The Informatica WiFi Pen: "My Window is a Rain Detector"
Much buzz online today about the Informatica WiFi Pen, a pen with an integrated Wi-Fi detector for $18.95. The company says it can detect a Wi-Fi signal from up to 50 feet away — at which point a green, yellow or red LED will indicate the signal's strength.
"Execs looking to make a splash amongst the gadget cognoscenti in the boardroom should consider splashing out for this latest whizz-bang WiFi Detector Pen," writes Digital Lifestyles' Mike Slocombe. "While your fellow suited types are rummaging in their bags ready to pull out their laptops to see if there's a signal around, you'll be able to impress the boss with a quick sweep of your James Bond-esque pen."
But Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow is unimpressed. "I have my doubts about the wifinder component… usually these things depend on having a pretty good antenna that's at least as good as the one in your laptop, otherwise it will miss networks that your laptop could see," he writes.
Wi-Fi Networking News' Glenn Fleishman, equally unimpressed, says there's not much value in a device that can't tell you if a network is open or closed. He calls the WiFi Pen "a nice, limited edition paperweight which, in most areas, confirms what we already know. Such as, my window is a rain detector — I open it up, lean out, and if I get wet, it's raining."