Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter
Review by: Steve
Edited by: Ji4m
Provided by: Canary Wireless
Price: $72 Canadian

Introduction:
The Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter is a WiFi finder like no other! Typical detectors have a button and some LED's to indicate the strength of a detected signal, but not this tester! There is a screen on the front of this finder which will tell you valuable information about the network when one is found.

In The Box:
(1) Digital Hotspotter

Features:
The Digital Hotspotter from Canary Wireless has tons of significant features which make it far more advanced than the majority of WiFi finders out there.

It has the ability to connect both 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks which are the two standards of wireless being used today, G being the newer and faster.
As with almost all WiFi finders the Digital Hotspotter will show the detected hotspot's strength. This is done with a 3 level bar shown on the screen. The more bars, the stronger the signal. There is a maximum of 3 bars which is the strongest.
The screen will also show the network's SSID which is the name of the network or hotspot which has been detected, this name is usually set in your router. Those in the IT environment may use this to assist with setting up new workstations in an office to make sure the appropriate network can be reached in the area the workstation is being installed in.
It also has the ability to detect both WEP and WPA encryption on a network. If either of those is used it will mark the network as "secure" and if there is no encryption then "open" will be displayed.
Additionally, the last piece of information that will be displayed on the screen is the channel the network is on.

For those who ask, who needs one of these? I point you to an exert found on the Canary Wireless site:

Who needs The Digital Hotspotter®?

IT Professionals, Power Users and casual Web surfers all benefit from The Digital Hotspotter's® convenience and ease of use:

Business Travelers. Find locations to synch e-mail, download files, do research, find travel information and maps, etc.

Students. Find Wi-Fi signals on-the-fly. You can study in coffee shops, restaurants, parks, and many other locations you would never expect.

Network Administrators. Connect from a variety of locations, conduct site surveys, look for open and rogue access points, analyze multiple networks and more:

* No need to boot-up a laptop
* Signal strength indicator can indicate best location to receive signal
* Device can show multiple overlapping networks and provide channel information for each network
* Device gives network ID (SSID)
* Encryption indicator shows whether a network is accessible or closed
* Versatile network analysis, rollout and maintenance tool
* Rogue access point detection; security enhancement
* Convenient site survey device
* Cost-effective to deploy and use
* Provides information about multiple networks
* Can be branded with your company's logo
* Discounts available for volume purchases

Installation:
Simply put in the two included AAA batteries, that's all!

Testing:
To test the Digital Hotspotter I used it for the period of one business week (5 days) in various conditions, in a car, walking, inside a building, etc. It proved very reliable in all conditions and easily detected any nearby networks, even when driving it was still able to pick up the network! The Digital Hotspotter has an auto-off time of 30 seconds of inactivity which will help reduce unnecessary drain on the batteries.

One of my only complaints is the fact that there is no backlight on the screen. In certain lighting conditions I found it rather difficult to read, and after dark it was impossible to read.

On the top of the Digital Hotspotter there is a key chain loop which I found rather large to try and fit any sort of key chain or clip through when I attempted.

  
(Will display No AP Found if nothing is detected)

Conclusion:
Overall I was very impressed with the Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter. This is a very handy device for any traveling businessmen, IT professionals or even students to have in helping to detect wireless hotspots while on the go. The built in screen and the ability to detect and display more information other than just if a network is present or not really makes it stand out above all other WiFi finders on the market!

The Digital Hotspotter is available in Canada at: www.canarywireless.com, www.tigerdirect.ca or www.expansys.ca!

Pros:
Screen gives visual readout of information
Detects SSID
Detects security
Shows signal strength
Detects channel
Small size
Auto-off saves batteries

Cons:
No backlight
Key chain loop is rather larger for most key chains/hooks to easily go through

Rating: 9.5/10

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