WifiTrak ($.99)
REVIEW Is your Wifi running? Well you better go and catch it!
Wifi on the iPhone and iPod touch has always been cumbersome and a pain to manage. I have had this app on my phone for quite a while, and while I have not used it that often, it has come in handy several times. For iPod users that only have internet access when WiFi is available, apps like this are even more necessary. WifiTrak is a product of Bitrino Inc, and allows you to check available WiFi hotspots in your current area.
When you open this app you are taken to a screen where you see a basic overview of all the WiFi hotspots that are within range. It gives you basic information such as the strength of the connection, whether it is a visible or hidden network, and what kind of encryption the network uses if any. The results are refreshed automatically at an interval you set if you turn that option on, or you can refresh them at any time by pushing the refresh icon in the bottom right corner.
If you click on one of the connections you can then connect up with that hotspot, as long as you have the password to it, or it is an unencrypted hotspot. If you know that you have previously set up several different hotspots in WifiTrak, you can set it to Auto-Connect when there is a connection available. There are several different actions you can have it take as well. You can have it just connect, or you can have it connect and exit WifiTrak, or you can have it open Safari, Mail, or even a specific website automatically.
If you click on the little i button in the bottom right corner of the main screen it brings up the settings menu with all of the different options for customizing what connections you see and how it acts on them. You can even set it to only show you certain hotspots that have stronger signals.
So the bottom line is that if you are constantly using WiFi, whether its for your iPhone or an iPod touch, this is an app you need to have. The fact that its only $0.99 is even more incentive to snatch up this app! Unfortunately, the app just recently stopped working as I was preparing to do this review. Apparently the problem is with the new 3.0 firmware though, and they have already released a patched version that is waiting to be approved by Apple. I would still recommend this program though, as the developers to a good job keeping it up to date, sometimes you just have to wait on Apple to catch up. Especially with a big update like this one was.
– David H.
2009, All rights reserved. AppShouter LLC