N150 Wireless Travel Router Roundup

[unmesh]

Original article at http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32376-n150-wireless-travel-router-roundup

Very good roundup.

The article says the Edimax BR-6258nl cannot be used in Client mode. If you're not averse to plugging it into a USB port, it can be used as an Ethernet client and will simultaneously create a WiFi Hotspot!

FWIW, the older Edimax BR-6258n has 2 Ethernet ports that behave as 2 LAN ports or a LAN+WAN combo depending on the programmed mode.

 

[Craig Ellison]

Could you provide a clarification?

Following up on your post, I looked at the instruction manual, the QIG, the product specification sheet and the included mini-CD again this morning.

Neither the CD nor the web site has USB drivers that would enable the "nl" to act as a Wireless USB adapter.

The QIG also clearly states that "The USB connector on this device transmits electrical power only. It does not transmit data...."

I plugged the device into my Windows 7 computer, and it didn't recognize the travel router as a USB device. Nor did it try to install drivers. The travel router did power up and operate, in this case, as a wired router, but it didn't show up as an installed network adapter in Control Panel.

 

[unmesh]

I may have jumped to an unwarranted conclusion.

Supposedly the ASUS WL-330NUL is OEM'ed from Edimax and offers the drivers as a drive-letter mounted folder when the stick is plugged in. I assumed that the Edimax did the same thing but it does not.

The ASUS support page does not offer the drivers, so let me see if I can get one of the posters on another website to post the drivers from his ASUS device in a public location so that you could try that with the Edimax if you so choose.

Sorry about that!

 

[stevech]

Important to many of us, in a travel router, is the ability to use a USB cellular modem as the WAN. Or WiFi as WAN (travel router is a client of a hotel WiFi).

Mostly cellular. In my extensive domestic travels, I wound up using Verizon 4G/LTE in hotels because of WiFi access cost or crummy speeds.

 

[unmesh]

WiFi as WAN is what is commonly referred to as WISP mode and is becoming more widely though not universally available in travel routers.

I have a Tenda 3G150M travel router that supports some but not all 3G USB modems (and has WISP mode).

 

[unmesh]

Craig,

Where did you see the DIR-506L for $28?

I have a bunch (too many?) travel routers already but wouldn't mind adding that to the inventory for that price

Thanks.

 

[stevech]

WiFi as WAN is what is commonly referred to as WISP mode and is becoming more widely though not universally available in travel routers.

I have a Tenda 3G150M travel router that supports some but not all 3G USB modems (and has WISP mode).

I have a Cradlepoint travel router which supports most all USB 3G/4G/LTE cellular modems and WiFi as WAN. Used it for years on many trips and projects in the field (not just hotel rooms.)
But it at EOL and no more updates to the firmware.
Cradlepoint and others have gone away from USB modems, to internal modems. More reliable. But much more costly. The GOBI modems are widely used... support US and International standards and frequency bands, and optional use of SIM cards.

 

[thiggins]

Craig,

Where did you see the DIR-506L for $28?

Amazon. Click on this link, then go to "More buying choices" in the right column of the page.

Merchant SuperDeals shows $20 + $8.55 shipping.

 

[unmesh]

Thanks, thiggins!

 

[unmesh]

I may have jumped to an unwarranted conclusion

A few email exchanges with Edimax customer support confirmed that their product does not support USB NIC functionality

 

[BogBeast]

WISP Mode and Web Auth'd Wireless services

Apologies for the dumb question, but most hotspots I come across are authenticated via web page. I guess this is a question for somebody that already uses a travel router on a hotel hotspot.

I can get how you would connect your travel router to a hotels guest SSID and the re-broadcast your own SSID (or connect via the UTP port of the router if you have one) for you own devices.

I am assuming that the first device that connect via the travel router SSID to the web hits the hotel web auth page, but what about subsequent devices?

Does the hotel system cache the mac/IP of the router and then just allow any outbound traffic?

Reason I ask is that I would like to attach 'passive' IP devices that won't support any way of entering web auth information.

 

[unmesh]

That is exactly how it works. The first device should have a web browser to do the authentication and the rest of the devices get a network connection compliments of the travel router's MAC address.

