StarTech intros Wi-Fi Detective

While some may be fortunate enough to have the innate ability to sniff out WiFi hotspots, most of us have to rely on decidedly less superhuman means to pick up on a signal. Of course, there's certainly no shortage of tools ready to assist us in that task, but the folks at StarTech.com seem to think there's room for at least one more, recently introducing its self-descriptive Wi-Fi Detective. As with other similar devices, it'll give you an indication of WiFi signal strength, along with some basic information about the network. Also like some other WiFi detectors, the device can double as a USB WiFi adapter for your desktop or laptop (compliant with 802.11b/g), with the USB connection also used to recharge the device's battery. If that sounds like what you've been looking for, you'll be able to snag one of these next month for $75 -- in beige only, it seems.

[John Doe @ May 26th 2007 3:04AM]

I wonder when these things are going to be banned at a federal level. Because we all know you are a criminal if you leech an open AP....*insert rolling of the eyes here*

[Phoenix Enigma @ May 26th 2007 3:11AM]

Wow, I bought what seems to be a functionally identical device about 2 years ago, for CDN$60, and it happens to look better, too. And it has a pair of status lights and an attachment loop for a lanyard that have proven quite useful.

As a side note, anyone know how Canadian law views accessing unprotected hotspots?

[Jorman @ Jul 15th 2007 1:32PM]

actually its only illegal when you THINK illegal.

for example, you can use it to check if your local mall offers wifi, so you can sit in the parking lot and browse the net LEGALLY, other places like airports, cafes, etc these days offer wifi for free, and you can use this device to find those cafes.

on the other hand, those idiots with wifis set up SHOULD SET UP passwords to begin with. and when you use their conection with out permission, its illegal.

[gfar @ May 26th 2007 4:50AM]

Totally useless. Even my grandmother uses WEP and MAC filtering.

[Mark Bowness @ May 26th 2007 5:06AM]

A lot of people dont use WEP and MAC filtering though, especially in the UK. However there was the case recently of one person taken to court for using someone elses wireless, so does that make these items illegal or the could it only be determined as illegal if they then use that wireless access which is seperate to the wifi detective? Just interested.

Mark Bowness

[John Doe @ May 26th 2007 11:51AM]

Its been increasing though. I've been a wardriver since 2000. I collect AP's like baseball cards. I have over 14,000 in my collection all nice and mapped out.
It use to be the ratio for secured to open was 1:20 or something close to that. Now its something like 1:5-1:7. I think the word has gotten out.

[Samo @ May 26th 2007 8:40AM]

@Jorman: Not true, methinks. Didn't a Michagen (sp?)cop arrest a guy for theft of wifi the other day? The shop owner had expressed she had NO issue with him using it, adding that if he bought coffee he would not have got cuffed (doesn't mean she wanted him cuffed though).

Apparently, in the UK it's the same deal as well, because we don't have explicit permission, and The Register covered that particular story.

Personally, I think these products' manufacturers may get a lawsuit on their plates soon, when some dumbass gets caught wifi-jacking and blames the wifi detector for giving them the means to do so. Only in America can a lawsuit like that stand!

(p.s. I mean no offence to normal yanke... er, Americans, but we all know there's some RIGHT plonkers who would sue their own mother for fame & fortune (TM). )

[Elequin @ May 26th 2007 10:51AM]

ZyXEL has been making one of these for a while. I have an older version, and it works nicely. Here is a link to their latest version. It looks better too, IMO:

http://www.zyxel.com/web/product_family_detail.php?PC1indexflag=20040520161256&CategoryGroupNo=ED660056-29A8-4AD6-ADD2-F16AFCA002B6

[Robert Baker @ May 26th 2007 11:31PM]

Actually the ZyXel AG-225 is almost identical but also includes a WiFi access point capability making it extremely handy, and it typically sells for around $60 or less.

[Singapura @ May 26th 2007 12:20PM]

Been watching for eons for these to appear,
Waiting patiently for them to be available,
While wondering will they ever be affordable,
And then it didn't matter,
For here is Utopia
... city-wide free wifi !!

[Lewis @ May 26th 2007 9:18PM]

Yeah, we've carried these over at Sewell Direct for a few months. It's also nice because it does notify of WEP/WPA encryption and so forth. Not sure if this one does that. StarTech is such a funny beast. We were thinking of working with them before, but everything they make looks like they did it with an early-90's tech design in mind. Anyway, direct product link below:

http://sewelldirect.com/FreeCon-80211g-USB-dongle-WiFi-Detector.asp