A Better Airport Menu
All utilities should be this simple and effective.
With the installation of WiFind, a $8 SIMBL plugin from TastyApps, your Mac’s Airport menu instantly becomes easier to use with zero overhead. You simply run the installer and, when you’re done, the computer’s Airport menu works the way it should have from the get-go.
This is such a simple concept that it doesn’t really merit a “review,” but here goes: once you install WiFind, your Airport menu begins to display more information. In addition to the names of all of the networks your Mac can see, the menu displays signal-strength and security status of each. A quick glance at the screenshot will communicate more than my explanation.
In fact, this is such a natural-feeling addition to OS X that it’s bound to be included in a future version… and that’s the only negative thing I can say about it. And, if the only nasty thing I can say about an app is that you might “waste” your money by buying it because Apple will probably add it to the OS, that’s a pretty positive review.
One note: WiFind is a SIMBL plug-in, which means that it hooks into your OS’s files to work. You might be worried by that, since it sounds like it’s somehow changing your system, but you shouldn’t because it doesn’t. According to the FAQ, if you decide you don’t like WiFind, all you have to do to is remove the “WiFind.bundle” from the “/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins/” folder and restart. Simple!
WiFind is $8 shareware and you can get your copy from TastyApps.
Via Pogue?
This is a really useful app, especially for those who consistently find themselves using random WiFi access points (e.g. starbucks)
@ mdmunoz: Believe it or not, I have been using this app for a couple of weeks; it’s part of my “Let’s See What Apps I Have In My Menu Bar” series. But, you’re right, Pogue did write about this recently, as did LifeHacker. But, no, I did not see it there… I decided to post about it on my own.
Weird coincidence, huh?
..but why? you can get istumbler for FREE and it is so much better, allows for cache cleaning on wireless settings detection and a host of other features, including granular channel data and so on…
Ah.. Nice – right in the airport menu, where i want it.
As far as “why” – It’s the only app that does it that way as far as i know…
Everything else apps all sortsa clutter to my mac.
I love this. Good find !
I tried this app for about a week on my Macbook (1GB RAM) and found the airport menu significantly slower with the plugin than without it. The details are useful, but the speed decrease prompted me to uninstall.
I use coconut wifi for this: http://coconut-flavour.com/coconutwifi/
I use Marco Polo to switch it on when I’m not near an access point that I know and to switch it off again when I am.
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