TP-LinkN150 Wireless 3G/4G Portable Router with Access Point/WISP/Router Modes (TL-MR3020)

I bought this on the recommendation of a friend just before an overseas trip. My expectations were low: I have had disappointing experiences with various "travel" devices in the past. Also, my collection of prepaid mobile-data dongles all behave badly enough when plugged into my laptop -- the software you install on your laptop to control them is always doing nasty things. So to add a third-party device into the mix seemed to me like a recipe for disaster. However, having configured the TP-LINK before my trip, on arrival at my destination I topped up the prepaid carrier account for my dongle, plugged it into the TP-LINK, connected to the TP-LINK management screen via a browser from my laptop, and started up the mobile-data connection: I was up and running in 2 minutes. The TP-LINK performed flawlessly for my whole stay. Not only was the dongle better behaved when plugged into the TP-LINK than when plugged into my laptop, but also we were able to use the Internet connection concurrently from my wife's laptop, my iPad, and my iPod Touch. The wifi signal was strong enough to penetrate the wall into the bedroom, so I got a good signal from my iPad in there (even in the bathroom off the bedroom). Another benefit: I was able to put the TP-LINK close to the window to get the best signal, while I used my laptop was anywhere I wanted to use it. In summary, it was just like using my wifi at home (although obviously not quite as fast). I also like how this device looks (as though it was designed by Apple).

Have an Ipad from work with 4G Verizon cellular service. Rarely used it so i was wondering what I could do with the SIM card with other devices. I put the SIM in an old Samsung Galaxy S5 and turned it into a data only VOIP phone. Then wondered about a 4G wifi router. Came across the MR3020. Bought a few to play around with cheap price etc, I actually didnt do my research before I purchased. I want to be able to just insert the SIM card into the router but that cant be done.You need to purchase a compatible USB cellular modem to plug into the MR3020. I got a few used Verizon VL600s off Ebay for $13. First thing was to update the MR3020 firmware. Then download and install VZ Access Manager. So I plugged in the VL600 into the laptop and the VZ Access Manager updated the VL 600 firmware.Now at first I thought this was not working so I opened the VL600 and saw that SIM card I put in was a micro but the VL600 used an older full size so I had to position the mico just right to get the contacts lined up. Once that was done I had Internet access on the laptop.I plugged the VL600 ino the USB port on the MR3020. Connected to the MR3020 internal WEB configuration - set the 3G/4G settings to Verizon and had Internet access,So I see this as a better setup over the router I originally wanted that used a SIM card. This way I can supply net access to whomever needs it via the MR3020 or used it in the VL600 in my laptop and can always pop the SIM back into the Galaxy S5 data VOIP. All bases covered!So yes this MR3020 does work as expected with the VL600 with ZERO issues - cant beat the cost of these devices for multiple net connections. So if you have a spare SIM card in a tablet now you can use it a phone/USB modem/ 3G/4G router - \o/

This is a nifty little gadget. When I moved to the midwest, I wanted internet access without adding an additional bill every month. So I started looking for devices that let me effectively use my cellphone's hotspot as a router. This here did the trick. And better yet, it is super cheap. The setup is simple. I logged into the device, configured it to use my hotspot as its WAN connection, and connected a CAT5 to my wireless router. Instant home network! This enabled me to use my hardwired blu-ray player for Netflix, AND let me print wirelessly from my laptop. The only issue is my phone has to be within range with the hotspot on, so I couldn't start a large download before I leave for work and have it done when I get home, but that's not the product's fault.

Where to start with this one. Let's start with the basics. Unlike other portable devices used to connect at hotels, etc. this one is actually two pieces. The device itself, and a rather beefy power supply. That was my first unpleasant surprise. If you're looking for a self-contained unit, look elsewhere.Now, let's talk about the functionality. The 4G disconnects randomly. (I should note that the dongle works fine when connected to a computer--so it's not the 4G dongle or coverage.) Troubleshooting this isn't something that is easily done. It is necessary to connect to the "router" (I'll tell you why that is in quotes in a moment.) and pull up a status page. The light doesn't work correctly.The software on the device is the worst that I've used in a LONG time. Almost EVERY change requires a reboot of the device, which sucks 1 - 2 minutes you'll never see again. That doesn't seem like a lot. But, death by a thousand cuts, as they say. You start making 5 changes (SSID change, password change, administrative name change, network address range change, etc.), that 1-2 minutes adds up pretty quickly.The AP mode is absolutely useless in situations where you want all devices NATing behind one address. It doesn't support it--at all. Even if you enable the DHCP on the device, it doesn't NAT. In fact, enabling DHCP only prevents you from going out of the network at all. (I suppose I could have tried to reverse-engineer the hotel's gateway address to see if that would help. Other routers that support this functionality just work. Plug them in, they work. This one...not so much. I cannot emphasize enough that this functionality just does not work.The WISP mode works...sometimes. I was at a hotel the other day at which the device wouldn't latch on to an IP address. My devices could--the MR3020 could not. And did not.So, my advice: Move on and find another device from another manufacturer. This one doesn't deserve the money you spend, nor the amount of time you spend trying to make it do things it just can't do.