Netgear WGR101 Cable/DSL Wireless Travel Router Review

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(More customer reviews)I applaud Netgear for being first to market with this device (the only other I know of is the Apple Airport Express), designed for geeky business travellers. There've been many times when I've been in a hotel with wired Internet access but wanted to use my laptop across the room in bed, or in a conference room with one wired network drop and a handful of people who wanted to use it. Travelling with a 30-foot cable and/or a multi-port switch is no fun. This device is light and tiny, has a modest-sized power adapter, and even comes with a short cable for connecting to a wired port and a zippered carrying case for all of that plus your pc-card NIC.
If you're not concerned with security and have your wireless NIC set to do DHCP basically all you do is plug it in and you're all set. Configuring the device is kind of a pain though: you can only connect to it wirelessly, so if you forget the SSID after setting it not to broadcast, or forget the WEP key, you have to use the reset button and start over (make sure you hold it down a good 10 seconds, just pressing it once quickly doesn't work).
It doesn't act quite like a typical router despite some product literature I've read: on a hotel network it doesn't provide firewall or NAT security--keep in mind if the hotel assigns you a public IP you're bare naked on the Internet.
Although the physical switch on the unit that puts it in config or single-/multi-user mode is a neat idea for security, it gave me a lot of problems having to reassociate or power cycle the device after changing settings. Given that in its default state it's a pass-through device like a bridge and has no IP address, there may not be a significantly better way though.
I had little to no luck using this device with my home router or cable modem, but on a hotel wired access point it was seamless including VPN connectivity (unlike my Netgear MR814 at home). Range is very good even through walls and floors/ceilings. I got mine for about half price after rebates which, I think, just barely makes it worth it. If you like to have the latest gadget, and especially if you travel, this is less of a pain and certainly niftier than carrying around a 30-foot cable and/or hub.

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Have you ever felt like using a wired Ethernet connection in your hotel room was not much fun?Was the desk or chair uncomfortable, and sitting on the bed or soft chair preferable while accessing the Internet wirelessly?Have you ever wished to have convenient wireless access for a group of people in a conference room?NETGEAR has the perfect solution for your wireless Internet access needs away from home.The WGR101 54 Mbps Wireless Travel Router is as small as a deck of cards, yet provides 54 Mbps wireless Internet access as well as routing functionality and security.Use an external switch to select configuration, or to enable either single or multi-user access.A convenient carrying case is included in which to carry the traveler's router along with other essentials.

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Buffalo Technology N-Technology Wireless-N150 Router and Access Point WCR-GN (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been using a powerline adapter to get ethernet to my slingbox and other A/V equipment, but powerline is very sensitive to anything and everything. So I started looking for an affordable wireless bridge. Here it is in the WCR-GN.
To be clear (since the packaging is not) this unit can be used as a standard access point and firewall, or as a bridge to connect to your existing wireless network and give you five ethernet ports in a remote location--a wireless switch. The box leaves you wondering if this unit is compatible with other brands of access points--it is.
I got the unit, plugged it in and configured it for bridging mode, and it connected to my D-Link DIR-625 wireless network with no problems (using 802.11n). It brings me much better and consistent throughput to my A/V equipment than did my four port powerline unit. In bridging mode the "WAN" ethernet port becomes a fifth switch port.
The web management interface is quirky and unrefined, but it gets the job done. When you make changes that cause the unit to reset, the screen usually says it will take about 20s. It really takes 1-2 minutes to settle down and stabilize, so don't get too impatient. The radio seems to have a more limited range than most, but it's acceptable for my purposes. It is a rather small unit, so can fit just about anywhere.
This unit can also act as a simple access point with a no-frills firewall, but I don't intend to use it that way and haven't tested it. What I did test was streaming my slingbox to my desktop while simultaneously watching an HD YouTube video streaming to my BluRay player. Both were running through the Buffalo in opposite directions. Pretty basic stuff, but I had to make sure it performed given the price. Neither had a hiccup, which is again far better than my old setup.
Lastly, in bridging mode it can also act as a wireless repeater to extend your existing wireless signal, or to add more SSIDs. I don't have a need for this and only tested it briefly.

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Buffalo's N-Technology Wireless N150 Router & Access Point WCR-GN is a compact, entry-level wired and wireless solution, combining Buffalo's legendary wireless technology with an ultra-small, simple and hassle-free installation. Buffalo's AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS) and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) allow you to easily configure security settings and connect to the Internet in a matter of minutes. With speeds up to 150 Mbps, N-Technology provides performance and range superior to that of 802.11g wireless products. The N-Technology Wireless-N 150 Router & Access Point is a high value wireless router that is compact and easy to use.

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3G/4G MiFi Mobile Hotspot Cellular Wireless Router with USB power supply 802.11n up to 150Mbps and IEEE 802.3az Green Ethernet Review

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(More customer reviews)Great 3G router. Smallest high performance wireless router I have ever seen. It can be powered up by mini USB. It has three modes for router, access point, wireless access point. Wireless access point feature is really cool. Basically you can connect this hotspot to any wireless router via WiFi then either extend the wifi or plug a network device to it's ethernet port to turn it into wireless device. Price is unbelievable for all these functions.


