It is time for my review of the Wi-Fire that MUGLO lent me to test last year, after reading the reviews that Frank linked to.
1. Note the dates of the other reviews as 2008, etc. 2. The copyright date on this CD software in the box is 2010 3. The installation guide and software is for Windows, Mac, and Linux4. The software installer can also be downloaded, so it says, from - http://www.hfield.com/customer-service/ 5. This product actually works. Keeping in mind all these specs are for uninterrupted line of sight outdoors, which most computer applications don't have. The indoor range is limited by walls, etc. that naturally occur indoors. 6. You don't have to disconnect Airport when using it, the Wi-Fire manager does that for you.
My experiences:A. I wanted to check out the features when I went up North to Whitney. When my wife went grocery shopping at the IGA, there is free wi-fi in the store, but to use my laptop outside, (cramped quarters inside), I had to sit on the parking bumpers to get a signal. When I plugged in Wi-Fire I was able to get a strong enough signal to sit in my van and surf the web while my wife shopped.
B. When in Huntsville, Airport showed 3 signal sources, but when I used Wi-Fire I showed over a dozen. The Wi-Fire Manager not only shows signal strength, but whether the signal is locked for password access only.
C. At our church, I had a weak unuseable signal with Airport in a room distant from the signal source. The church was built with metal wall studding. When I installed Wi-Fire, I was able to use my laptop for presentations in that room. I took my laptop out of the room, and was able to go 9 feet further down the hall, and through a firedoor before I lost the signal.
D. When I was at the Visitors centre in Algonquin Park, they have free wi-fi by the lunch room. Foreign visitors sit at the counter and try sending huge pic files back home and use up the band width, then complain about how slow the connection is. When I used Airport, I couldn't get a strong enough signal to access my email account. When I used Wi-Fire, it penetrated the "noise" and I was able to do my on-line banking, facebook, and browsing all the while everyone else was complaining about the poor connection.
The features I find useful are: 1. The signal strength indicator 2. The locked user signal indicator3. The increase in range. Although I would like more range, I don't think it is the fault of the product as much as it is the physical environment I am in when using it. 4. The noise reduction. I don't understand what "noise" is, and how it impacts the use of my signal, I was told that was my problem at the Algonquin Visitor Centre.
I would buy this product, and recommend it's use. Don't over-estimate it's capabilities. The manufacturers accompanying info is accurate, because it is vague.
...Doug F
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