Hawking Technologies said it will ship a new device next week that lets users detect the precise location of an 802.11b or 802.11g wireless LAN access point.
The HWL1 802.11b/g WiFi Locator (about $35 street price) is a pocket-sized device that uses a Hawking Hi-Gain Antenna to decipher which direction a wireless signal is coming from, the company says. "Most Wi-Fi detectors on the market currently only have weak omni-directional antennas," said Jason Owen, product marketing manager at Hawking. "When the user detects a hot spot he or she is still uncertain whether it is in front of them or behind them."
With the HWL1, a user can move the device around in a 360-degree pattern to find the strongest signal, and then follow that direction to find where the hot spot is located, Owen said. In addition, the device includes signal filtering technology that figures out whether a wireless signal is Wi-Fi or something else, such as a microwave oven, cordless phone or other device.
The HWL1 shows signal strength with five LEDs, and it runs on two lithium batteries, Hawking said. More information is available at the Hawking Technologies' Web site.
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