YES! It works to share hotel WiFi...
Primarily Marriott for me but has worked in Hilton properties as well (that I have tested). It literally couldnt be simpler. Set the switch on the side to the middle option (Share Hotspot). Power it up. Logon, go through the wizard. For ISP garbage just select "Dynamic" no user/pass, continue. Then "share wifi" then scan for wifi networks. Connect to the hotel wifi. At this stage you will most likely see about a dozen hotel wifi's with the same SSID. They are ordered from strongest signal to weakest, choose one near the top WITHOUT the password requirement (choose the open one). At that point it will connect, then prompt you to enter SSID for both the 2.4 & the 5.0 G networks. Name your wifi then hit next. It will prompt to reboot. Give it a solid 3 minutes. Connect to one of the two SSID (generally the 5.0 band has higher bandwidth). Open the browser on the connected device and go to a NON httpS URL to force the redirect to the captivate portal logon page. Logon. Connect Multiple Devices to your router... Profit!
The TP-Link AC750 Wi-Fi Travel Rotuer (TL-WR902AC) is is by far the best travel router out there and has many features that allow me to establish a private local network anywhere and without the need for AC outlet. Here are the things I love about this router.
1) Powered by USB 5v so will run off of a USB power bank if no AC outlet is available.
2) Allows you to establish a private local for multiple devices that can talk to one another.
3) Allows you to connect either via Wi-Fi or Ethernet to your home network or a public network in order to share an Internet connection.
4) Fast Internet speeds. Depending on available speed of the Inernet provider you connect to, this device offers up to 433 Mbps. I have AT&T's gigabit Internet at home and can easily achieve the router rated speed, but uploading and downloading. When I take the unit outside my home, I obviously am limited to the speed of whatever access point I connect to.
5) I have a couple devices that I want to always have the same IP address when connected and this device allows you to specify a specific IP address to use within the subnet based on the MAC address. For example, I have a Raspberry Pi that I always want to have the same IP address so that when I use my laptop computer or tablet to access the Raspberry Pi I don't have to wonder what IP address the router's DHCP server assigned to it. I don't want to configure the Raspberry Pi to have a static IP and this fixes the problem because so long as I'm connecting to this router, the router will ensure it gets the same IP every time.
6) My typical setup is one Raspberry Pi, one laptop, two tablets and a smartphone that connect to the router, which I have set as 192.168.10.1. Each devices gets an IP starting with 192.168.10.100. the Raspberry Pi's MAC address is in the DHCP's reserved list to always get 192.168.10.101. The laptop, tablets and smartphone then can access the Raspberry Pi at the same address every time I turn on the equipment. I can take my setup anywhere I go since the TP-Link AC750 Travel Router and the Raspberry Pi are powered by a USB power bank (or by a USB charger for when I have access to AC). So whether I am at home or on the road, my computer devices can communicate without any changes and all I need to do is have the router connect to whatever SSID is available.
I bought this out of curiosity. I previously got the N300. Which supprisingly has tons of features. As a novice i dont suggest getting these units.
as a weekend networking warrior youll love these things. So many options. I was looking to bridge 2 separate wired networks together and for the first hour i was overwhelmed with settings. Careful reading and few hours later i have my standalone network in my tv room now connected to the main Acess point at the other end of the house. Do no use AP bridge mode (AP toggled button). Simply use WISP mode. Very handy unit. I have not used the 3g/4g function yet as i dont have a working dongle. However this unit is power packed with options. I dont understand the negative reviews. I was able to get it to connect to a starbucks...villiage in ..and Arbys hotspot and send internet to each device i had. After fiddling with various settings i got this baby to speed, using a NAS , Workgroup switch, WDLive TV box and Netgear Stora, im able to stream movies via NAS to tablets and phones and still have internet acess via the N150 attached as a WISP mode router. I recomend this unit for a poor mans Bridge or AP router. Very fun to play with, if you arent a novice. lol. Networking can be a hair raising experience but reading a patience is key.
