TP-LINK TL-WR702N Wireless N150 Travel Router, Nano Size, Multifunction, 150Mbps

Pros: Price, size, functionality, and overall usefulness on the go are all top pros for this device. You can run it in several different modes of operation to fit different needs. This makes the device VERY versatile. See "other thoughts" for more details. Overall, I loved this little device. Everyone I showed it too, and those who helped me test it out, all thought it was great and affordable. So much so that some of them have since purchased their own, or plan on it in the near future to fit specific needs. I experienced no connectivity issues while testing the device. It held up well.

Cons: No operational cons. The unit worked great in my testing. I can see how it can be confusing for novice users to setup as the instructions are lacking. The paper guide is in Spanish and there is a "Quick Installation" guide that is included in English. However, there is a more detailed English manual included on the mini-CD in PDF format. However, inexperienced users may still find themselves on Google to fill some some gaps in their knowledge that the instructions may not cover. Experienced users should have no issues. Like others have mentioned, and I agree, it would have been since to see some sort of carrying bag/case for the unit since one of it's main points is portability and use on the go.

Overall Review: I held off doing my review on this device until after the holidays only because I thought it was so cool and I really wanted to put it to the test. I took it with me on the road, visiting friends and family, to see how it held up under what I thought the device was best suited for, wireless on the go. This is how it went. AP mode uses the device to add wireless connectivity to a wired network. This mode worked fantastic at a local hotel where only wired service was available. I was able to use this device to connect a Kindle Fire HD, Samsung Galaxy S3, and a standard laptop. It also worked fantastically for connecting a Roku LT I use for streaming media to TV outside of the home. The device got most of its use in this mode. Router mode is, well, it runs as a standard wireless router. I tested this mode at home, running directly from my cable modem, and connected the same four devices I listed under AP mode, and it again worked flawlessly. I even added the Wii to the connection at one point, again, with no connectivity or bandwidth issues. The primary test was streaming Netflix to the Roku LT and/or Kindle, while playing an MMO on the laptop, no problem. Bridge mode is something I did not use, but did test. It basically allows you to connect to an existing wireless network . I tested this by setting up the unit to act as a "guest" connection on my existing home wireless. Allowing me to use a separate SSID and password than those of my main network. I can see how this would be useful in situations as they list on the product features. Client mode is great. Allowing you to use the unit as a wireless adapter, connecting a wired device to a wireless network. I tested this out by connecting the unit to my PC (normally wired) and using it to connect via wireless. Again, it worked great. I left it connected for a few days, and used my PC as normal. I did some light online gaming, streaming movies, and even downloaded a few games via Steam. This would be great for everyday casual use. Repeater mode is really nice. It lets you use the device as a wireless network extender. Living in a small "modern" apartment building, I decided to test this unit out with the help of one of my neighbors. Their apartment is at the opposite side of the building, just out of range for the WD N900 HD I was using at the time of the test. You were not able to establish a reliable connection from within their apartment. I setup this device in the hall halfway between our apartments, thankfully there is a power outlet there, and using this device to extend my network I was able to reliably connect from apartment to apartment. It was great. I have already sold friends on this feature for temporarily extending wireless to outside locations at their homes for connectivity at summer events and gatherings they hold at home. Great device.

Pros: I had to hang onto the Nano for a few weeks before I could believe all the claims this tiny box makes without any reliability issues. I've got to say, I am impressed -- so much that I named the AP SSID "Pocket Rocket". No drop-outs and it basically does exactly what it says it does and more. - Stronger signal than my dual-band, dual-antenna full-sized wireless router up to 50 feet away (confirmed with Wifi Analyzer app on my Galaxy SIII) - Cool to the touch even after a 20GB file transfer - The included power supply is a high-quality switching unit made by Hunt-Key I plugged it in and have been testing AP/Router, Repeater, Client and Bridge modes. The initial setup of this device is simple, and so is flipping between modes. Step 1: Connect to Nano via Wifi or Ethernet & set static IP settings on said connection. The manual suggests 192.168.0.20 IP, 255.255.255.0 subnet mask, and 192.168.0.254 gateway. Access the router's config page, same IP as the gateway, admin/admin are the login credentials. Step 2: Click the mode you want to set the device to and enter in the configuration settings as prompted. The included manuals and the right column of the config page explain what each mode does. Step 3: Restart then turn off the device, plug it in according to the mode you chose, and power it back on. Finished. AP/Router: Classic wireless router modes. 'Router' enables DHCP and 'AP' disables it. My Qwest modem already hands out IP addresses so I used AP mode and plugged the Nano into one of the switch ports. Signal easily reaches three rooms away and my laptop suffered no drop-outs despite repeated large file transfers. Heat was completely a non-issue. Nothing but complements here. Repeater: Extends an existing wireless network. Set the SSID to the SSID of an already existing network and it will "repeat" the signal. This mode also works great, hide it in a closet somewhere and it will easily open up dead spots a few rooms away. It helped out the second level of my house tremendously. Bridge: Creates an independent wireless network off an existing wireless network. Useful to set up a "guest" network that cannot access your main systems. Also useful to share a 3G/4G connection off a phone, as everyone who connects to the Nano's independent network will not be able to see the phone or those naughty pictures stored on it. It worked to keep my sister out of my phone during a certain four-hour drive to my grandparents' house last week... not that she'd have the know-how to find them without it anyway, but still! ;) Client: Oddly works as a wireless adapter by connecting the Nano to both a power source and your computer's network jack. Grabs the data wirelessly and sends it in through the wire. Tested briefly, and yup, it works. I don't see most people using this unless their other wireless adapter suddenly fails, but it's handy to have this as a backup at least.

