This is all integrated via the iPassConnect Mobility Manager, a single application that identifies and connects to Wi-Fi hot spots (including your home router if you have one), WAN, wired Ethernet in hotels or dial-up phone lines (the directory is built into the software). [For more on iPass Connect, read "iPassConnect: U.S. 3G, Global Wi-Fi With One Laptop Card, One Password."]

Boost It

Why is it that no matter where you travel, you always get stuck in Bermuda Triangle wireless locations -- the remote seat in the airport lounge where Wi-Fi signals are only a rumor, or the hotel room where you have to stand on the windowsill to get a mobile phone signal?

Well, don't worry -- you can fight back.

Wi-Fire

The Wi-Fire long-range Wi-Fi adapter from hField Technologies Inc. combines a range-boosting directional antenna, a sensitive receiver and proprietary software to pull in wireless LAN signals at triple or more the range of standard Wi-Fi adapters.

The Wi-Fire adapter is a minuscule 4-ounce device that you can slip into your laptop bag and forget about until you need it. It works on 802.11b/g signals and connects via a USB port to a Windows PC (the software works with XP or Vista) or a Mac (OS X, including Leopard). You can order the Wi-Fire for $79 directly from hField's Web site.

zBoost Personal

If your problem is getting a cell phone signal, then you need the zBoost Personal cell phone signal booster. This is a portable version of a similar product that solves cell-phone reception problems in homes and offices by installing an antenna outside the house and a signal-amplifying repeater indoors.

The Personal version covers a smaller area than its big brother, but it carries a lower price tag ($169) and comes in a package small enough to fit into your travel kit (4 by 5 by 1.3 in.). The dual-band (800/1,900-MHz) device comes with an external antenna that can attach to the nearest window with suction cups. Plug it into an AC outlet, and it creates a four- to six-foot bubble of good reception where you want it. (For a full review of zBoost Personal, read "I Love These Bars: zBoost zP Improves Cell Phone Signal".)

Protect It

One of the most important things about taking your digital devices on the road is making sure you get home with them. There are lots of ways to increase the likelihood of recovering your iPod or smart phone or laptop if it walks away: some very low-tech, others higher.