This is my 4th TP-LINK device. The other 3 still work great. I sometimes keep hotels rooms in two cities same time. TP-Link is must have for security at hotels. I've tried other brands, no so good. Suggest trying to save $5 bucks on alternate brand not worth the angst. TP-Link does what it's supposed to do, Works flawlessly. Easy set-up.
three modes. Mode I use most often is wireless repeater. in-feed is Hotel wireless. But then TP-link output is both wireless, and wired. But TP link lets you use strong password protection. so your wireless signal is yours alone. and I useualy have TP link wired output connected to a 5 port mini-router. so I can connect all my deveices in hotel, plus have scure wireless. I also use the TP link in conjunction with private VPM software. I use NordVpn and Express VPN, depenidn. this combination of TP Link recommend. I keep units of TP link in my briefcase and backpack. I don't use ANY public wireless, unless I do it though TP link and VPN. takes 1.5 seconds to connect to TP link -- evan at Starbucks. Anybody and everybody using hotel wireless, or ANY public wireless should get at least one of these things. We all need to work to defeat hackers and spammers. this thing is VERY useful for doing secrure conenctions
Bought this to set up in a hotel room with reportedly slow Wifi. Interested to see if I can create a local network in my hotel room using WISP to access my servers at home to watch my TV when I want to while using a Roku in a hotel which has become much easier but might be even better using this little gem.
So far programming is very easy and using a borrowed Xfinity Wifi connection I have this programmed and working like a champ in just about 20 mins. Full access to my personal Plex server and all of my home network needs while connected remotely.
I will be taking this on the road and will report back any issues I find.
Feature Product
- Travel-Sized Design - Conveniently small and light to pack and take on the road, creating Wi-Fi network via Ethernet
- Dual Band AC750 Wi-Fi - Strong, fast connection for HD streaming on all your devices
- One Switch for Multiple Modes - Perfect for Wi-Fi at home, your hotel room or on the road
- Flexible Power - Micro USB port to an adapter, portable charger or laptop
- Industry-leading 2-year warranty and unlimited 24/7 technical support
Description
With the travel-sized and compact design, TL-WR902AC is small enough to put into your pocket and make sure you can have internet access wherever you go. The mini USB power supply and built-in adapter make it perfect for travelers, students, and anyone else living life on the go. Coming with the next generation Wi-Fi standard – 802.11ac, 3 times faster than wireless N speeds, TL-WR902AC delivers a combined wireless data transfer rate of up to 733Mbps, making it an ideal choice for various applications simultaneously. To meet the wireless needs of almost any situation you might encounter, the TL-WR902AC features Router, Hotspot, Range Extender, Client, and Access Point Modes. A multifunctional USB port allows you to share files and media through your internet browser with different computers. Also, the USB port can provide power supply (up to 5V/2A) to mobile devices like smart phones or tablets, making it easy to charge on the go. Frequency Range: 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Interface Available: 1 x 10/100Mbps WAN/LAN Port, 1 Reset Button, 1 USB 2.0 Port, 1 Mode Switch, 1 WPS Button; Protocols Supported: Supports IPv4; System Requirement: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP Mac OS or Linux-based operating system; Wireless Standards: IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz, IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
I'm using it right now to write this review from my hotel room in Mexico. The hotel only allows 2 devices per room which are assigned to my wife's and my iPhones. But I'm using my iPad to write this review. When I arrived on Saturday, I connected both iPhones to the WiFi, plugged the router into the USB port with the switch on the WISP mode, connected to the router's WiFi using the information on the bottom of the device from my iPhone, loaded the tplinkwifi.net in Safari, entered the default admin/admin username/password, and ran the quick setup. The key to get this to work was to have the router clone the Mac address from my iPhone that way the hotel would think the traffic coming from the router was from the authorized iPhone. Very slick. The only improvement to the functionality of the device would be to allow the specification on a VPN which I have to use to make my Black Friday purchases (need to use the US sites not the Mexican sites). I also connected my MacBook and my daughter's MacBook to the router, no problems. The SW seems to be exactly the same as the SW in my tplink Archer router at home. Highly recommended.
I purchased this with the intent to use it only as a travel router. Out of the box, I expected nothing less. The gray/white color is nice and clean. Besides the small router itself, it came with its own power adapter, a micro-USB cable for charging, and a flat Ethernet cable. It also came with a quick start guide as well as a small ID which came with the basic credentials, SSID and password. I like the fact it has a hard switch for use in different modes. By default, it is in Router mode (Travel Ready) ex. Plug it in to a network jack at a hotel.
