A pen with a built-in WiFi finder and an LED flashlight seems like a pretty good idea. For $20 it seems like a great deal.

By pushing the button on the barrel Green/Yellow/Red LED’s will light to detect the strength of WiFi signal. It is said to detect signals within an area of 50 feet.

Of course for $20, it’s probably wise not to expect stellar performance, but it is convenient…and you do get a handy twist-open pen with the deal.

[Via Boing Boing and Red Ferret]

The Wifi Trekker (right) improves on the previous model (WFS-1) by auto-scanning for networks. It has one button. Simply press it, and the Trekker will auto scan for any nearby (300-600 feet) networks. If it finds one, it gives you a visual and audio alert.

Engadget reviews other WiFi Detectors.

Handtops.com reviews five reasonably priced hardware WiFi finders. They include the;

A. Smart ID WiFi Detector - WFS-1
B. PCTEL WiFi Seeker
C. Kensington WiFi Finder Plus
D. Hawking HWL2 WiFi Locator
E. Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter - HS10

“First generation” analog Wi-Fi detectors, including the $29 Chrysalis WiFi Seeker, $29 Kensington WiFi detector and $28 Smart ID WFS-1, don’t have an LCD screen and can’t tell you anything about the detected hotspots. The $49 Canary Wireless Hotspotter provides essential information about wireless networks, including; Network ID, Signal Strength, Encryption Status and Channel.

Trendware’s TEW-429UF (above) combines a 802.11g Wireless client, 512MB Flash Memory and a HotSpot Detector in one device. The detector/client/flash drive is hard to beat for convenience and utility ($109).

Posted by Sam Churchill on Friday, July 21st, 2006 at 1:49 am.