Cons: Out of the box, setting it up could be a bit of a head-scratcher for some people. The detailed installation guide was all in Spanish. Thankfully you can follow the pictures and figure out what needs to be done, but only if you know what you're looking for. The Quick Installation Guide was in English, but there is no information on how to get to the device's config page without looking at the detailed guide. And believe you me, first time users, you will be reading the guide!

Overall Review: I'm bringing this to work tomorrow to show the others in the IT department. By far the smallest do-it-all router that I've seen. I go on-site often -- fixing remote computers and network hardware is almost a daily task -- and I have a feeling that it's going to save my behind in a lot of those unexpected usage situations that always seem to come up on site now that it's sitting in my laptop bag.

Pros: My previous review outlined how the product was great, small and easy to setup and configure. I've been using this devices as a WAP in my house for approximately 5 months in total (going on six).

Cons: It's dead after a little over 5 months of light use. This was used as a wireless access point for two Roku Boxes in my house. I separated them from the rest of the network due to some issues with other wireless devices. This has worked very nicely for the past five months. Last week, the Roku's weren't getting wireless signal and weren't able to pick up an IP address when they would connect. Attempted to connect to WiFi on this router using my laptop. It didn't work. Resetting the router helped for about five minutes per shot and it would just drop off again. Seems safe to say that this little guy is dead. Pretty sad too because it was working really well up to that point.

Overall Review: I'm not going to go into too much detail on all of the troubleshooting I've attempted with this product. Needless to say, nothing has worked.

Pros: The best thing about this device is how variable its functionality is given its low price. I've now used this router in varying capacities for almost 4 months, and it is ideal for: -A travel router/hotspot extender for family or business trips -An adapter for a game console or other device (I got better signal on my Xbox 360 slim with this adapter than with the Xbox's built-in wireless) -A signal extender to boost the range of your home router to areas of the house not covered strongly enough. Other pros: -Price -USB-powered so you don't need a power adapter -Very simple to configure and use for a variety of modes -Small form factor makes it easy to tuck away or travel with it

Cons: I'm not a big fan of the white and blue aesthetic, but that's just me. While it *can* function as a standalone home router, that really isn't this device's strong suit. In such a role, this device turns from a "wow what a great value!" device into a "you get what you pay for..." device. The range, signal strength, and bandwidth are too limited to really handle a home network unless you have a small area to cover and few devices to connect to it. The functionality in this role is also somewhat limited compared to more advanced routers. It works in a pinch, but I don't think you should buy this planning to use it as a permanent home router.

Overall Review: This device has really stunned me with how useful it is. I carry it everywhere with me on travel, and I can't imagine being without it. You should absolutely pick this up if: -You go on travel with devices that can/will use Wifi connections (tablets/laptops/smartphones) -You have devices or areas in your home which would benefit from increased signal strength / speed.

