don't know what you'd use this for, but finding wireless networks isn't one of them.

P.S. Amazon should allow 0 star ratings

Did not work as advertised [Posted on 2007-06-11]
Wouldn't detect or indicate WiFi location, even when siting on top of a known good site.

Not very sensitive [Posted on 2007-08-01]
The Wifi Finder Plus is not very sensitive. It does work, but my notebook computer can connect to many wifi access points that this finder cannot find. So it is pretty much useless. I expected that I would be able to drive down the street and find access points. But not so. If I am within 25 feet or so of an access point it usually shows up with a very weak signal. But not always.

works great [Posted on 2007-10-19]
this thing works just fine...people that claim it does not match their laptop signal meter are screwy...how do they know if their laptop is not off??? i drove around several streets trying this thing, and it works just fine....found signals, and the bluetooth lite did come on when my buddy used his cell phone w/bluetooth...so what else do you need???

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