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Door staff@engadget.com (Husain Parvez) - 29 Sep 2026
A travel router can't create bandwidth. If the hotel's internet connection is slow, placing another router between the hotel and your laptop doesn't make the hotel's broadband any better. Better placement or a wired Ethernet connection can help in some situations, but the upstream connection is still capped by what the hotel offers.
There are other compromises, too. Adding a travel router to your setup means another device to purchase, charge and sometimes troubleshoot, plus captive portals can still be awkward. If you're running a VPN at the router level, you might need a separate VPN subscription as well. None of this is hard once it's all set up, but it's more gear and overhead you might not want to deal with.
Cellular tethering eliminates a lot of the hassle. Most Android phones can share mobile data with several devices via Wi-Fi, USB or Bluetooth, and Apple's Personal Hotspot can do the same with an iPhone's cellular connection. It's not a universal replacement, as your carrier may limit or charge extra for tethering, and cellular reception may be weak in areas with poor coverage. Many Android phones can share their Wi-Fi connection over a hotspot, but an iPhone will only share cellular data.
Travel routers can even have some use at home, though you shouldn't via a pocket-sized box as a whole-home mesh system. While you're not on the road, you can put your travel router to work as a Wi-Fi extender, makeshift guest network or similar.
There are other compromises, too. Adding a travel router to your setup means another device to purchase, charge and sometimes troubleshoot, plus captive portals can still be awkward. If you're running a VPN at the router level, you might need a separate VPN subscription as well. None of this is hard once it's all set up, but it's more gear and overhead you might not want to deal with.
Cellular tethering eliminates a lot of the hassle. Most Android phones can share mobile data with several devices via Wi-Fi, USB or Bluetooth, and Apple's Personal Hotspot can do the same with an iPhone's cellular connection. It's not a universal replacement, as your carrier may limit or charge extra for tethering, and cellular reception may be weak in areas with poor coverage. Many Android phones can share their Wi-Fi connection over a hotspot, but an iPhone will only share cellular data.
Travel routers can even have some use at home, though you shouldn't via a pocket-sized box as a whole-home mesh system. While you're not on the road, you can put your travel router to work as a Wi-Fi extender, makeshift guest network or similar.