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Is there a pocket router you can recommend? - Page 2
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Is there a pocket router you can recommend?

24

Comments

  • @pinc said:

    @hammer said:
    Could you store it in a secure place in your backpack with no other stuff and use it while walking?

    Sure, powerbank+globalsim in your pocket. But I have to warn - those HUAWEIs have really shitty software. Driving me mad every time I try to read SMS or check the balance.

    I've never had a problem with that. There's native app from huawei (hilink) available for android and ios, allows you to read/write sms easily and configure the router settings like ssid, network preference, etc, with nice interface. The app itself regularly updated.

    One feature I like is what they called "wifi extender" which basically a wifi client, that will automatically connect to known wifi network so you wont use your cellular data quota

  • sureiamsureiam Member
    edited January 2018

    @Ympker said:

    @sureiam said:
    I'm confused. Are we literally not just talking about a wireless hotspot? Like anyone of these many devices?

    https://www.google.com/search?q=t+mobile+hotspot&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch

    Nah more about a surf stick kinda thing in form of a router where you can insert a data SIM card.

    I swear we're talking about the same thing. Those are hotspots. You get them from a mobile carrier (or used on ebay). They give you a data sim card, you put it in and it creates a private wifi network. Runs off it's own battery or can be plugged in.

    Like these:

    https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/mobile-broadband/providers/ee-mobile-broadband#/?contractLengths=&data=Any&deviceType=&giftCategories=&handsetColours=&handsets=&includeExistingCustomers=true&includeRefurbished=true&includeResellers=true&internalStorage=Any&isFourG=&merchants=&minutes=Any&monthlyCost=Any&networks=EE&phoneCost=Any&productType=mobileBroadband&simType=Any&sortBy=Avg monthly cost&texts=Any

    No?

    Thanked by 1Ympker
  • @sureiam said:

    @Ympker said:

    @sureiam said:
    I'm confused. Are we literally not just talking about a wireless hotspot? Like anyone of these many devices?

    https://www.google.com/search?q=t+mobile+hotspot&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch

    Nah more about a surf stick kinda thing in form of a router where you can insert a data SIM card.

    I swear we're talking about the same thing. Those are hotspots. You get them from a mobile carrier (or used on ebay). They give you a data sim card, you put it in and it creates a private wifi network. Runs off it's own battery or can be plugged in.

    Okay then we are. My bad. Sorry english is not my first language :P I might have missunderstood you somewhere down the line.

  • sureiamsureiam Member
    edited January 2018

    @Ympker said:

    @sureiam said:

    @Ympker said:

    @sureiam said:
    I'm confused. Are we literally not just talking about a wireless hotspot? Like anyone of these many devices?

    https://www.google.com/search?q=t+mobile+hotspot&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch

    Nah more about a surf stick kinda thing in form of a router where you can insert a data SIM card.

    I swear we're talking about the same thing. Those are hotspots. You get them from a mobile carrier (or used on ebay). They give you a data sim card, you put it in and it creates a private wifi network. Runs off it's own battery or can be plugged in.

    Okay then we are. My bad. Sorry english is not my first language :P I might have missunderstood you somewhere down the line.

    No problem. Then ya just get it from your mobile carrier of choice. They are normally included with the data service. Don't purchase them if possible as they are basically useless without active service anyway (they have no other function). Also you will want one with the right bands to match the mobile carrier you go with so again best to get it from them.

    This is where I got that last link from by the way

    https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/mobile-broadband/guides/mobile-wifi

    I don't know where your from but googling (carrier of choice) hotspot will probably get you there.

    Thanked by 1Ympker
  • Use huawei 4G mifi (mobile wifi) which is compatible with your telco there. I like those models which can plug in external antenna for strong signal (little 1 bar on ur phone became full strength on ur router)

    E5573 (https://consumer.huawei.com/in/support/mobile-broadband/e5573/) is the model I recommended to many since 2-3 years ago (try to find newer model in your location) + external antenna (5dBi or 30 dBi).

