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Thread: Cheapie Mini Routers

  1. #1

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    Lightbulb Cheapie Mini Routers

    It is amazing what you can buy inexpensively these days.

    I had a problem with some Wi-Fi dead zones, in particular (a.) the room where I have my television set up and (b.) out on the adjacent outdoor patio area. As more and more media content is delivered via the Internet and Wi-Fi phones and tablets become more common better coverage is quite welcome.

    I started looking for Wi-Fi repeaters and was pleased to find lots of products. There are high-end commercial devices out there, even some that operate from battery packs with solar chargers. There are consumer devices available with internal rechargeable batteries for portable use and those that plug into an AC power outlet.

    The plug-in devices have gotten quite inexpensive, so I decided to try one that cost me $30 (USD) shipped.

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    The biggest drawbacks of these are the truly awful instructions they come with. In my case these consisted of one glossy-paper sheet folded up into tiny "pages." The text seems to have been translated from some other language by a non-technical person with poor English skills. Looking at the customer feedback at many online storefront sites I see I'm far from the only one to be disappointed in this way. This is probably the result of thin profit margins on such products, which seem to be designed and manufactured by some anonymous entity and then relabeled and marketed by numerous resellers. Having multiple middlemen each after a slice of profit probably makes the problem even worse.

    This means that to be successful using these products you need some networking background... and some time set aside for a lot of trial and error.


    As you can see in the photo, these devices typically have one or more RJ45 jacks. This is because they are multifunction devices, not just repeaters. The device I bought has several modes of operation, with several applications:

    • AP Mode: The mini-router is connected to a wired router and transforms the wired Internet access into wireless. Uses: Office, hotel and places where only wired network is available. Gaming party, meeting, or other situation where a temporary wireless network is needed.
    • Repeater Mode: The mini-router copies and reinforces the existing wireless signal to extend the coverage of the signal. So the network name (SSID) and password don't change. This mode is especially useful for a large space to eliminate signal-blind corners. Uses: Large house, office, warehouse, or other spaces where the existing signal is weak.
    • Client Mode: The mini-router is connected to a client device via Ethernet cable and acts as an adaptor to send/receive the wireless signal from your wireless network. Uses: Smart TV, media player, game console, etc. with an Ethernet port. Make your devices Wi-Fi enabled, granting them access to your wireless network.
    • Router Mode: The mini-router is connected to a DSL or cable modem and works as a regular wireless router. Uses: Make Internet access from your DSL or cable modem available to multiple users sharing the Internet connection (i.e. you have no other router).
    • Bridge Mode: The mini-router borrows existing wireless Internet and broadcasts it using a different network name (SSID) and password. This can create two individual networks for two groups of users sharing an existing router. Uses: Restaurant, shop, bar, home, office, etc. where Internet service needs to be provided for guests without revealing the password of the existing network for hosts.


    So far I'm pretty pleased. Er, after some time spent tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to set it up the way I wanted.

    One odd quirk that I stumbled over is that this device does not accept WPA2/PSK passphrases with special characters in them. It refuses to accept values with anything but upper/lowercase letters and digits.

    The unit ran a little warm as far as I was concerned. However I went into its admin pages (yes it has a Web-based admin UI) and reduced the RF Output to 70% and this seems to have made a lot of difference.

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    Last edited by dilettante; Jul 9th, 2013 at 10:09 AM.

  2. #2
    coder. Lord Orwell's Avatar
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    Re: Cheapie Mini Routers

    my favourite multi function device from ebay (china) is a cigarette-lighter powered mp3 player with remote. Not only does it have a usb jack (which i can charge my phone from) to plug in a usb stick full of music but it also has line input and a sd card slot as well as you can set any frequency you wish to broadcast on. It cost me $6 american.
    My light show youtube page (it's made the news) www.youtube.com/@artnet2twinkly
    Contact me on the socials www.facebook.com/lordorwell

  3. #3

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    Re: Cheapie Mini Routers

    There are lots of funky things in MP3 players these days. One I like has a built-in 3-LED flashlight and speakers:

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    This can hang from a lanyard around your neck. It accepts plug-in earbuds but it spares you that when out pruning trees, hiking, etc. Stereo speakers actually work but of course when hanging from its end you lose the effect. Just as well since I use it for podcasts, audio books, etc. much of the time.


    A neighbor kid saw mine and bought one. He has an old black sedan he calls "The Batmobile" with a Batman logo thing on his rear bumper. He leaves this lying on his rear car window shelf plugged into a cheapie 5v solar charger. All day long he leaves it playing the soundtrack album from the 1989 Batman movie.

    His co-workers are probably used to his eccentricities though.

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