TP-Link’s New Travel Router Is a Do-It-All Hotspot

Travel routers are a popular way to set up a Wi-Fi network from anywhere, either using wired internet or cellular internet. TP-Link has now released a travel router with some impressive connectivity options and a compact design.

The new TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router TL-WR1502X (great name, I know) is a small travel router that can act as a regular router with an Ethernet connection, an access point, a range extender, or as a tethering hotspot. It’s compact enough to slip into most bags, and it uses USB Type-C for power, so you can share cables and chargers with your other Type-C devices.

There’s no built-in cellular connection on the TP-Link travel router—you have to connect a phone over the USB port, then tether over USB to the router. The travel router’s Wi-Fi network should have a stronger signal than the phone on its own, but since the connection is still coming from your phone, the router doesn’t need its own data plan. The USB port can also be used to connect a storage drive, which then functions as NAS storage for all connected device.

The travel router supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6, with speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps on the 5 GHz band and 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. There are also two Ethernet ports, and a physical switch for changing the Wi-Fi mode.

TP-Link also included support for VPN connections, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, L2TP, and PPTP. That gives you the option of funneling all network traffic through a VPN service (or your own server somewhere else) without installing VPN apps on all your devices.

TP-Link said in its press release, “Featuring Wi-Fi modes for nearly any scenario, the TL-WR1502X travel router delivers Wi-Fi to users wherever they need it. Whether on the road or at home, users can stay connected while camping or in an RV by using USB tethering to convert their phone’s data into a stable Wi-Fi network for all devices.”

You can buy the TP-Link travel router from Amazon now for $60, and it should appear at other retailers in the near future.

Source: TP-Link