14 DAY TRIAL // Travel routers are a special breed, since they need to be small enough to fit inside even a random pocket while still possessing all the hardware needed to sustain multiple web connections. You're likely to be traveling with someone who has their own phone, laptop, or tablet after all.
The new miniature router, or travel router, that TP-Link released sacrifices some of the possible throughput it would otherwise possess the capacity for in favor of being smaller.
Still, that's understandable considering just how small the product is. Especially if you're the sort of person who's always on the move because of your job or college classes.
So, without further ado, behold the TP-Link TL-WR702N, whose more user-friendly name is TP-Link 150 Mbps Wireless N Nano Router.
The TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N Nano router TL-WR702N
As an ultra-portable device, it is as tiny as a hockey puck, even though it's square instead of round. The exact measurements are of 57 x 57 x 18 mm / 2.24 x 2.24 x 0.70 inches.
That means it's probably thinner than your wallet, so it'll be easy to forget you're carrying it in the same pocket as your change.
Compliance with wireless 802.11b/g/n standards means it provides the same performance as many standard routers.
The performance isn't that high, true, at 150 Mbps, but it should be sufficient for one, two, or three smartphones or tablet users to share between them.
There are five operational modes by the way: Router, Client, Bridge, Repeater, and Access Point. It makes it a pretty versatile device really.
Sure, most consumer routers don't come with less than 300 Mbps nowadays, and the real monsters go beyond 1 Gbps and sometimes 2 Gbps, in very rare cases.
They're much larger than the new TP-Link device, however. Definitely not something you can take with you everywhere. Also, the TL-WR702N should be able to extend their range in Repeater mode, even if it can't do it for the 5 GHz band.
Other features include WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryptions, firewall protection, and a Pre-Encryption function that sets the initial SSID and Password.
Availability and pricing
The TP-Link TL-WR702N 150Mbps Wireless N Nano router has a price of $25 CAD / $22.18 USD / €17.7. Currently, it only seems to be selling in Canada though. No doubt other regions in the world will get some shipments of their own soon. At least we hope so.