Having recently changed ISP’s, and not having my Data plan associated with my phone, Axim x51v via BT DUN, I have become dependent on wireless access for all online functionality with my device.

There are plenty of open networks where I live, at least two that I can connect to at my local train station, waiting for the commute in the morning.

It’d be nice to know when your near a network that you can connect to without pulling out your device though, so offered the chance to have a look at USB Fever’s Wifi Detector, I thought I was killing two birds with one stone. SO, how did it fare ?

The Wifi Detector, pretty much comes as you see it pictured above, straight out of the box. A sealed unit, complete with wrist strap attached. Now the one I received is a green model, compared to the one in the promo shot, but my photo’s of the device are not as great as I would like them to be.

The device does one thing, detects nearby wifi hotspots and give you an indication of the strength of the signal, with a push of the large central button. It then scans for networks, indicated by three green LED’s flashing, which either go solid green when a signal is detected, or another red LED lights if there is none.

You’ll get a better idea from the video below

So how did this gadget work, well poorly is a polite way of putting it. The video was taken at a range of about 3 feet from my wifi router, to get a full strength signal like that. Walk a room away and signal strength went down to two LED’s. At a range where I could still connect to the same router with my Axim the detector popped up a red LED. The detector only seemed to have a range of approximately 50 feet, before it showed a red LED (no signal).

Another thing that doesn’t make this a must have, is the lack of indication of what sort of wifi you are detecting, b, g, both etc, or any indication of security encryption. Although, I didn’t have high expectations of a gadget that retails for US$12.99

Have a look at USB Fevers site for complete product details.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related posts:

1. ThinkGeek Offers The First Ever Geek Detector: The Wi-Fi Detector Shirt
2. Review: The Cradlepoint PHS300 Personal Wifi Hotspot. Now Your Wireless Network Can Follow You Everywhere
3. WiFi Detection, uhmm Device?
4. Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) To Feature Tethering And Wifi Hotspot
5. Quick Tip: Windows Live WiFi Hotspot Locator is “live”