Hawking HWL2 Hi-Gain WiFi Locator (Silver)

by Hawking Technology

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 2.2 x 1 inches ; 11.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009WE9G0
• Item model number: HWL2
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Instantly Detect and Connect to Any Wireless Network or Wireless Hot Spot!

The Hawking HWL2 is an advanced version of the HWL1 and improves on many functions of the previous model. The most obvious is the addtion of a Hi-Speed Wireless-G USB 2.0 Network Adapter as well as the ability to differentiate wireless networks with security enabled. The addition of a WiFi Adapter allows the user to detect an 802.11b or 802.11g wireless signal and efforlessly connect to that signal by attaching their laptop or desktop directly to the HWL2 via USB 2.0.

The hassle of powering up your laptop and connecting to wireless "Hot-Spots" is now significantly simplified by the HWL2. Simply push the "Locate" button on the HWL2, detect and connect. No more guessing and configuring each specific wireless "hot-spot." The HWL2 is equipped with a new, re-designed, flip up directional antenna that serves two purposes:

1) When detecting wireless networks, the Hi-Gain Directional Antenna helps the user determine exactly where the source of the wireless netweork is coming from by showing stronger signals at different angles.

2) When connecting to a wireless network, the Hi-Gain Directional Antenna guarantees the strongest link possible and provides greater distance than current wireless network adapters on the market due to its advanced 5dBi Antenna.

The HWL2 also automatically recharges its batteries when connected to a laptop so you never have to worry about replacing the batteries.

Product Description

Hawking HWL2 Hi-Gain Wi-Fi LocatorProfessional Edition HWL2 Network Adapters - Wireless

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars don't waste your time, September 8, 2005

By 

aceducy "aceducy" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hawking HWL2 Hi-Gain WiFi Locator (Silver) (Personal Computers)

An inferior product, period. Cheap pastic flip-lid that is loose, about 1" play after only 1 day of use. The LED's that supposedly find your hotspots don't. They flash real neat like, but display no meaningful information. Just all flash together. The software clobbered my wire-line conneciton on XP.

The unit did manage to find some rogue access points here and there, but there were no diagnostics like encryption type used, etc. When I managed to get it connected to an AP sitting right next to me, it gave moderate performance.

It's going back. Looked good on paper...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too many disappointments, September 30, 2006

By 

J. Macfarlane "Coastal Cruiser" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hawking HWL2 Hi-Gain WiFi Locator (Silver) (Personal Computers)

Over the past few months I have had an opportunity to work with several products from Hawking. My initial impression of the company was that it made products a cut above the "department store" brands. At the end of the day though, I find Hawking to be little different from the rest of the pack; i.e. mediocre products with sub-par support.

This cute little HWL2 Wifi locator is a case in point. The CONCEPT of the product is very, very cool. It's a USB based wireless adapter. Great! That means I can position the antenna away from the computer to pick up the best signal. Better yet, disconnect the unit from the mini-USB cable and you have yourself a portable Wifi locator. Two products in one. WOW!

The unit is indeed cute . . . and little. Even cooler, when the antenna is flipped up, it looks like an old fashion StarTrek communicator. Too bad it doesn't work very well! To begin with, the WiFi locator does not work as one would expect. You must point the device in the direction where you think a signal may be, press a button, wait for a couple of seconds while the signal strength lights flash, then you get a reading. Then the reading goes away! Then you have to reposition the device, press the button again, and again wait a second or two for a reading. If you expect, as I did, to be able to simply wave the instrument around until it shows a signal, you will be disappointed.

If you forgive that flaw, and you don't mind the cheap plastic look and feel of the unit, there's more. The sensitivity of the WiFi locator is very poor. Given that it comes equipped with a high-gain, directional antenna, I would have expected to be able to pick up weak signals. In turns out the unit has FAR less sensitivity than the antenna built into my HP DV4000 notebook. In walk-around testing I found repeatedly that my laptop would pick up a useable signal, while the Hawking detector showed NO SIGNAL. For me, that is a showstopper. Why have a WiFi locator if it doesn't locate? That is my question.

Parenthetically, I had to just had to send in a relatively new Hawking external antenna for exchange. This provided an opportunity to see how tech support works. The antenna came with some loose parts rolling around inside the sealed unit. I called support and was told they could not help me over the phone, but that I had to go to their website and fill out an RMA form. OK. Upon reading the instructions on their site, I learned that they want you to fax in the form with an original sales receipt. There is a notation that if you want, you can email the form with an electronic version of the receipt attached. That was easier for me, so I followed the latter procedure. They emailed me back telling me that I had to go back to their RMA form site and follow the instructions to snail-mail or fax in the receipt. This was maddening since I had followed the instructions to the letter.

I emailed them back and told them to read the instructions themselves, then to get off their [...] and process the RMA. No reply for a day. I then re-sent the email with a single additional sentence asking for the name and phone number of the manager of tech support. In short order I was sent the RMA number (never got the # for the support manager though).

I am done with Hawking. For those who are looking to step up past the pedestrian offerings from the handful of well known wireless equipment vendors, I would recommend a site I found a few months ago that has worked out quite well; [...] They not only have the everyday wireless stuff, like workstation adapters, they have a great line of HIGH POWERED access points and adapters for scenarios requiring pushing that WiFi signal a bit further. And if you have a problem, you reach the same person every time you call for support. Now whose ever heard of that?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It's does have good range, but..., April 4, 2006

By 

HP fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawking HWL2 Hi-Gain WiFi Locator (Silver) (Personal Computers)

This thing does has good range. I was able to pull in signals from a couple of my neighbors. It worked in both of my new notebook (running xp) and old notebook (running ME). However, as decribed by some other comment somewhere. It started to stop responding, and in a few days, it went totally dead. Well, I am glad it died so early. Otherwise, I would not be able to return it and get my money back.