 

[sfx2000]

The Edimax BR-6258nl is basically the same HW as the ASUS WL-330NUL pocket router...

ASUS Software offers a bit more functionality - and on Mac at least, it also works as a USB NIC for wired Ethernet without drivers...

sfx

 

[MastarPete]

Last year I tried out a TP-Link MR3040 (v2) 3G/4G battery powered travel router. http://www.tp-link.us/products/details/?model=TL-MR3040
I had intended to use it in WISP mode to wifi tether to my phone's AD-Hoc wifi hotspot but that was a bust, and so was USB tethering.
Now I mostly just use it as a spare AP or Wifi client/bridge.

My experience with the TP-Link MR3040, WISP mode especially, has left me with a couple questions not mentioned in the article.

When operating in WISP mode, are any of these routers able to broadcast their own SSID when NOT associated with a Hotspot?
If so under what circumstances?

Do any of these routers support automatic SSID roaming?
(Ex: hotel uses the SSID "GuestWiFi" on all floors/access points, can you configure it once from your room and still have a connection in the lobby without reconfiguration)


The MR3040 only transmits its own SSID after a successful connection to the Hotspot AP or after a reset to factory defaults.
In some cases I've still had a wifi connection to the travel router when leaving range of the target Hostspot. At other times I've been completely unable to connect to the travel router over wifi, like from a cold boot using the previous configuration.

The MR3040 requires the BSSID (MAC address) of the Hotspot AP you want to connect to. IF you move the router to a different floor/room you have to manually reconfigure.
This becomes a big problem if you only have wifi connected devices (tablet(s) and smartphone(s)) or when it's inconvenient to pull out a laptop to reconfigure over LAN. It gets even worse when you consider how long it takes to reconfigure, 2 to 3 minutes was the norm in my case.


Basically I'm wondering if these two problems are unique to the TP-Link MR3040 or if its a problem with how WISP mode is being implemented.

 

[unmesh]

I don't have the same device as you but my Tenda W150M and Edimax BR-6258n will both broadcast their SSID even if they are not connected to a wired or wireless ISP.

I haven't experimented with BSSID roaming properties of the travel routers though I'm guessing it will work because I've had mobile devices that had authenticated on the splash page roam on the property.

Finally, both these travel routers can be configured over-the-air from any device with a web browser. This is where the first property is useful

 

[stevech]

I don't have the same device as you but my Tenda W150M and Edimax BR-6258n will both broadcast their SSID even if they are not connected to a wired or wireless ISP.

I haven't experimented with BSSID roaming properties of the travel routers though I'm guessing it will work because I've had mobile devices that had authenticated on the splash page roam on the property.

Finally, both these travel routers can be configured over-the-air from any device with a web browser. This is where the first property is useful

If you enable admin access to your router/AP from the WiFi side, be sure to use a complex strong admin password. Most of us elect to not enable such on a permanent basis. By the way, all WiFi router/APs I've encountered have an option for WiFi access for admin. Not a competitive feature. Also, all I've seen will beacon their SSID without WAN access.

 

[unmesh]

If you enable admin access to your router/AP from the WiFi side, be sure to use a complex strong admin password. Most of us elect to not enable such on a permanent basis. By the way, all WiFi router/APs I've encountered have an option for WiFi access for admin. Not a competitive feature. Also, all I've seen will beacon their SSID without WAN access.

Good advice about the admin password.

FWIW, my older Airlive N.MINI by Ovislink N300 travel router does not beacon its SSID without WAN access.

 

[stevech]

FWIW, my older Airlive N.MINI by Ovislink N300 travel router does not beacon its SSID without WAN access.

Funny story... I did firmware for an access device - and elected to disable the beacon if there was no WAN connection. No need attracting new clients if there's no where to send their data.
Management saw a demo where there were no beacons as there was no intent to have a WAN connection in the demo. You guessed it: I was overridden!

 

[MastarPete]

Funny story... I did firmware for an access device - and elected to disable the beacon if there was no WAN connection. No need attracting new clients if there's no where to send their data.
Management saw a demo where there were no beacons as there was no intent to have a WAN connection in the demo. You guessed it: I was overridden!

LOL! I for one am glad you were overridden!

Too bad whomever did the same at TP-Link wasn't overriden.