CaptainMiles

I am not talking about the WRT54xx (the common home router), but the WTR54GS (the portable travel router). Amazing that dd-wrt runs in the WTR.

ScottC

I love the TP-Link - apparently the 700 is one with a folding plug and AC adapter built in, and the 720 has a separate AC adapter and can be powered off MicroUSB. I couldn't pick, so I have both

It does router, AP, client and repeater - making it pretty much the perfect little travel device. At $25, it is a steal.

zoobtoob

Why buy a device?
If you plug your laptop in to a wired network, you can bridge its built in wireless card and your laptop can broadcast internet and remain completely functional.

aglp2k

http://www.zunidigital.com/?page_id=222

This router is very small and can be powered via AC outlet (110/220v) or via USB. It can be bought from Newegg.com for ~$25 frequently. It has got two USB ports as well to charge USB based devices.

ScottC

For starters, many of us stopped carrying a laptop quite some time ago. Also, apps like Connectify are hardly reliable - taking hotel Wi-Fi and rebroadcasting to several other devices will rarely work for long.

cordelli

• Some people carry corporate laptops that are set so that you can't use it as an access point, or sometimes you are accessing sites that they don't want you on, for example if you work for a member of the broadcast association, they may frown on downloading music you don't pay for
• Many people don't carry laptops anymore, or don't want to fire it up, set it and all that just to get their ipad online
• XP still has a huge market share, and connection sharing under XP is not any fun at all
• Sometimes the wireless signal where you need it (usually in the center of the room, on the bed or desk) is useless, but strong either at the door or the window. It's no fun to have to use your laptop in the bathroom to get work done, so you can plug the router in there and retransmit the wireless signal into the room
• Sometimes you want to share a wireless signal, and while some laptops can do it, it's way easier with a proper router

richarddd

From the instructions for the TP-LINK (http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/d...=TL-WR700N#app), it appears you must connect it to a computer by ethernet cable in order to configure it in AP or Bridge mode. If you're only traveling with an ipad or phone, that doesn't seem very useful.

Can it be configured with just an ipad, etc.? If not, are there similarly sized and priced units that can be configured without a wired connection?

cordelli

The Asus WL-330N3G lets you do most everything wireless to the device, though it costs a bit more. Others have a switch on the side to set the mode.

Smallest is all relative here, as the actual size of the asus is considerably smaller than this device, but I'm sure the marketing types have some explanation how they believe this device at 81 x 71 x 28 mm (per their website) is smaller than the Asus at 90 x 38.9 x 12.8 mm (per the Asus website). I'm sure they will attribute it to the power supply or something.

Dubai Stu

While size is important, I also like single unit devices. Seperate power supplies, USB cables (non-standard), etc. are a bigger problem. It is the old joke about spare parts.

aster

I bought one last week as a gift, same price.

On the side of the box there is a little sticker than mentions version v.1.1, is this about firmware or are there any hardware changes as well?

YYZC2

Picked up a WR700N based on the info in this thread and so far I'm impressed. I like the form factor, and the initial setup was easy and straightforward.

I have the Asus 330N3G and I have always found the GUI finicky and I was constantly resetting the unit when it would hang changing between modes.

Will christen the WR700N in several hotel rooms next week.

richarddd

Can you set it up in hotel, internet cafe, etc. with just an ipad or the like, or do you need a laptop, as the instructions indicate? I only care about AP (ethernet->wr700n->wifi device) and bridge (hotel wifi->wr700n->wifi device) modes.

Having to travel with a notebook for setup would defeat much of the purpose of the wr700n, at least for me.

printingray

I'm using TRENDnet-654TR pocket router in hotel rooms. It has an excellent range. I usually travel with an iPad and its the best option. I use it with Ethernet. It works great and its so easy to setup.

freecia

There's a similar model TL-WR703N (China version of TL-WR702N) with has Chinese firmware and supports 3g modems. If you don't read Chinese, there's two options
1. Use the English manual found on scribed http://www.scribd.com/doc/73188140/WR703N-Setup
2. Install ddwrt or openwrt firmware which supports this specific unit. I think you would need to spend some time with it and a notebook/pc initially to configure http://ozamora.com/2011/03/netflix-o...#disqus_thread but afterwards, connecting to the admin interface via wifi is possible. At least, I've done this with another dd-wrt'd router.

There's an ebay seller who sells TL-WR703N with ddwrt pre-installed and it is just a few dollars more than one without flashed firmware.

I think I'll pick one up. Sometimes I come across mobile dongle data packages with better data caps/prices than the 3g sim version and the added 3g router functionality would come in handy.

Update: There's also the non-China version here TL-MR3020 which currently has openwrt support . Manual: http://www.tp-link.com/Resources/doc...User_Guide.pdf

joeblack913

Just received my Zuni in the mail today, and it works as advertised.
Looking forward to many days of surfing with my and my
wifes laptops when we travel.