Here is the setup system as I apply it.

Your phone starts the app (NewHub) for the device then using the app menu you select the ISP providing WiFi in the area. When you choose, you should be prompted for log in & password through the app for the device to connect to the ISP. Once it connects, it indicates with a check mark you have service via the ISP. The app allows you configure a WiFi name for the device to broadcast. I use XXX-2 & XXX-5 indicating 2.4Gb and 5Gb from the device. Mine only will use 2.4 Gb on the device to connect to the local ISP, but can broadcast both simultaneously for users. Typically 2.4Gb is longer range but slower than 5Gb. Up to 5 other devices can now connect to the device as a pass through WiFi service from the ISP. You can now even connect your phone to the app service.

Remember that EVERY device that tries to connect directly to the local ISP would need to also log in, and have paid credentials. This shares the one log in that the device connects with.

I use a GLiNet Slate AX travel router which provides Wi-Fi 6 and gigabit ethernet. It;s typically connected to my Netgear M6 Pro modem connected through ATT. Nothing but great things to say about both pieces of tech.

I just got a free Motorola Edge 2022 phone from a promotion T-Mobile has been running for about a month or more. It's a pretty decent Android phone and seems to retail for around $350-$500 depending upon the memory and vendor. I am mentioning it in this thread because with PDANet installed, it works quite well as a WiFi bridge for travel. I have been testing it for over a week and it hasn't lost connection or varied the speeds it provides. When connected to just about any WiFi source the output is about 30-50% of the source speed. That is decent for a device that has over 24 hours standby, and is easy to set up and charge. It has a USB C charge port and a very bright screen, with up to 144 Hz refresh rate. They advertise up to 2 days use on a charge from the 4800mah battery.

I mention this because I see it being a great travel companion for situations where you have a per device charge for WiFi, such as some hotels, cruises, and especially aircraft. The free service that has been available for select cellular plans will only connect to phones, not tablets. With this system I can now view service on my iPads while in flight.

So if you have a qualifying T-Mobile plan, you do not need to add a line, just trade in a listed phone for this one. I used the free Samsung A32 they gave me 2 years ago in another promotion to get people switched over to 5G at the time. There is a huge list of acceptable phones going back as far as the iPhone 7 model, and lots of Samsungs.

Edited to add: This phone has wireless charging and a sim card slot, but no esim or headphone jack. I got mine through T-Mobile kiosk at Costco, so there was no $35 assistance charge and Costco gives a $75 gift card also. You apply for this on line and it eventually is mailed to you. They don't stock the phone, but I received it in about 3 days from T-Mobile.

I didn't know other Android phones still need to use an app for WiFi bridge mode. With all my Pixel phones, when you turn on WiFi Hotspot, it auto select the faster network (mobile or WiFi) to be used for the hotspot. Or I could just turn off mobile data and force it use WiFi bridge mode.

You could be right. I use Apple phones, and used to use PDANet on them back when they could be Jailbroken. That is not possible on newer iOS versions, but still is available for Android, so I still had a user code and installed it before trying to bridge any WiFi service. Anyway, it works quite well and should be quite useful for in flight iPads and on cruises with per device Fees. I have never seen anything that actually prohibits bridging, however if they knew they'd probably object. Most ships charge between $8-$25 a day per device. If you pay for one line you can always switch to another device, but it's much more convenient to just set this service up once. I always buy service for each of us anyway.

That's exactly when I used it last time.. on a cruise. That was before 2020 though. Not sure I will ever get on a cruise again.

It was very worth it for us. I bought a travel router (GL-iNet Opal) mostly on a lark, thinking that Mr Gfunk and I could share internet on a plane or something. I took it with us for the first time on our trip to LAS a couple weeks ago. Good thing I did, because our hotel only let you have free internet for two devices. We were able to share internet for free between phones, iPads, and my Kindle. Handy!

I loved PDANet on my old Treo and early version iphones. I **think** you can still jailbreak but only with a semi-tethered one, which is a non-starter for me.

One point of clarification - Gb is the abbreviation for Gigabit, which is a size/quantity measurement. Ghz is the abbreviation fir Gigahertz, which is a frequency measurement. WiFi typically broadcasts on 2.4 and 5Ghz frequencies.

When you sign up for home internet, the internet providers often sell their tiers based on "transfer rate" speeds, usually in Mb/s (Megabits per second) or Gb/s (Gigabits per second).

Confusing matters slightly is the fact that 2.4Ghz typically has a longer range, but slower transfer rate, while 5Ghz is the reverse.

Point is, WiFi channels are Gigahertz, not Gigabits.

I stand corrected on the frequency nomenclature. You would think I would remember that since I was a radio repairman in the Army in the late 60's. I went to school for that at Ft. Monmouth, NJ for 8 months straight. Anyone else out there from Viet Nam service, 1968-1969? I was at I Corp. Quy Nhon, An Khe, Pleiku, and Tuy Hoa.

How to buy
 

Anyone have tips on where to currently (Feb. 2023) purchase one or 2 of these units? Not having luck at Amazon, Best Buy etc.


Either the NewQ Filehub version or the RavPower AC750; I understand they are very nearly the same hardware.

Are there other of these with different, more current, model numbers?

Thx

buzkin,
They have been in and out of stock on Amazon for the past month or so. I had one on my favorites list, and some days they were available for $79.95. some days " Unknown when, etc." If you are not in a hurry I'd check back every few days. Maybe you could find one on Craigslist if you are in a big enough city for a large seller base. Other websites like Ebay might work.

The only difference I can discern between the two models you mentioned is the charge port. The older Rav like mine has the micro USB port, the newer Rav and the NewQ seems to list the USB C port. They may differ in the maximum size SD card they can utilize.

Edited: I just checked my local Craigslist and one is for sale near Seattle for $40, but that was posted a month ago. But, they do show up, so that might be worth a search every week or so?

Reached out to NewQ and they said it’s now back in stock on their site.

Not sure if this is the version with a micro USB or the USB-C power port.


https://newq.store/collections/popul...ortable-router

edit. I order mine thru Amazon last week (Feb. 2023), came in about 7 days $80.

If interested in the features (and how to configure it) here is a detailed write-up which I found very useful.


https://blog.ravpower.com/2019/10/fi...ed/#use-device

For travel routers, I still travel with my GL.iNet Slate (primary) and GL.iNet Mango (backup/remote) routers. I just looked on Amazon. They're sold out of the Slate but they do have the Mango. I wonder why there's a shortage of travel routers.