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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."
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".
What ever happend to licking your finger and feeling for which way the wifi is blowing?
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the World"
1 John 4:14
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..
--- We need more Ron Paul!
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.
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, however, there is.
Wouldn't it have been funnier as "In Soviet Russia, WIFI finds YOU!"?
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.
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