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Complies with wireless 11n standard, which upgrades data transfer rate to 150Mbps.One touch WPS encryption and connection.Multi-AP, Network groups setup for flexible management.Secure Internet- Support various internet filters and advanced encryption types.Unique domain name- Easy to find your server router by typing the unique domain name.Virtual ServerVirtual DMZNo matter what kind of Internet connections you use, ie. 3G/4G?xDSL/Cable/Fiber or Public WiFi?you may share the connection via this Mobile Hotspot.Power it up by connecting to a laptop, a battery pack, or a car charger, and share Public WiFi Internet connections.Apply to the latest Green AP technology which complies with IEEE 802.3az standard can automatically detect status of Internet connection and packet transmission, and then adjust power consumption accordingly.You are able to complete the WDS via pressing the WPS button or one click at setup program.Extend Network Coverage, and Turn Wired to WirelessFor 3.5G modem compatibility please refer tohttp://sapido.us/data/service/rb1632_35g.htm

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Mifi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot Wireless Travel Router and Access Point, 802.11n with 300Mbps WiFi AP Router 802.3az for iPhone internet sharing Review

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(More customer reviews)Great travel router. As simple as plugging it into the hotels ethernet cable, then into the wall. Small enough to carry and allows the freedom to turn your hotel room into a hotspot for all your devices.

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Multi-power Supply, Mini and Compact, Transformer built-in, All Broadbands can Work. Whatever broadband service you use - xDSL/Cable, WiFi Hotspot, 3G/4G,you can share internet connections effortlessly via Sapido Mobile Hotspot. No need cable or complicated WDS configuration to extend wireless coverage, with only one click or press on WPS button, Mobile Hotspot can work as wireless bridge to eliminate dead spot in your house.With AC/DC dual power supply, wherever DSL/Cable or electricity is not available, you can still create instant hotspot at remote locations, such as construction sites, special occasions, conventional centers, vehicles, etc...to access internet on the go for surfing, skype, music, games, etc.SAPIDO Mobile Hotspot carries advanced 2T2R antenna technology, which enhances not only wireless coverage but also provides an ultimate wireless speed performance of 300 Mbps.For 3.5G modem compatibility list please refer to following link http://sapido.us/data/service/rb1132_35g.htm

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CradlePoint PHS300 Personal Hotspot - Wireless access point - 802.11b/g (Version 2.0/2.5.3) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've done quite a bit of research before I purchased this item. I was well aware of its strength and shortcoming so when I managed to put it to work, nothing surprised me.
The unit is built in hard plastic, pretty sturdy, but I would be careful of not dropping it as a breathable pouch may not be a bad idea. The battery is made in Japan, whereas the unit itself is made in Taiwan. The initial setup is easy. If you're technically challenged, you can go with the default setup which should get you up and running in a few minutes. If you acclaim yourself as a techie, play around the setup menu and you can tap into a lot more features. By default, go to: http://192.168.0.1 from your browser after connecting to the device, it opens up a wealth of menus that you can customize to your own liking
During the setup, I would suggestion doing the followings:
1. Firmware upgrade, the process is easy, but you need to have a working wifi USB to grab the firmware.
2. WPA2 personal is a good security protocol to use, but it does slow down the connection a little bit, but not significant
3. I probably should have put this as item 1 but no big deal. Change the setup password for your protection.
If you screw up the configuration, no worries, just like most of the home routers, you can use a needle to poke a reset button, which is inside the unit, next to the battery compartment, and everything will be reset.
That's about it for the setup part, now let's talk about the design.
Good: relatively compact, light weight, and not too hot after hours of usage. It won't burn your hand or breast if you put it in your shirt pocket. The LED status lights give you good idea of the unit's operation state. Believe it or not, it's pretty useful. The charger is pretty small, takes about 3 hours to charge it full from empty, which is not too bad. Cradle Point claims it should last about three hours, and I found it to be reasonably true, if I only connect one device to it. If you connect more, it will shorten the battery life. The cost of the replacement (or spare) battery is less than $50, which is a bit pricey to me. But I will talk about usage tips later. Wireless broadcast range is quite good, but of course you can't compare it with your home wireless router. Yet, I have never had any trouble connecting with maximum signal with a size of my office, which is about 300 square feet. After all, this is mainly for travel companionship, and you shouldn't be too far away from the unit anyway.
Bad: The thing I hate the most, is the way that you have to plug in your USB device, which is on the side of the unit, right next to the charge port. When plugged in, it sticks out from the unit and it's easy to break in my opinion. If you put it in your jacket or shirt pocket, and if you're not carefully enough, you might bend the USB and destroy the USB port. If CradlePoint is reading this, maybe they should re-design the housing, to have some room side, fitting a wireless USB drive in there. This would protect the drive from accidental damage.
User experience: My goodness, I love this thing. I bought my iPad the first day it came out, and I received this unit the night before I got my iPad. Let me tell you, it makes the iPad so much more fun to use. I can use it anywhere I like. Since it fits any brand of wireless USB, I'm not at the mercy of AT&T's crappy data service. I'm using it with my Verizon 760 wireless modem, and it works like a champ! Since this unit can take on 16 continuous connection, I can use it along with my netbook, or my wife can use it with her iPod touch concurrently. No problem at all!
Tips: If you intend to use the unit for an extended period of time, and you can plug it to a wall jack for powering it up, I would take out the battery, so you won't have to charge the battery continuously. CradlePoint claims that the battery won't have any memory effect, which I seriously doubt, but taking out the battery from the unit takes less than 5 seconds, so why not?
Hope you like my review, and if you do, please rate. Thank you for reading.

