TP-Link N300 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router - WiFi Bridge/Range Extender/Access Point/Client Modes, Mobile in Pocket(TL-WR802N)

I got the TP-Link N300 Travel Router (without the USB port) specifically for my Xbox One S. I didn't expect it to be this good!

My university uses an indirect wi-fi login system (we connect to the open university network, which brings up an internet page asking us to login with our university ID and password to authenticate — similar in system to most hotels and airports), which the Xbox can't handle. So I decided to create a small internal network in my room that has its own SSID and password. I went with a mini router rather than just a range extender because this mini router has greater functionality for around the same price as most extenders.

Size: As you can see in my pictures, the length/width is a little more than that of two quarters side-by-side, and the thickness of 3/4ths a quarter. I was surprised by how small it was when I opened it.

Accessories: It comes with an ethernet cable, USB charger, wall adapter (though this is a bit clunky for modern standards), travel pouch, Wi-fi Info Card, and the standard instructions.

Setup: Quick and easy, though you'll need to have a computer (I'm not sure if it works on a smartphone/tablet) to access the setup page. It took me about five minutes to set mine up in Access Point Mode. Basically, you plug in the router for your preferred mode as per the image/instructions. You then connect to your router from your computer using the password on the Wi-Fi Info Card and go to tplinkwifi(dot)net to do a quick setup. Here you can choose what mode you want to use the router in, change your SSID, password, etc. Then reboot to reconfigure the router.

Modes: There are five modes -- two for travel and three for at home use. I went with the Access Point (AP) Mode for my uses, but I probably could have just gone ahead with the default Wireless Router mode. The ethernet port in my room was too far away from my Xbox to use Client mode. Regardless, it’s working great. I’ve attempted to give explanations for the different modes below, but I’m not particularly knowledgeable in this so please correct me if there are any inaccuracies.

For Travel:
1. Wireless Router (default): Basically, it turns a wired internet connection wireless.
2. Hotspot Router: I would best describe this as taking an open (and unsecured) wi-fi connection and making it password protected (personal hotspot). The router takes the unsecured wi-fi connection and creates a secured wi-fi/wired connection, and you can have one device connected directly to the router and have the rest of your devices using your protected wi-fi at the same time. Useful for connecting to the internet in public places like cafes. I believe it's also great for hotel rooms where only one device can use the internet per room. Connect this and all your devices can use the internet.

For Home:
3. Range Extender: Similar in nature to the Hotspot Router Mode -- it goes wi-fi to wi-fi, except this mode uses your home's network and maintains the same password as your home's AP. It's to extend your home's wi-fi to reach any wi-fi dead spots in your house (like the attic or basement, or that weird corner of the room where you like to huddle and binge watch Netflix but just happens to be the same place where wi-fi connectivity is super sketch and the video never loads). You can use the router for both wired and wi-fi connections simultaneously.
4. Client: Sort of the opposite of the Wireless Router mode -- this takes a wi-fi network and makes it wired so that devices that don't have wi-fi capabilities can connect to the internet. It's great for smart TVs, game consoles, printers.
5. Access Point: Same as the Wireless Router mode, takes a wired network and makes it wi-fi.

Speed: There wasn’t really any compromises made with the download speed. My university has incredibly fast wi-fi (though my dorm isn’t as fast as our libraries), so I’m glad that wasn’t sacrificed. The upload speeds weren't as consistent, but still not bad. You can see the speed test results in my pictures.

Overall, I'm really liking this mini router. The size is perfect for travel (it's smaller than my Macbook Pro's MagSafe adapter…!), and the setup was straightforward. Definitely a recommended buy.

Very versatile travel router. When only a wired connection is available, it creates a secured WIFI hotspot. When only a WIFI connection is available it creates a wired connection. The onboard admin software makes it very easy to switch between modes. It is so small that I can pack it along with its USB cable and Ethernet cable into a hard sided glasses case (See photo).

This review is specifically for this device:
***** TP-Link N300 Wireless Wi-Fi Nano Travel Router
***** https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TQEX8BO/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_1

After a very frustrating two day adventure with another brand, I hoped this would be easier. And, once you figure out that you should be setting it up with your phone/tablet (WiFi mobile device), the process gets a lot easier.

According to the manual, it seems that you OUGHT to be able to set it up using a wired connection, but the device (at least for me) will not hold a wired connection, and it doesn't matter whether you select a static IP address or use the DHCP provided by the device. I spent more than an hour screwing around with a wired connection, all to no avail.

However, reading through the manual for the third time, it finally occurred to me that I might be able to use my phone to connect to the WiFi SSID provided by the device. There's a little business card that comes in the package. DO NOT LOSE THIS CARD. The card has both the device SSID and the factory generated password (it's a string of digits, and you may need a magnifier).