For the not-so security conscious: It works right out of the box. You can find the WiFi settings and default account on the ID card.
For the more security conscious: One can customize not only the WiFi settings, but even the login to the router. SSIDs can be hidden by choice. If desired, WiFi either WiFi radio can be disabled.
Performance observations over Gigabit Internet Service on my home network:
Having both radios set to ON while connected to the 5Ghz band, yielded an average UP and DOWN speeds of 70 Mbps.
By having the 2.4Ghz radio OFF and only thr 5Ghz band, UP and DOWN speeds went up to ~98 Mbps respectively.
Overall, I’m impressed with the capability of this little router. The thought of it being a handy travel router gives me the warm and fuzzy feeling that I no longer have to compete with very slow hotel wifi service, granted that they have a network jack somewhere. I will provide updates as needed.
The Cruise that we took wanted to charge us around $80 for WiFi PER DEVICE!! With a family of 4 it would have cost us a lot of $$$$. We purchased only 1 WiFi account for the cruise and we were able to share that with 5 Devices. Log into the router with one device and run the quick set up. From there have all your devices connect to the router and you can all go online with one account. Follow the directions that came with the router.
At first we left it only in our cabin room, but then we connected it to our portable phone charger and we were able to carry it around the ship. We threw everything into a backpack and we took it to the pool and restaurant areas. After moving from place to place the router would sometimes pick up the new ship's WiFi signal, but after you run the quick set up again it would work. This problem was not with the router but with the WiFi of the ship. The only cons were that you had to be around the router for it to work. The steel hull of the ship made it hard for the router's WiFi signal to penetrate walls so you had to be close for the best results. This worked for us because we have 2 small children who are always with us. If you have older kids, who like to do their own thing and go to other parts of the ship you will not be able to share the WiFi.
Works great so far - have used it in my office setting up a test bed between one of our wireless testers and my laptop, and then it also worked great in the airport on my last trip. Instructions aren't bad for being made overseas either.
3/29/19 UPDATE
I tried to use it again on a business trip - overall, probably the 5th time I have used it. When I tried to plug the usb cable in (going from my laptop to the router) to power it up, the connector wouldn't seat into the router. Got looking at it, and the connector in the router has pushed into the housing making it impossible to connect in order to power it with the usb cable. I got online with the TP-Link chat, and after almost 20 minutes I hadn't gotten anywhere. The person couldn't understand what the problem was. I had to terminate the chat as I had to get on my flight. Probably going to just return it and try something else. I think they have a manufacturing problem with that connector - must not be securely attached to the board or the board isn't very secure within the housing.
3/30/19 Another update
After some further work on this what I found is that I don't think the connector has pushed in. The issue seems to be that the connector is far enough in that if you use a usb cable that has a slightly shorter spade connector end on it, then it won't connect properly and lock into place. I have many micro-usb cables hanging around and most have longer spades on them. The cable I happened to have handy in my bag at the airport just happened to be one with the shorter spade.
So, be careful to have a micro-usb cable that has the longer spade connector on it as it won't work with every micro-usb cable.
I was a little skeptical about this device. I'd used several WiFi hotspot routers, and a handful of different kinds of range extenders. It seemed a little too good to be true. I ordered it because I was staying in a hotel with a captured network. I needed something that could take my hotel's WiFi and share it to multiple devices. While the initial setup was a little slow because I didn't have a laptop and none of the configuration pages are mobile friendly, I eventually got this unit to host a small private network in my hotel room. The router connected to the hotel network after my device was connected to it as the host.
It might seem tricky but once you get your devices connected to the router you'll see how much easier it is to get onto the internet. It's also nice that I can throw this into my laptop bag and take it with me. For such a small device it handles plenty of connected devices and doesn't slow the internet connection at all. I would have thought this device would heat up being it's doing so much work to connect as a client device to the hotel and a host device to all my other WiFi equipment, but it only got a little bit warm. Barely even noticable.
One of the best and most versitile devices I've found for a traveler who needs reliable WiFi.
Who has been able to pick out the best product among those listed on this site???
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