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The PHS300 Personal Wi-Fi Hotspot is a true plug 'n' play solution that creates a powerful 3G/4G WiMAX Wi-Fi network almost anywhere. Connect all your Wi-Fi enabled devices by simply plugging in your activated USB data modem and turning on the PHS300. It's that easy! No more searching for a hotspot, you are one!

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Aluratek 3G Portable Wireless USB Cellular Router Review

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(More customer reviews)Being an "IT" guy I see gadgets and new stuff all the time. Frankly a lot of it is junk or simply an infatuation with the latest thing. This however turns out to be a useful tool if you need portable, high speed connectivity and happen to have a USB 3G card. I needed something for mobile connectivity in to work. Within 15 minutes of getting the Aluratek I had exactly that, and it worked perfectly with my client based VPN. Even when in a moving vehicle!
There aren't a lot of frills, its pretty much a simple firewall with the ability to utilize 3G cards for Internet access. One really nice feature with this cellular router versus another brand I also considered is the addition of a battery, as it opens a lot of possibilities and flexibility.
The price is right and since its a simple device that didn't require hours of tinkering or fussing.
2010-10-05 Follow up: Turns out that after figuring out how to update the device firmware, it also tethers very nicely with my Blackberry Curve 8530 simply by plugging it into the USB slot with the Blackberry cable. In fact the access was consistent faster via my Sprint USB stick (both are via Sprint). The firmware was not hard to find if you Google the Zalip CDM530AM.
There are times when the unit may not be quite as strong on signal strength as I would like, it must default to 25% wifi signal when running off of battery and resetting it higher requires a router reboot. In spite of that I kept the rating at five stars due to ease of use and overall reliability. The unit fits into a small pocket of a computer bag and is easy to carry with you. The battery lasts at least several hours and that's sufficient for most purposes, and not much worse than my Blackberry 8530 when using it via bluetooth tethering.

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Are you still using 'dial up" for an internet connection? Do you live in an area where Hi-Speed Cable or DSL are not an option? Would you like to create your own Wifi Hotspot anywhere? Aluratek introduces its new 3G/4G Cellular Modem Routers to allow you to get Hi-Speed internet Access anywhere you get a cellular signal. Simply insert your cellular 3G/4G modem air card into the router and you are all set. This is a perfect solution for setting up mobile work stations, providing internet access for cross country trips in a car/van/RV, First Responders creating an instant network, Conventions and tradeshows or traveling in groups and sharing a hotel floor and having internet access, boaters, and many others.

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Cradlepoint MBR1000 Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this unit about 14 months ago. It was purchased from [....]. I had decided to finally get my parents some sort of high speed internet because dial up just wasn't cutting it. They live in the woods about 5 miles from the I-5 freeway but DSL or Cable doesn't come down the road. It goes right by the end of it but not down it. So for Christmas of '08 I went to Sprint and purchased the Air Card, well the card was free just had to sign up for a 1 year contract. I asked them about a router for this and they told me to visit [...] and look at Cradlepoint. I found the MBR1000 and when I buy something I want to make sure it is the best. So I purchased it. Got it in about 4 days. Once I figure out where I was going to get the best signal for the air card it took me about 10 minutes to set up the router, air car, and my parents computers. I have had no trouble with it. I think the LOS (Line of Sight) is underestimated. I purchase a range booster for it as well and the neighbor said he could get 1-2 bars of signal (Router signal not modem) at his place. He is about 100yds from my parents house with a couple of trees in the way is all. We unplugged the range booster and the signal stayed the same. Turns out the Router itself was getting that range. He could sit out on his deck and use his laptop with 1meg download speeds. I would recommend this product to anyone. As a matter of fact a close friend of mine doesn't have high speed internet at her house and she wants to get the same thing that my parents have. I am going to recommend the MBR1000 especially since it has gone down in price since I purchased it. I was astounded by the range it can get. I did however have to purchase an antenna for the modem itself because it wasn't the best cell signal in that area but I went from 1-2 bars, 2nd bar flashing to 3 solid bars of signal with the external antenna mounted on the deck. DO NOT but directional range booster antennas because the cell companies will not tell you where the towers are so you can aim it. The margin of error in pointing one of those is too small to get it. I used a Trucker antenna from Wilson Electronics that works great. I hope someone finds this useful and makes a decision based on this review.

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The CradlePoint MBR1000 is a robust 802.11N router with 3G, 4G or WiMax failover capability for small office/home office, temporary and remote enterprise environments for continuous, always-available connectivity.

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