Pros: This TP-Link Nano router is a very cool little unit. It supports being setup in Router Mode, Access Point Mode, and even Bridge Mode. These options make this device very flexible and suitable to nearly every use. The unit has been reliable and has not shown any issues with dropping wireless connections or crashing. The packaging that the device comes in is very nice and has the fashion you'd expect from a popular fruit-themed electronics company. The unit itself is about 1.5" wide by 1.5" long and 0.5" high - easily fits into the palm of your hand or into a small pocket of a bag. The unit itself is very simple and easy to use. It has two ports: an ethernet RJ-45 jack and a USB port for power from a computer or the included power adapter. On the device it also gives you the default IP address, admin credentials, and wireless SSID and password. It comes out of the box in Router mode, so you'll have to connect to it via wireless to get to the initial setup. In this mode, the ethernet port acts as a WAN (or internet) interface from which you can't access the device configuration. Once in the configuration, the menu is easy-to-use and in here you can switch the device to Access Point or Bridge mode, if you desire. You can also change the SSID name and password, configuration password, and IP addressing options. I keep my unit set in Access Point mode so that I can use it convert a wired connection to a secure wireless network if I ever need it, such as for connecting multiple clients to a single wall jack or for a hotel room that doesn't offer wireless service. This little guy fits the bill just right and they don't make them any more portable than this.

Cons: The basic instructions will make life difficult for users who aren't savvy with consumer-grade routers. I didn't find them particularly helpful, but luckily TP-Link has printed the connection and configuration information that you need right onto the unit itself. Basically, plug the device in, connect to the wireless with the SSID and password on the label, and then go to the default IP address (192.168.0.254) from your web browser to get to the device configuration. If you want to use it as a router, it is plug and play and does not require any manual setup out of the box.

Overall Review: Love that it can be powered by AC power from the building or DC from a computer. Makes it that much more portable!

Pros: Tiny, easy to stash in a backpack, suitcase or briefcase. A very impressive array of features are crammed into such a diminutive little box. Highly affordable, a surprisingly low price. Very flexible, relatively easy to switch between five working modes once you're able to connect to it: - AP - Router - Bridge - Client - Repeater Fast! I tested this against a full-fledged WiFi/Gigabit-ported router, and the results were very impressive for something of this size. The WR702N was setup on the main floor, and I took a netbook into every corner of the house upstairs and in the basement. The link speed would occasionally drop into the 9-12Mbps range, but then would jump back up to 22-24Mbps as the router dynamically increased the channel width on-the-fly. The average connection speeds throughout the main floor were a very acceptable 58-65Mbps. Full WPA2 encryption, secure peace-of-mind. Dual power options; runs off the included AC adapter, or also from any convenient USB port. Full-featured; I was quite surprised to find options like QoS, DoS filtering, etc. The setup pages looked about like any other full-featured router I've worked with. Attractive blue-on-white color scheme, although it tends to make it look more like a Wii-accessory, or possibly something offered by the big "A" fruit company. Stays relatively cool, even after long sessions. Includes all necessary cables. Well-packaged; the sturdy outer-box and foam liner seem like they could absorb a lot of abuse before any damage to the device might occur.

Cons: Setting a static-IP on a connected device is required in order to access the Administration (setup) pages. This is not a problem for anyone who is familiar with TCP/IP settings, but for those who rely on DHCP (the majority of users these days,) this could be a somewhat daunting endeavor. This rather significant requirement is also not that well indicated until you start digging through the (digital) manual, either. The unit ships in the AP mode by default, so if you want to access the other four modes -- or fine-tune any of the many advanced settings -- best hone-up a little on your network adapter settings skills. The RJ45 WAN port is only FastEthernet, so file transfers are constrained to 100Mbps max. A Gigabit port would have been a nice touch. There is only one LED indicator for both power and activity, a second or third indicator for things like LAN activity/connectivity, WAN activity/connectivity, etc., would be nice. At this price-point, however, only a single LED is not surprising. The only English-language setup guide was quite brief, the more comprehensive document was entirely in Spanish. Users have to access the included mini-CD for a full user's guide in English, or download one from TP-Link's website. No vinyl or other carrying-case of any kind are included. The manufacturer's box can easily be used as a carrying-case, but might be considered a bit bulky or unwieldy to transport such a small device long-term.

