Device locates wireless hot spots

October 10, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

More and more venues are becoming hot spots. In this case, I’m not referring to some trendy new nightclub or vacation oasis. The hot spots I’m talking about are those places where your portable computer, cell phone or other Web- enabled device can wirelessly access the Internet.

Using the wireless 802.11x protocol better known as WiFi, these hot spots can be found in airports, libraries, coffee houses, restaurants, shopping malls and just about any other public location you can imagine.

But unless there’s a sign posted somewhere, you may not be able to easily find one.

Normally, the only way to find a hot spot is to turn on your portable computer and have it see if it can detect the WiFi signal.

That may be a rather large pain given that it’s not usually that easy to take your laptop out of its case, turn it on, wait for it to boot up and then let it try and detect the signal.

And walking around with your open computer may prove to be not only daunting but even a bit embarrassing.

Plus, even if you do detect a signal, there’s no guarantee it’s an open hot spot intended for general public access. It’s very possible that you may have stumbled onto a private network where you cannot get online without a password.

What is needed is some kind of hot-spot detector that not only senses the WiFi signal but also can give you the hot spot’s relevant information.

Most detectors display only the presence of the signal and its strength. But the Digital Hotspotter HS-20 from Canary Wireless ($49.95) shows you everything you need to know.

The Digital Hotspotter is a third-generation WiFi detection and analysis device that sports an LCD screen that reads out everything you need to know about a detected WiFi signal.

Unlike its predecessors that can detect only a signal’s strength by a series of colored lights, the Digital Hotspotter’s screen has a signal-strength indicator that shows a series of five bars, much like the way most cell phones display signal strength. The more bars you see, the stronger the signal.

After you find a signal, the Digital Hotspotter will display the network ID or SSID, which is usually the name of the signal provider. It also scans 14 channels so it works worldwide and will detect 802.11 b, g and the latest n version of Wi-Fi.

The other most-important piece of information you can check is the encryption status. Since most hot spots in public places are intended for public usage, no encryption key is necessary to gain access, and the Digital Hotspotter will display the word “Open” on its screen. If it’s not open, chances are the people who put it there don’t want you using it.

Finally, the WiFi channel number will be indicated on the Digital Hotspotter’s screen. This can be of value in hot spots that use more than one channel in order to cover a big location that exceeds the 300-foot range limitation of the WiFi signal.

In cases like that such as in a school, for example, different areas will be assigned different channels to avoid any overlapping or crosstalk that might occur when placing WiFi transceivers too closely together.

So after detecting the WiFi signal with your Digital Hotspotter and determining all of the pertinent information about it, you can then decide whether or not to open up your portable computer and begin your online session.

With a Digital Hotspotter HS-20 in your hand, you can quickly and easily determine if your Internet-ready device is ready to reach out and touch someone.

Go to www.canarywireless.com.

Craig Crossman is a national newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. For more information, visit his website at www.computeramerica.com.

2010 McClatchy Tribune