Finding the Network: The WiFinder Review

The 3G network is touted as being fast and reliable, but any iPhone user will tell you that browsing the internet with it can be a chore. The best thing you can do is to connect to a wireless LAN when you are in a stationary location. These can be hard to find and many are secure, which is why WiFinder can help.

WiFinder is an application that will search for available Wi-Fi connections in the area and then give your information about them. The program lists the networks into two categories, secure and unsecured. From here you can select a particular network and get a rap sheet on it including its channel, strength, and authentication. It will give you the option to connect to either open or secure. The program has options for its “auto scan” function that allows you to turn on an “automatic rescan” that is set by seconds and an option to have a notification go off when a new network shows up.

This program can be useful when you are really having trouble finding a network to use. It can search repeatedly and let you know when there is finally one that can accept your iPhone's request.

Beyond those reasons there is little from this application. Usually the iPhone will already tell you when new networks are available while you are using internet functions. It also tends to tell you immediately which ones are secure and which ones are not. The program also tends to have trouble actually connecting to the given networks, especially if they are secure. If you are trying to connect to your own secure Wi-fi network you are going to have a fair amount of trouble.

When you first get your iPhone it seems like a good idea to pack it full of mediocre utility programs “just in case” they end up being useful. Its not until you’re storage is almost full and you have to navigate through nineteen pages of apps to get to the calculator that you begin to realize that you should be a little more picky. This is just one application that seems to lack in purpose all together. Three out of ten stars.