It’s a well known fact if you belly-up to a Starbucks or any other major coffee chain you’ll have wi-fi access.  However, many other hot spots are available which you just don’t know about.  This is where a wi-fi detector comes in handy.

I know a wi-fi detector would have been handy during the hField wi-fi extender review.  As I was driving through my business complex looking for signal, I found it oddly ridiculous to have my laptop booted up on the front seat of my car.

The USB Fever wi-fi detector is a simple, cheep gadget where a click of a button can detect wireless hot spots.  With 4 LED lights to communicate signal strength, you can spot the best signal in seconds.

The wi-fi detector has a 300 foot range  and detects 802.11b and 802.11g bands.  The only downfall I see, and this could be a big one, is the wi-fi detector doesn’t indicate if the network is secure.  I’d hate to power up the laptop, take valuable battery juice, just to find it’s a secure network.

However, for $13 bucks, not a bad gadget for the bag.