My phone, and (if you're using an Android phone) maybe yours, will connect to the device's access point via the SSID (e.g. TP-LINK_C846 for mine), but your phone/tablet may warn you that the device doesn't appear to connect to the Internet, and ask you if this is what you want to do. Choose YES.

Please be patient. The setup side of the device is slow. It takes most of a minute to boot up, it loads the internal Web pages very slowly, and so on. Just chill out and let it take its sweet time.

The next thing you will notice is that your screen isn't large enough to show the whole page, and you will have scroll and pan around to see everything.

Just follow the directions from there. However, NOTE, read carefully the descriptions for the various modes. If you are trying to set it up to connect wired devices (or a wired network of devices) to a wireless network, and if you are used to using other brands, you might think that you want to choose "AP" (Access Point) mode, however in this device, THAT mode is called "Client" mode. It will scan the area for WiFi networks. You will pick yours, and you will enter the password for your router.

Once everything is set the way you want it, you will want to reboot the device (well, okay, the device will tell you it wants to reboot), so go ahead and do that.

Now you can take that device and run a wired connection to any Ethernet enabled device, appliance, or wired network (using, for example, a switch) and it will magically bind that thing or group of things to the wireless network transparently.

The workstation I'm typing on right now has been having a problem with its on-board WiFi adapter, which has a tendency, since a recent Windows update, to just die every couple of hours. This was driving me nuts. So I've turned off that WiFi adapter and put the N300 WiFi Nano on one of my wired Ethernet ports, and -- PRESTO! -- no network connection failures since! Woo hoo!

And the beauty of this? The gizmo that's actually working costs about half the price of the one that refused to work.

Think I'm gonna buy another two or three of these. Very handy.

I ordered this product for several reasons:
• When my Internet goes down, I can connect to an Xfinitywifi (I am an Xfinity customer) hotspot and connect my Vonage phone adapter that does not support wifi.
• When I travel and the hotel allows only 1 device active on hotel’s wifi, I use this device in WDS mode. The hotel sees the Travel Router as the one device and I can connect both my phone and my laptop AND
• I can connect my Amazon Fire Stick at the same time. By connecting to my own private, secure, wifi network, I can use my iphone as the remote for the Fire Stick.
Another plus feature is: the DDNS support uses the real external IP address rather than the WAN address it receives from the hotspot’s DHCP server.
All of the above works as documented. I highly recommend this product.

I bought this router for use as a hotspot/range extender for my hotel room during travel. I just used it for a long 10 day stay and it was wonderful Here is what I loved:
1. Great setup instructions inside. Easy to connect it to Hotel Wifi and set your own network name and password. I set it to the same details as my WiFi at home so all my devices auto-connects to it.
2. I only ever had to enter the hotel login credentials (room number...etc.) on one of my connected devices and then was never prompted for it for any other devices connected to the network,
3. Worked great with Alexa which I love to take with me on the road. We had our laptops, cell phones, tablets and nVidia shield all connected without any issues.
4. Uses standard micro-usb cable for power - so compliant with many of the multi-port usb chargers out there (e.g. Anker..etc).
5. Does not require a wired connection to a PC or laptop to configure. I performed the complete setup and configuration wirelessly from my tablet.

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Feature Product

• Pocket-sized Wireless N router travels effortlessly
• Quickly create a secure Wi-Fi hotspot to share with family and friends. External power supply 5V/1A
• 300Mbps Wi-Fi speed on 2.4GHz band for lag-free video streaming and online gaming
• Compatible with Chrome cast
• Micro-USB port for powering via an external adapter or USB port
• Supports Router, AP, Client, Repeater and WISP operation modes
• Pre-Encryption function sets initial SSID and password protection
• Industry-leading 2-year warranty and unlimited 24/7 technical support
• Extend existing Wi-Fi to improve signal strength and maximize coverage

Description

The pocket-sized TL-WR802N creates a private Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere an Internet connection is available. Powered via a wall outlet or USB port, the travel router works with 2.4GHz devices, including Chrome cast and reaches speeds of 300Mbps for streaming video, placing Internet calls, and gaming online without lag. Frequency Range: 2.4-2.4835GHz; Interface Available: 1 x 10/100Mbps WAN/LAN Port, 1 Micro USB Port, 1 Reset Button; System Requirement: Microsoft Windows 98SE NT 2000 XP Vista, or Windows 10/8.1/8/7, MACOS NetWare UNIX or Linux; Wireless Standards: IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11b

