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

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.

Good way to make a wired device wifi enabled. I guess it also works as a router. I would not expect crazy range but i have not tested. It is reliable and works as expected.

I purchased one of these with several use cases in mind. Unfortunately, the TP-Link N300 failed all of them.I spent some time testing the device at home and setting it up, and it appeared to be working fine. Once at the hotel, however, it turned out to be a pointless lump of plastic. Not only did I waste 3 hours of my time, but I ended up exactly where I started, minus the money I wasted.Use case 1: Connect to hotel wi-fi and use my Apple TVStatus: FailedI plugged in the router, waited for it to finish booting up... and kept waiting. And waiting. Endless flashing light. Wi-fi network for the TP-Link was not being broadcast. Moved the router to different points of the room, no help. Checked hotel wi-fi signal strength, it's great. Unplugged, waited, plugged back in. Same result. After 5 attempts, I was finally able to connect to the TP-Link network by manually entering the SSID. I spent the next 45 minutes in the Tether app trying to connect the TP-Link to the hotel wi-fi network. Failed, failed, failed, app crashed, failed, failed, failed, partial success but the process hung up, failed, router reboot, failed, failed, moved router, failed, router reboot, failed, router hard reset, reconfigure, failed, failed, router hard reset, reconfigure, SUCCESS. Finally. But flashing light all the way. Who knows what that means at this point. The app says it means still booting and please wait but somehow I doubt it. Connected an iPhone and an iPad to the TP-Link and tested the network and it seemed to be working. Connected the Apple TV via ethernet, could not authenticate to TP-Link network. Tried again, could not authenticate. Tried 6 more times, finally authenticated, SUCCESS. Aaaand no internet connection. Checked the network again from my other devices and nope, it had stopped working at some point. I went through this whole process from the beginning another 3 times and never quite got as far again. Could not use my Apple TV. Fail.Use case 2: Connect to hotel wi-fi and use my Nintendo SwitchStatus: FailedThe debacle of use case 1 at least taught me the correct sequence of witchcraft, router resets, and arm waving to get the TP-Link booted up and broadcasting a visible network. As before, it took dozens of attempts to get it to connect to the hotel wi-fi network (which I had quadruple checked as having a very strong signal where I was attempting to use the TP-Link). After much hair pulling, waiting, rebooting, and resetting, I got the TP-Link connected to the internet and ready to go. Tested the connection with two iOS devices and it seemed ok. Got out my Switch but it couldn't see the TP-Link network... so this problem again. Manually entering the network details didn't work. Started the process over from the beginning 3 more times and finally got the TP-Link connected to the internet AND the Switch connected to the TP-Link. Yay! Aaaaaand no internet connection again. Retrying, setting up port forwarding, none of it worked. Fail.Use case 3: Boost the hotel wi-fi network coverage within the room.Status: FailedYou can see where this is going. The idea here was to put the TP-Link in a good coverage zone and have it fill in the shadow zones elsewhere in the room. Ha. Pointless exercise. Fail.After an extremely annoying 3 hours of my life, I threw the TP-Link in the trash, packed up the Apple TV I brought with me for absolutely zero purpose, opened a beer, and started watching terrible hotel television.In conclusion, I am happy to recommend this product to masochists, people who like blinking lights, and anyone interested in wasting time and money.