November 8, 2006 6:30 AM PST

$26 Wi-Fi finder--take that, Starbucks

by Mike Yamamoto
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Trust Wi-Fi detector (Credit: GadgetHub)

Rant against Starbucks Wi-Fi, Part II. To recap: The last time we checked, Starbucks charged $10 for a single day's Net access through a T-Mobile wireless connection. And unless you're planning to hide in the restroom all night, that probably means $10 for a few hours, not the full 24.

So a very viable alternative is to ditch Starbucks altogether and find another, friendlier coffee shop that offers free Wi-Fi. In our last episode, we offered the possibility of finding just such a caffeinated oasis via a $70 Wi-Fi detector. But now, Coolest Gadgets has found one much cheaper, a keychain-sized device for about $26.

Like the first one, we have no idea how well the Trust Wi-Fi Hot Spot Finder works. But at $26, that's just a tick over 2.5 day passes at Starbucks--which, in our book, is a decent risk.

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