Pocket Routers? \ stacker news ~tech

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1922 sats \ 30 comments \ @siggy47 18 Oct tech

Has anyone used one of these? I have an upcoming trip where wifi might be scarce and expensive, and I'm trying to decide whether owning one of these is worth it. Also, any privacy tips are welcome!

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116 sats \ 6 replies \ @rebel_nomad 18 Oct

Someone else here shared this one: https://store.gl-inet.com/products/mudi-v2-portable-4g-lte-router-travel-wifi-gl-e750v2?variant=40245178237022

Looks like that one would work with silent.link via esim? That is on my wishlist once I can start spending on extras...

53 sats \ 4 replies \ @kepford 18 Oct

This device looks really cool and it says it supports eSim.

@siggy47 another option that is pretty good privacy wise is Calyx Internet Membership from the Calyx Institute. You can read about it on their site but the TLDR is that because the government has required telcoms to reserve some spectrum usage for educational uses Calyx is able to get these hotspots and share them with their members. They use Tmobile so speeds depend on network coverage but the cool thing is you don't actually have a T-mobile account. They don't have any info about you. You aren't their customer.

Now, there are many caveats to this but its a good privacy and performance option. Unlimited hotspots are awesome.

10 sats \ 2 replies \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

Sounds like this warrants a deep dive.

53 sats \ 1 reply \ @kepford 18 Oct

Let me know if you have questions. I have had one of these for a few years

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

Thanks

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @rebel_nomad 18 Oct

Yeah, but I have not tested it...

No cash to get it now, oh well, better keep the Bitcoin I have!

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

That's my use case. Thanks

43 sats \ 5 replies \ @4rge 18 Oct

Torrify that mfer lol

0 sats \ 4 replies \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

I shall

43 sats \ 3 replies \ @4rge 19 Oct

I'm jealous

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @siggy47 OP 19 Oct

Don't be. I haven't bought one yet.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @4rge 19 Oct

Not bad jealous. I ment "mushallah" not "schadenfreude"

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 OP 19 Oct

Gotcha

43 sats \ 0 replies \ @_stacktoshi 18 Oct

Have one set up in our travel trailer. Cost like $40, didn't really need latest and greatest... we're supposed to be on vacation and enjoying nature, ffs. But it's great for trips where our stops have different types of internet: RV resort wifi, cell service, or starlink (just for our busy months and if there's a clear line to the sky). All of our devices, including our Fire TV just stay connected to that and remain private. Next time we stay in a hotel, will definitely bring it. Would be nice to be able to use it on a plane, but I think they would probably confiscate it if they caught you.

43 sats \ 1 reply \ @Taft 18 Oct

If you decide to use it, you can share your experience with us. It would be useful.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

I will.

43 sats \ 1 reply \ @nym 18 Oct

They work well, and some of the latest models have just received a firmware update. You could get two. You could set up one to always use WireGuard VPN and configure the other to use only Tor (which has a dedicated setting).

5 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

Thanks for this information regarding privacy and security.

43 sats \ 0 replies \ @Malachi17TS 18 Oct

Made this suggestion to a traveling individual who intended to do accounting tied to their business on the road. Acquired the router, but the user had little experience with DHCP and how to configure it on various networks. Since it wasn't plug and play, they didn't really use it.

I would imagine using one of these with something like a tor proxy would be "pretty good". Using it with a "trusted VPN" would be probably very good, and of course being able to run either of these on the router itself would be a bonus.

43 sats \ 2 replies \ @grayruby 18 Oct

Unfamiliar with pocket routers but seems like a good idea and quite useful if you are uncertain about wifi availability.

40 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

I know. If you're on a cruise, you can only hook up one device at a time to the expensive wifi. For a family, this could pay for itself on one cruise.

43 sats \ 0 replies \ @grayruby 18 Oct

Definitely

43 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinAbhi 18 Oct

I think, it is not available in India.

43 sats \ 4 replies \ @kepford 18 Oct

Haven't watched the video but I have and recommend this router

57 sats \ 1 reply \ @sangekrypto 18 Oct

Looks like the newest device, right? small and very simple.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 18 Oct

Not sure but it is fairly new. I had the older version. This one is much faster.

41 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 OP 18 Oct

Thanks. That's a pretty good price. Dumb question: Could one of these work as an extender?

143 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 18 Oct

It has several modes. I assume you mean extend a wifi network. They call it "repeater". Their guide is pretty good.

The GL-MT3000 / Beryl AX - GL.iNet is a great little device. I use it with my hotspot. You can use it for many other things as well. It supports Mullvad out of the box and is easy to set up with other VPN providers. It has built in Adguard and much more. I should be getting a commission at this point.

Another use is to connect it to the wired internet at a hotel if they have that. Then use the router (over VPN) on all your other devices. This offers some protection from the hotel wifi and you only pay for one device. If they don't have wired Internet you can connect it to the hotel wifi and share it with your other devices.

I recommend setting this all up at home to get the hang of it. Test everything out before you go on a trip. There are many videos on their travel routers. Most of them have the same software so they pretty much all work the same way. I've had a couple of these things. Given some away.

43 sats \ 0 replies \ @79c9095526 18 Oct

I have a small router from GL iNet, I really like it. It is not one that uses a SIM card though, but I don't usually travel to places that don't have wifi. I have my VPN installed on it and so I just plug my pocket router into the hotel or airbnb router and then all my devices already know my wifi connection and all traffic goes through VPN.

I imagine their products that support the esim would be equally as good.

43 sats \ 0 replies \ @jasko 18 Oct freebie

I had set up one of these to work remotely through tailscale at home, but I discovered Android seems to support WiFi bridging as a hotspot now (or at least my pixel 8 pro) so I just did that instead and returned the router.

Unfortunately if you want a VPN tunnel as well you need to unlock & root (https://github.com/Mygod/VPNHotspot)