Do you travel with a wireless router?
 

So, a group of us who travel every week was talking at dinner tonight about random wireless signals in hotels that are coming from personal wireless routers (based on the SSID's). I'm in a hotel right now where the SSID "I wish I was waterskiing) is available randomly.

So my question is, do you hook up a wireless router to the hotel's high speed connection? When you do, do you encrypt the connection?

We were also thinking that if we got rooms close enough together we could share one connection as a group. @:-)

Yes I carry one, and yes I encrypt. But even if I didn't it wouldn't matter as I do secure VPN and secure POP on ALL my wireless traffic.

And yes, all you'd need to share is one connection and someone with a wireless router...

Are there any 'compact' wireless routers available? I know the Netgear ones are quite small, but they would still take up a lot of room in my already bulging backpack.

Have you checked out the Apple AirPort Express? I've been seriously thinking of getting one for use in hotels.

APC has one, Asus has one and there is the new Apple one....

Apple Airport Express
 

I'm sitting here looking at my two new Airport Express' from Apple (they only just arrived in Switzerland this week, and in limited quantities). Small, small, small. In my view, one of these wouldn't be any additional measurable burden to travel with.

Curious question: why do you bring a wireless router with you to your hotel room?

Considering how small hotel rooms are, and the fact that the high-speed Internet connection is typically found right on the desk where I'll be working, I personally never have the need for in-room mobility. Wired Ethernet works fine for me.

http://netgear.com/products/prod_det...ID=257&view=hm

(about the size of a cigarette pack)

-David

Please see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...-fi+misternice

MisterNice

For those interested in a nice cheap Wi-Fi deal, Staples has Netgear Model No MR814v2 units on sale this week for $19.99 after rebate. This thing is really small at approx 7?x4.5?x1.3? and 9 oz. The transformer is 3?x2?x2? and 15 oz.

MisterNice

I carry one when staying with family or friends (to leech off of their connections as well as their lodging :D ).

And, almost always when staying at this one particular family-run hotel. They don't offer Internet, but they let me connect up the wireless router to their own primary connection. I thought that was better than asking them to run Ethernet cable through the window or down the hall :p

Airport Express now on sale at eCost for $119.99 with free shipping. I just bought one. 9 left.

QL

The advantage the Airport Express has over the others is that it has no separate power supply. It's all built in.

Sometimes, I like to work from the bed, and the wired connection won't reach.

Hopefully, though, someone near me already has an open access point, and I can poach off of thiers for free.

Here's another small one:

http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/dlin...rap-019557.php

Spoken like somebody who's never enjoyed the pleasure of lazily surfing/working in bed, waiting for room service to bring you breakfast... :D

JD