By Andrew - Does your wireless internet suck? Do you constantly loose that weak signal? Are you trying to get on to your neighbor’s un-protected internet from a short distance away (whether they are aware or not)? Does your MacBook/MacBookPro/PowerBook’s wireless signal seem like a tin can with a shoe lace compared to the massive transmitting power of the Echelon Project?

The QuickerTek Quicky is a very useful device to really boost the strength of your wireless signal (and sex appeal and testosterone and manliness). QuickerTek advertises that it boosts your ‘Book’s wireless strength from a wimpy 30 miliwatts to a sexy 500 miliwatts (basically, you boost your signal range to half a mile). This slender aluminum transceiver is also compatible with wireless standards 802.11b, g, AND n!!! The package contains the transceiver, the connecting cable, an installation CD, and user’s guide. It is so easy to set up that a trained monkey with a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and an affinity to smashing things with a sledgehammer could do it.

The drawbacks are that 1) you cannot use the Quicky and the built-in Airport at the same time, 2) the Quicky heats up pretty quickly and is painful to the touch, 3) since the Quicky hooks on to the back of the ‘Book, it might cause damage to the screen in the future, and 4) it drains the battery very quickly, so the laptop should be plugged in while using the Quicky.

Overall, this is a great little device, especially if you are in an area with a free, weak WI-FI signal where service providers charge exorbitant amounts for slow service. Within a short time, the QuickerTek Quicky really proves its value.