Product: Wi-Fire Long Range WiFi adapter
Company: hField Technologies
Web: www.hfield.com
Price: $49
Pros: Expands range of accessible wi-fi sources
Cons: Inconsistent, didn’t improve access for me
Product Rating: 2/5 Meh
by Steve Aufrecht, Alaskan Apple Users Group Member
Conflict of interest disclosure: hField provided a free Wi-Fire unit to me for the purposes of the review.
This sounded really cool – I’d be able to pick up more wifi signals and have more options for connecting to the internet. And it may well be useful. But trying this out at my home didn’t really make much of a difference.
1. Installation was quick and relatively easy. The first time when I clicked on the icon, I didn’t get any wifi options. Eventually it gave me instructions in four or five languages to shut down and start again. Then it was fine.
2. Checking it against my built in Airport, the first couple of times it gave me more than twice as many signals (20-9), but the two that weren’t password protected were too weak to use. A little later, my Airport gave me 12 signals and Wi-Fire gave me 8.
3. My Macbook is sleek and clean looking. Wi-Fire is tacky plastic and clunky looking. It has this huge clip to attach to the laptop. It’s like putting a cheap plastic flower on your Porsche antenna. It’s all wrong aesthetically.
4. It turns on and off very easily and neatly.
Perhaps if I were traveling, this would increase my ability to find a wi-fi connection and I’d be happy and overlook it’s ugliness and size. It is very light.
New in the AAUG Lending Library and ready for check out!
