Review on 📶 CradlePoint CTR35 Portable Wireless N Router by Mark Sutovsky

Update: Some reviewers claim they work well with 5V batteries. I have a 5-19v battery that can deliver up to 4 amps or 76 watts (that's a lot) that can be plugged into almost anything. Using a 5V battery that another buyer had could only provide 0.3W. This thing's charger assumes a load of 18 watts. When I tried this with 5V I just didn't have enough power to power my router and USB air card. You decide. Don't worry about buying a hollow USB 5.5mm cable for power delivery. Normal USB power (5W) is probably too low for both. The 12V car adapter is a good alternative if you want to use it in your car. Original Rating: Like other reviewers, I think this product is well made, reliable, and good value. I like that it is not tied to a specific operator (works with most USB air cards). I have a Verizon 4G LTE Aircard and it seems to me that this device is faster than connected directly to the computer. Beginners should understand that this is just a router/access point and has no way of connecting to the Internet without connecting a USB air stick (modem) or Ethernet cable - it can be connected to a DSL/cable modem. My wife's non-3G/4G iPad can now connect to the internet (in the car, by the pool, etc.) without a fixed Wi-Fi signal. It's truly a full-featured 802.11n router/access point in a tiny package. . Allows 16 simultaneous users with both SSIDs (main and guest). Has very good security and is very easy to set up. The range performance was not great, but not bad either - probably because it only has 1 antenna - n routers usually have several antennas. In my particular application I really don't need too wide a coverage so I'm happy with that. One thing that some field workers might find handy is the WiFi as a WAN feature. With advanced setup, you can set up this router to pick up a WAN signal from a free (or unavailable) Wi-Fi source - a coffee shop, hotel room, etc. - without using the minutes on your USB stick to have to. Once configured, you can use the built-in Ethernet port to connect to the internet and/or access it from multiple devices via WiFi. Not a very safe way, but a very good one. One downside is that it's not battery powered and draws quite a bit of current at 12V DC. Another reviewer uploaded a picture of his CTR35 connected to a Duracell external USB rechargeable LiIon battery via a third-party USB cylinder connection cable. This battery is 5VDC and can only deliver 0.6A. The CTR35 is a 12V device (needs to power itself AND the air card which is a 5V USB device). The output specs of the power adapter that came with the device clearly shows its output at 12V at 1.5A. Using a low-drain battery like the one recommended by another reviewer will most likely result in unreliable performance, if it works at all. External 12V batteries are available but much more expensive ($75-$125) and not from CradlePoint. I contacted CradlePoint to see if they do anything special with the voltage regulation - they don't and confirmed that this is a very bad idea and that using the device with lower spec power sources (e.g. battery) the guarantee expires. Some portable DVD players use 12V batteries, so this is another option if you can find the right adapter. To be on the safe side, I'm looking for at least a 9.6v battery for mine. For some reason there is a big price difference between 9.6V and 12V. Made in Taiwan. Customer service is located in Idaho. When I chose tech support, the second call was answered by an English speaking person. She seemed to know what she was talking about. Wow - refreshing. I have already recommended it to friends.