One of the problems with wi-fi or Bluetooth compatible cell phones, laptops and PDAs is finding a good hotspot somewhere. If you live in a big city, you should have no problem. However, if you live in a smaller town, it’s kind of a pain. You probably have one or two wifi spots in any small town with acceptable connectivity, and not much else.
Within your own town, one of the first things you can do is just ask your friends. Once you’ve already given all the local libraries and coffee shops in town, you might be able to pick up a tip on restaurant in wifi distance from an open hotspot. Alternately, there are a number of wifi locator sites online like http://www.jiwire.com/. You should take a look at these and map out some stops if you’re going on a work related trip and will need to be working from the road.
Or, you can check out some wifi locator devices. These devices, like the ZYXEL zyair AG-225H wi fi finder, and the TARGUS, seek out and alert you of nearby wi-fi signals. The devices are usually an easy, portable size, and cost between $20 and $100.
When you use a wifi locator, you basically just hit the button, and activate the signal. Each wifi locator is different, but one popular model uses a series of four LED lights which scan back and forth. When the wifi locator finds a suitable access point, it will measure and display its signal strength by one, two, three, or four lights (four being strongest). The closer you get to the signal, the stronger it gets. It’s not much different from bars on your cell phone.
You should be able to connect with just one light, but of course, the closer you get, the faster and more consistent your connection will be.
To find a good signal, just head to the downtown or main street areas of your city, pull it out and point it around a little. Before long, you’ll probably find at least one or two spots where you can get a suitable wifi signal.
Most wifi locators, unfortunately, won’t help you with cell phone access. Most locators look for 802.11b and 802.11g hotspots, rather than cell phone access.
One downside of wifi locators for laptop use; a wifi locator won’t tell you whether or not a signal is open, or freely accessible. You’ll have to take your laptop out and check it out for yourself to make sure.
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