Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter Wi. Fi Finder HS- 2. 0 It’s been three years since I reviewed my favorite Wi. Fi scanner / finder, Canary Wireless’s Digital Hotspotter. I’ve reviewed other scanners, but always liked the Hotspotter best due to its one button super fast scanning ability. That’s why I was very happy when the folks at Canary Wireless sent me their 2nd generation Digital Hotspotter HS- 2. Packaged in an easy to open container, the HS- 2. That includes 2 AAA batteries and a one page (on the back of the package) set of instructions.
About the size of a deck of cards and with a footprint of 3. Now it has a three line backlit LCD instead of narrow one line display.
It’s been three years since I reviewed my favorite WiFi scanner / finder, Canary Wireless’s Digital Hotspotter. I’ve reviewed other scanners, but always liked. Canary Wireless HS-20 Digital Hotspotter General. I have been unable to get in touch with Canary Wireless. Gear Head WiFi Signal Detector & Hotspot Finder. Find great deals on eBay for WiFi Finder in Routers, Modems and More Home Networking Items. Shop with confidence. Canary Wi-Fi Finder Product Details. Second Generation Wi-Fi Finder. The Canary Wireless Digital HotSpotter. Everyone has Wi-Fi - at least in one form or the other.
The front surface of this finder is made of Black shiny (yes, it’s a smudge and fingerprint magnet) plastic, while the back has a nice texture that resists smudges and fingerprints. Too bad the front isn’t made the same as the back. The only buttons on the HS- 2. Right side. There are three rubber covered buttons that have good tactile feedback.
![Canary Wireless Wifi Finder Canary Wireless Wifi Finder](http://www.chinaspycam.com/images/v/WIFI-wireless-notwork-signal-detect-wifi-finder-540002-1.jpg.jpg)
The top button is the power button. Pressing this button will power the scanner on and automatically start the wifi scanning process.
Below the power button are the up and down buttons. When there are multiple wifi hotspots (the Hotspotter can detect up to 2. If no buttons are pressed within 3. That’s all there is to using the HS- 2. Simple right? Just press the power button, wait approximately 7 seconds for scanning to complete and view the details.
New Wi-Fi Finders Work Well. Products Reviewed. New Wi-Fi finders from Canary Wireless. Kensington Technology WiFi Finder Plus.
Easy. Now, this new model is slower than the original hotspotter, which would only take about 3 seconds to complete a scan. Still, 7 seconds isn’t bad. This scanner uses true a 8.
Bluetooth, cordless phones, or other devices. The three line LCD displays various information about the found hotspot. In the upper Left corner, there is a five bar signal strength meter.
Directly across from the meter is a counter for the number of hotspots found and the currently viewed hotspot. Line two shows the SSID. SSID stands for service set identifier. That just means it is the name given to the wifi hotspot. The SSID in the example above is the name I’ve given to my home network. If the SSID has been set to not broadcast, you’ll see something like the image below: SSID Unknown. When you see this, you know it’s a private hotspot and one that you’ll probably not be able to connect to.
The last line of the display gives you more info about the hotspot. It will list if it is secure or open, the encryption type (none, WEP, WPA, WPA2), Access Point type (b/g/n), Speed and channel number. The Hotspotter scans 1. While only 1. 1 channels are used here in the US, 1.
Europe and 1. 4 in Japan. You can use the Hotspotter to help you troubleshoot a flaky wireless setup as most access points are set to channel 1, 6 or 1. If you see more than one network on the same channel, it is likely that you may experience problems with interference.
While testing this scanner, I noticed that it was able to find access points / hotspots that the previous model was not. I brought them both to my day job and the older digital hotspotter found nothing, while the HS- 2. All 4 were SSID: Unknown though… While writing this review, I started wondering if people even use wifi scanners these days? I’ll admit that my original Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter has been occupying space in my gadget drawer for a long time now.
Typically, if I’m looking to find a hotspot, I just use my Macbook Pro to see if anything is available. For me, the only time I ever look for a hotspot is in an airport anyway. But then I recalled a time not too long ago when the IT guys at my day job were trying to find a rogue hotspot in our office. They walked around with a wifi finder for the task. So maybe the average Joe might not have a daily use for this product, but there are people that do. Canary Wireless has made worthy update to their original Digital Hotspotter. It now has a larger backlit display and a nicer form factor.
The price remains the same as the original, but on par or lower than other wifi finders with LCD displays. I think I’ve found my new favorite scanner…Product Information.
Price: 5. 9. 9. 5Manufacturer: Canary Wireless. Retailer: Canary Wireless. Pros: Backlit LCD. Finds APs that other scanners might not detect. Easy to use. Cons: Slower than previous model.
New Wi- Fi Finders Work Well. New Wi- Fi finders from Canary Wireless, Kensington, and Smith Micro work better, and offer more information, than previous devices. New Wi- Fi finders from Canary Wireless, Kensington, and Smith Micro work better, and offer more information, than previous devices.
Wi- Fi signal detectors should let you track down a wireless signal before booting up your notebook and wasting power. Unfortunately, early versions of the devices didn't work very well. I tested three new devices and found them dramatically more useful than previous products. Kensington's $3. 0 Wi. Fi Finder Plus is about the size of a Tic Tac mints box. To use it, simply press a button; if the device locates an 8.
LEDs. A single blue LED lights in the presence of a Bluetooth signal. The device seemed quite accurate, but with each click it latches on to a single signal, so expect to push the button repeatedly to find the strongest signal.
Smith Micro's $3. Quick. Link Mobile Wi- Fi Seeker is even littler than the Kensington unit and has a single button. Hold down the button, and while you walk around, the device will display the ever- changing signal strength of detected 8. LEDs. Canary's Digital Hotspotter sells for $5.
Bulkier than the other two devices but still easy to pocket, the Digital Hotspotter not only notes 8. SSID), its broadcast channel, and whether the network is encrypted or open. If you just want to know if a signal exists and how strong it is, either the Kensington or the Smith Micro device will do the trick; if you're interested in finding out more detailed information before you break out your notebook, pay extra for the Canary. Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter. Pricier unit offers everything from signal strength to SSID. Price when reviewed: $5.
Current Prices (if available)Smith Micro Quick. Link Mobile Wi- Fi Seeker Detects ever- changing Wi- Fi signal strength with one touch.
Price when reviewed: $3. Current Prices (if available)Kensington Technology Wi.
Fi Finder Plus. Reveals Wi- Fi signal strength or Bluetooth, but you'll click a lot. Price when reviewed: $3. Current Prices (if available).