WiFi Finder: Portable or Not?

Now that there is such a prevalence of hotspots and WiFi networks around the world, people who have become dependent on their wireless devices for their day-to-day activities have an increasing need to find exactly where these hotspots are, especially when they are away on a business or leisure trip, or when they want to work or study outside of the confines of an office or study room.

For such cases, there exists a little utility called the WiFi finder, which can be physical, portable devices, or Web sites that list all known hotspots in a particular area.

The Portable WiFi Finder

The portable WiFi finder is a little device that comes in many shapes and forms. There is the WiFi finder that you do not need to connect to a wireless device, but can carry in a keychain. At the touch of a button, this type of portable WiFi finder will locate the strongest WiFi signal and the best spot possible to obtain the fastest connection to the WiFi network in the area. You can purchase a device such as this one from different sellers, such as www.inkrefills.net.

Another kind of portable WiFi finder is the one that you can connect to your wireless device via a USB port. This type of device is usually more than just a WiFi finder, but also doubles as a WiFi adapter. To find the WiFi signals, though, you do not need to turn on your wireless device, even if the WiFi finder is connected to the USB port of your wireless device. A WiFi finder such as this one will usually have an LCD display that shows an access point's security scheme, the signal strength of the WiFi network available in the area, and the wireless standard available. You can also purchase these type of devices from different sellers like Tiger Direct.

The Web site WiFi Finder

If you do not want to spend money on purchasing a portable WiFi finder, and have enough time to plan ahead the locations at which you need to be with you wireless device, you can access Web sites from your home or other location where you are currently connected to a WiFi network, type the location where you plan to be next, and get a listing of all hotspots available on that location.

Web sites such as these will normally require you to type as much information as possible in regards to the location you plan to visit, for example, full address, city, state or province, country, and zip or postal code. Other information you may need to provide is the proximity you want from the WiFi network to the location where you will need to access it, the location type (boat, park, coffee house, library, university, hotel, and so on), your preferred provider, and whether or not you want to pay for access to the WiFi network.