Overall Review: Overall, I was very impressed with this unit once I was able to connect to it and review all its available features. Again, the necessity of manually-configuring an IP address on a connected PC or tablet, etc., in order to administer settings on this device was rather surprising, as I've never had to do this before to configure any other router I've used previously. I could easily see using this unit in a variety of applications, the first that comes to mind for me is while traveling. Many hotels have both WiFi and dedicated Ethernet ports in guest rooms; unfortunately, the WiFi service in many establishments can be quite spotty, and almost always slow as they become bogged down with numerous guest connections. This device will allow you to setup your own dedicated hotspot connected at 100Mbps via Ethernet. Instead of having to connect your laptop, smartphone or other device to the hotel WiFi or directly to Ethernet (and thus be chained to a desk,) you can roam freely about your hotel room, and quite possibly even outdoors, with the freedom of securely-encrypted WiFi shared only with those of your choosing. This will also make a great backup-router should your primary WiFi router fail, although it does not have any Ethernet LAN ports to supply your wired network, should you be so equipped. As I tested the connection speeds of this unit and moved from floor-to-floor and room-to-room, I pessimistically expected disconnects and very low speeds as I moved further away. I really only anticipated using such a small router in a single room or hotel suite, but much to its credit, it performed at nearly 80% of the capability of my full-sized 150Mbps router. It may be small in stature, but it is big on performance! This is the third TP-Link device I've owned or tested and, so far, I am liking what I am seeing. I had not even heard of TP-Link prior to about 6 or 7 months ago, but, dollar for dollar, TP-Link is producing some excellent offerings. I'll not hesitate to try any of their products in the future.

Pros: Packaging and box was nice, device was secure. Comes with a slim cat5 cable, a Mini USB cable for the power and a wall adapter you can plug the USB cable into. Nice little device, very handy to have. Range is pretty decent considering the tiny size. Like all the options the device has, repeater, bridge, etc. My connection speeds were decent and overall I recommend the device to anyone who needs a nice little router with portability. I personally like that I can use this on a computer repair job at a users house. I can plug into their router and can get wireless on my phone / tablet / laptop without having to enter a users wireless id and password. (just can't forget it!)

Cons: The Default SSID & Password is on the back of the device which is nice, however the text size is really small and can be hard to read. Use a good light and maybe a magnifying glass? Also noticed that the usb cable plugging into the Nano is a bit tight and a little difficult to connect / disconnect. I’m afraid it may eventually break the connector inside if reconnected to many times, so I will probably just leave the cable attached. Not a huge issue. I did try a different Micro USB cable I use for my phone and it connected much better, so I think it’s the cable rather than the Nano itself. One thing I did not seem to find quickly in the instructions was how to log into the device, (I am a IT guy so I know how to manually set my IP to remote into it, however the average user will struggle with this and maybe I missed it but I didn't see that in the document)

Overall Review: 2 Paper instruction books came with my device. One small sheet with basic details (in English), however the big one with a lot more detail (would be useful for a novice user, the entire thing was in Spanish. There is a disc included which has the manual, information and links. Also – I changed the default IP of the device to the IP subnet I use on my home network (but out of the IP range of my DHCP) so that I can easily remote into it from my home network without having to manually set my IP to access it. You might find this helpful too. Example: a home router IP 192.168.1.1 with DHCP enabled for range 100 - 150, Assign the nano to 192.168.1.155 then you can remotely access it on your home network by using the new IP without setting your pc to a static IP in the default of the 192.168.0.xxx

Pros: The router is surprisingly small, pictures don't do it justice. This is definitely the most portable WiFi router I've ever seen. The router came with a standard micro USB cable, an A\C power brick which creates a standard USB port and is rated for 5 volt 1 amp power output, and a small network cable. I plugged the micro USB cable into my laptop, and the blue LED lit right up on the router! I am pleased to see that this router can be powered without the A\C adapter, as this greatly adds to the portability factor for me. The firmware is not the best I have ever seen, but the web interface is very snappy, seems faster than most residential router configuration pages I've been in. There are some expected features, like ping and traceroute tools, DHCP server options, a DHCP client list, an ability to change SSID, channel, and wireless mode, ability to use different encryptions, such as none, WEP, and WPA/WPA2 with PSK, as well as with radius authentication. I was pleasantly surprised to see some advanced features, such as MAC address filtering, ability to adjust beacon interval and RTS threshold, the option for client isolation, and static DHCP reservations. There is also a quick settings area which lets you toggle the operating mode between AP, Router, Repeater, Bridge, and Client. Some of this functionality doesn't even exist in default firmware on normal residential routers. I was incredibly impressed to see these features on this device. The range of the wireless is surprisingly good, and comparable to that of other normal full-sized residential routers I have used.

Cons: This is all very nitpicky: It would be nice to see more than 1 ethernet port on the box, but in a unit this size, that's forgivable. The cables included are very short.

Overall Review: By default, the router broadcasts an encrypted SSID with a name and password which can be found on a sticker on the back of the unit. Its default IP address, username, and password can also be found on a sticker on the back. (192.168.0.254, admin\admin)