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This is my first TP-Link device. I’m a long time Asus user and am just fed up with their poor firmware as of late and decided to give TP-Link a chance.
The good:
It’s ax.
Setup is easy and GUI is fast and responsive. WiFi is fast and has excellent range. Seems to be a little better than the WiFi on Asus RT-AX88u. Not as many options though.
The bad:
Power cord is pretty short especially in comparison to Asus power cords. Not a big deal but worth noting.
No way to disable qos. I have gig speeds and typically only 1-2 devices online at a time so having the option to turn qos is something that should be put into a future firmware. Also, no way to disable upnp, can be considered a security risk.
There is a built in speed test but it doesn’t function properly. Best speed it gives me is 600mbps down. Going to dslreports or Speedtest gives me my gig speeds.
At first my phone would not connect to the 5g. I did notice that there was a firmware update for the router. Installed it and phone was able to connect without issue.
There is a pretty big design flaw concerning the top row lan ports. On the back of the router, the top sticks out over the top row ports making it nearly impossible to use a finger to disconnect an Ethernet cable. I made the mistake and had to get a flat head screw driver to reach in and unlatch it. Included a few pics if that helps anyone. Unfortunately a firmware update won’t fix that. Not a deal breaker but definitely something that should have been noticed prior to release.
Conclusion:
Overall a solid router. Has a few firmware fixable issues and a few physical issues that I’m stuck with. Given that this just came out and I don’t feel like a beta tester (hint hint Asus) is a big win. I took a chance with TP-link ax6000 and am not disappointed. So far it’s performing better than my rt-ax88u and blowing away the disaster that is the gt-ac5300.

Great Router! Took me about 5 minutes to configure the N300 in client mode to work between the openSPOT™ and my SAMSUNG Note 8. Be sure to use a shielded cat 7 patch cord to avoid RFI. I'm using a POWERJAK cell phone battery pack to power both the TP-Link and openSPOT™ all in a PELICAN™ 1200 case. The instructions were simple and straightforward. Email me on QRZ if you need help. Thanks Tom N4TAW

This is "essential SHTF prepper gear". Well for me it is anyway. Using this device during power outages, with it being powered by a Li_On USB powerbank, is my emergency wifi network to connect my wifi camera to my router so to keep my live feed from my wifi camera up and running during the power outage.

The easiest way for me to use this device is to use the "router" connection method where I connect this to my router with a flat CAT7 ethernet patch cable 3 feet in length. The 3 foot CAT7 patch cable is long enough for me to raise this up from my table and hang it high for better reception.

This nano router uses so very little power that a decent USB powerbank will keep it powered for hours and hours.

If you need to put up a wifi signal for your router during a power outage, this is your ticket to do so.

I also (just learned how to do this) use USB power banks to power my wifi-camera, my modem, and my router for blackouts.

Modems and routers typically require a 12 volt 2 amp power supply to power them, and USB powerbanks provide only 5 volts 2 amps.
You need to convert the 5 volt USB power to 12 volts for both the router and the modem.

Happily this is an easy thing to do, and you only need to get one of this type of voltage conversion cable for every device you want to be running off of USB powerbanks.

I ordered 2 of these voltage conversion cables; one for my modem and one for my router:

KUNCAN 5ft Dc 5v to Dc 12v Converter Step up Cable, Voltage Converter to Dc 5.5 x 2.1mm
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ID90K4A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Using this TP-Link N300 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router just last week during a 7 hour power outage powered by a USB power bank I had my internet up and running during the entire power outage.

For me, this is a much more preferred scenario than me just sitting around in the dark using my pocket radio to find a news station to listen to.

I definately will be getting more of these important devices.

I purchased, tried, and returned two other products that promised this functionality. This is Just what I needed. Set up was completed in about 10 minutes. I also purchased a lan table, which was not necessary. The N 300 comes with a lightweight LAN cable. Set though up was completely wireless. This box connects to the hotel wireless network. All of your devices connect to this box. The hotel limitation of three devices is bypassed. I read some of the other reviews. Yes, keep the card of the default settings, otherwise you will never ever be able to reset to factory settings. User name and password is admin, admin, so be sure to change those. For the money, pound for pound, this thing is more valuable than printer ink. LOL. Seriously though, for hotel travel and trade shows, this is the device you need. Based on some of the other reviews, I purchased the extended warranty. If your device stops working, just use fair trade and get another one. You will be happy with your purchase.

I needed a wifi router to connect multiple devices to while I'm on the go. This works flawlessly. I even set it up to where the router connected to wifi and the devices connected to this router. This way, if you travel with a lot of devices, you only have to update the password in the router, not each individual device. Or, you could use it to have all your children connect to it. Then, you could turn it on or off depending on how much time you want to give them access to the internet without affecting the actual wifi in your home.

The size is tremendously handy. Again, I travel a lot for work and it allows me to stick it anywhere. If you connect it via usb to a portable battery, you can leave it in your bag and never have to plug it into the wall or your laptop for it to work. Simply amazing!