    Thanked by 2Ympker vimalware
  • I will recommend GL-iNet, it's based on OpenWrt, what i really like about this router is it's power consumption are so low, very low until some powerbank will auto cut off because discharge rate are too low.

    Thanked by 1karjaj
  • @NanoG6 said:
    I've never had a problem with that. There's native app from huawei (hilink) available for android and ios, allows you to read/write sms easily and configure the router settings like ssid, network preference, etc, with nice interface. The app itself regularly updated.

    Mkay, let me clarify. What I called 'shitty software' is the standard webadmin page of the router. I would expect to do everything from there without installing any additional apps. Another piece of crapware is the desktop client for windows which looks 90-ish, installs several services and runs regardless of the fact you actually using the router. And it's needed only because standard webadmin page doesn't allow you to change some settings like roaming mode or wi-fi extension you've mentioned.

  • Gonna get a huawei from the data sim isp i guess :P Thanks everyone!

  • i'm using huawei e5577 unlocked
    support 3G 2100, 4G FDD 1800, 4G TDD 2300

  • freerangecloudfreerangecloud Member, Patron Provider

    @tehdan said:
    I use a Mikrotik mAP with a USB dongle for this. Works off USB or a wide range of DC input voltages and its an actual router that does actual useful stuff, rather than the horrible consumer mobile APs that are mostly broken...

    Second the Mikrotik gear! I use a ton of it for both my home network and datacenter stuff and love the interface after getting used to it. The nice thing about separating the router from the modem is if you end up with a carrier-locked dongle, you can just swap out the dongle for another carrier with minimal disruption to your router's config.

  • GL-AR300M. Get it, play with it. Learn how to use it.Incredibly powerful. Native OVPN, Shadowsocks, and many instantly downloadable addon tools. Excellent intuitive interface. Try it for one day and you'll understand why owners of this tiny travel router consider everything else to be just toys.

  • WSSWSS Member

    @freerangecloud said:
    Second the Mikrotik gear!

    I appreciate your name+avatar combo.

    So, @Ympker - that's three of us so far who roll with GL..

    Thanked by 1Ympker
  • @WSS said:

    @freerangecloud said:
    Second the Mikrotik gear!

    I appreciate your name+avatar combo.

    So, @Ympker - that's three of us so far who roll with GL..

    Make it 4.

  • I have a Huawei 3g mifi unit that's been running non stop for 3years almost.

    It has 5200mah of lithium battery backup inside too (2x cells i think)

    I bought it because it came with a 10/100 Ethernet port, so I can hook it up to a bigger router if necessary. (Huawei has number of network 'modes' configurable in its web ui. I remember it covered all my possible network configurations)

    Thanked by 1Ympker
  • @WSS ordered a GL to try, too.

    Thanked by 1WSS
  • @Ympker said:
    @WSS ordered a GL to try, too.

    Glad I saw this thread, my tp-link I was using before died last week, so I've just ordered one too.

    Thanked by 1Ympker
  • WSSWSS Member

    I love my GL-MT300A. Their customized OpenWRT/LEDE is geared to newbs, but there's an "Advanced" link which will drop you straight into LuCI. It uses standard packages and is supported by the main OpenWRT/LEDE project so you can always just load stock if you don't like easy OpenVPN management.

  • @WSS said:
    I love my GL-MT300A. Their customized OpenWRT/LEDE is geared to newbs, but there's an "Advanced" link which will drop you straight into LuCI. It uses standard packages and is supported by the main OpenWRT/LEDE project so you can always just load stock if you don't like easy OpenVPN management.

    I just ordered the GL-MT300M, it should be here tomorrow so I'll have to have a play with it. Haven't used OpenWRT in quite a while now so that's probably handy.

  • WSSWSS Member
    edited January 2018

    @iKeyZ said:

    @WSS said:
    I love my GL-MT300A. Their customized OpenWRT/LEDE is geared to newbs, but there's an "Advanced" link which will drop you straight into LuCI. It uses standard packages and is supported by the main OpenWRT/LEDE project so you can always just load stock if you don't like easy OpenVPN management.

