It is very small, as tall as the length of a credit card, but very versatile

Dec 2, 2013 13:08 GMT  ·  By

We'd name this new product from Colorful a “hybrid,” but that implies a merger of two things, traits or objects. And though it is used even to describe things with traits from more than two other base forms, the new router from Colorful has six different roles, so it is more than just a hybrid.

Well, perhaps we should be accurate and say that the CW5200 has six potential roles, since not all of them are likely to be played at once.

Well, they could be, but they depend on situation, need and one's surroundings, so it's unlikely. Still, the versatility will be appreciated by those who love all-in-one solutions.

The Colorful CW5200 is a 6-in-1 wireless router, combining the benefits of a LAN-based Wi-Fi router, 3G Wi-Fi router connectivity (connected devices link via Wi-Fi while the router taps into 3G Internet for them), an AP travel router, data storage, an integrated charger.

The default role is that of wireless access point, meant to make it easy for travelers to instantly tap into the Wi-Fi networks of hotels. You can also use the Wi-Fi Driver to set up shared Internet connections.

Also, there is a LAN port, so that you can plug a cable and allow all Wi-Fi-capable gadgets access to it.

Then there's the USB cable which allows you to plug in flash drives, portable HDDs / SSDs, and pretty much anything else with on-board storage.

Furthermore, a portable charger is included. Indeed, despite the height of just 80 mm / 3.14 inches, there's enough room in this credit-card-sized (well, credit card-tall) product for it.

There's about as much energy in it as in a Samsung 5200mAh lithium battery, and the supply input and output is of 5A 1A.

Finally, the Colorful CW5200 has 32 MB DDR2 dual-channel memory, for caching, optimizing the performance of the antenna (integrated into the PCB).