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hotspot finder - technical definition
(1) A Web site that lists the locations of hotspots. See hotspot.
(2) A device that detects the presence of an 802.11 network. Also called a "Wi-Fi finder" or "Wi-Fi signal finder," it lets you know if a hotspot is available without having to turn on your laptop. Handheld finders may have readouts that identify the network ID and status, while keychain-based units blink LEDs to show signal strength. See hotspot.
The Handheld Hotspotter
The Digital Hotspotter from Canary Wireless does more than just indicate a Wi-Fi hotspot is within range. Its readout describes the networks it finds, including the network's name ID (SSID), signal strength, encryption status (Open or Secure) and channel number. The readout is currently displaying the SSID of the first network it found.