    I just ordered the GL-MT300M, it should be here tomorrow so I'll have to have a play with it. Haven't used OpenWRT in quite a while now so that's probably handy.

    I've never seen a MT300M, nor is there one on their website. If you got the MT300N, it's OK, but it has low RAM (only 64MB) w/ 16MB flash, so it's not going to be quite as futureproof, being that 32MB/4MB is already a cutoff point for LEDE 17.01.

    If you grabbed an AR300M, that looks like a nice option- it came out after my 300A, and is a bit faster.

  • @WSS said:

    @iKeyZ said:

    @WSS said:
    I love my GL-MT300A. Their customized OpenWRT/LEDE is geared to newbs, but there's an "Advanced" link which will drop you straight into LuCI. It uses standard packages and is supported by the main OpenWRT/LEDE project so you can always just load stock if you don't like easy OpenVPN management.

    I just ordered the GL-MT300M, it should be here tomorrow so I'll have to have a play with it. Haven't used OpenWRT in quite a while now so that's probably handy.

    I've never seen a MT300M, nor is there one on their website. If you got the MT300N, it's OK, but it has low RAM (only 64MB) w/ 16MB flash, so it's not going to be quite as futureproof, being that 32MB/4MB is already a cutoff point for LEDE 17.01.

    If you grabbed an AR300M, that looks like a nice option- it came out after my 300A, and is a bit faster.

    Whoops - I meant the AR300M.

  • WSSWSS Member

    @iKeyZ said:
    Whoops - I meant the AR300M.

    I'm interested with their GL-AR300M-Lite option - it's only about $20. You lose your LAN ethernet port, but I don't think I've ever used that except when I rolled over to my MT300A when my primary router failed last week. Ordering directly from them is borderline/cheaper than vendors I've found.

    That said, my MT300A works just fine. Dammit.

  • Are there any travel routers that have a SIM card slot and don't cost more than $50? Or at least a USB dongle that is less than $50?

  • WSSWSS Member

    @karatekidmonkey said:
    Are there any travel routers that have a SIM card slot and don't cost more than $50? Or at least a USB dongle that is less than $50?

    Look at the post above yours.. unless you mean you don't want to provide your own dongle.

  • UnixfyUnixfy Member
    edited January 2018

    WSS said: Look at the post above yours.. unless you mean you don't want to provide your own dongle.

    Yup, that's a good router, but I don't believe it has a SIM card slot? I'm willing to provide my own USB dongle, but I can't find one that costs less than $50.

  • WSSWSS Member

    @karatekidmonkey said:

    WSS said: Look at the post above yours.. unless you mean you don't want to provide your own dongle.

    Yup, that's a good router, but I don't believe it has a SIM card slot? I'm willing to provide my own USB dongle, but I can't find one that costs less than $50.

    No, but they do have a few which have your own choice of LTE/GSM/etc adapters. They're pretty damn nice, even if not so cheap. It might cost less to just get a tetherable phone and use it as a USB modem.

  • Alfie from GLinet is very quick to respond

    help me refund and catch false advertising from my local distributor.
    from my last experience

  • I've just picked up a GL-AR750, but I am having some trouble setting up ShadowSocks. The Transparent Proxy never starts even when the settings are correct, and when I try to use the SOCKS5 Proxy, every connection to the internet shows as "Connection Closed". Does anyone have some insight into this?

  • After reading this post I want to buy one of this travel routers :)

    Both GL-MT300N-V2 and GL-AR300M seems the best in terms of price. The only issue is the slow VPN speeds (around 8 to 12MB/s). And yes I know that this is an issue on almost small pocket / travel router since they have a low power cpu.

    I'm also considering the MIKROTIK mAP (https://mikrotik.com/product/RBmAP2nD).

    GL-MT300N-V2 really seems to be a good option.. but I'm willing to pay a little more if I can find a similar router with faster VPN speeds.

    Any advice?

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