Edimax Signal Detector/ USB WiFi Adaptor review

Edimax's Signal Detector can detect wireless network signals wherever you go, allowing you to use free wireless internet or the service you're signed up to where possible.

Measuring 90x27x13mm, it's light, pocket-sized and means you don't have to boot up your notebook just to see if WiFi is available.

Pressing the detect switch at the back prompts the Signal Detector to search for networks. It presents the results as the number of unprotected networks and the number of encrypted ones on a small LED screen. You can scroll through the list of available networks, starting with the unencrypted signals, to locate the one you may have a credit with or the store or venue to which you are the nearest.

It works well, but the Signal Detector doesn't update automatically as you move around; you have to keep pressing the detect button to refresh the list. In less-populated areas, where WiFi may not be common, this will become tiring. It can detect only 802.11b or 802.11g networks; Draft-N is not supported. The power switch sticks a bit, but it's a robust device nonetheless. You can charge the Signal Detector via USB, and the fully charged battery lasted for around 16 hours in our tests.

The stick also functions as an 802.11b/g USB wireless adaptor, supporting WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption. With most other companies making Draft-N devices at the moment, producing an 802.11b/g adaptor seems like a backwards step. Throughput was poor for 802.11g, failing to break the 10Mbit/s barrier. We couldn't establish a connection with our test router at 25m; we could with a standard Centrino wireless adaptor.

We'd suggest using the Signal Detector for what it does best, which is finding WiFi, and investing in a decent Draft-N CardBus or USB adaptor. Linksys's Wireless-N adaptor (reviewed in Shopper December 2007) costs £48 and offers better speed and coverage.