Computers

D-Link DWL-G730AP Wireless Pocket Router

Dual-voltage travel wireless router

A year and a half ago I was in the U.S. (my home country) shopping for wireless routers in preparation for an extended trip to China. Surprisingly, I could not find any with dual-voltage adapters which come standard with most electronic gadgets. I ended up buying one in China, again not dual-voltage, so I left it there when I returned.

Recently, I was going on vacation to Asia with a friend and it occurred to me there may be such a thing as a portable router and I was thrilled to find that there is! I purchased the D-Link DWL-G730AP Wireless Pocket Router as opposed to other brands specifically because of its dual voltage capability. The router was fantastic: being able to plug it into the wall outlet directly (rather than power by USB) was very convenient, as was not having to sit at a desk to access the Internet. In all three countries we visited only wired Internet service was provided in our hotels. The router allowed us to wirelessly share the connection across two netbooks and two wifi-enabled devices.

The router itself is smaller than a deck of cards. It comes in a handy carrying case, with a USB cable so you could run it off your computer’s power if you want (I didn’t) and also an Ethernet cable in case one is not provided in your hotel room.

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Some customer reviews I read indicated that the router was hard to set up. They may have been missing some instructions because I found it very easy and quick. No surprises or tricks required. I set it up before leaving on the trip and did not have to do any other configuration. Note that the router also has two other modes which I have not used: access point and client mode.

I highly recommend this travel router if you want a wifi connection while traveling. It’s been one of my most convenient travel-related purchases.

-- Maria Blees 09/22/10

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