Staying Connected On the Road

Bottom line: An ingenious solution that lets travelers without Internet access locate WiFi hot spots.

Our grade: A-

· Kensington WiFi Finder Plus

(http://www.kensington.com)

What it does best: A WiFi laptop tells you when it is entering an area with wireless service, but walking while searching for broadband is unwieldy, and searching while driving is downright dangerous. Fortunately, this small, keychain-size gadget can find WiFi without opening your laptop.

Just push the button on the Kensington WiFi Finder Plus ($30) to see if there is WiFi nearby. It also shows the signal strength and has a separate indicator light to show nearby Bluetooth networks.

Where it falls short: Does not find all nearby hot spots. Just because you can find a WiFi hot spot doesn't mean you could or should tap into it. If the network uses WiFi security, you won't be able to connect. And you could run afoul of the law if you tap into a network without permission.

Bottom line: Useful in limited circumstances. Best for finding the strongest signal in an area where you already have permission to use the WiFi.

Our grade: C+

· Sprint Mobile Broadband

(http://www.sprint.com)

What it does best: Travelers can now get online anywhere they can make a wireless call. Insert the Sprint Mobile Broadband PC card into a laptop and you can surf using Sprint's high-speed EV-DO network.

It works in a moving car or train and doubles as a GPS device, complete with directions when used with a service such as Google Maps. You can check e-mail, listen to Web radio and watch YouTube videos.

The card costs $50; unlimited access is $60 a month. In our tests, download speeds varied from 400 kbps to more than 1000 kbps, making it a worthy (if pricey) portable replacement for wired DSL or cable.

You can share broadband access with other travelers via a WiFi network by using D-Link's 3G Mobile Router ($299 but available for substantially less, http://www.dlink.com), which can create a secure wireless hot spot that works in hotels, trains, etc.

Where it falls short: Though the connection is surprisingly solid even when moving, it can abruptly lose connection like a mobile phone call. You need to change its default software settings to enable automatic reconnection. It costs more than DSL or cable but less than many monthly mobile phone bills.

Bottom line: The most useful advance since WiFi.

Our grade: A