Best Portable WiFi Routers of 2022

Portable WiFi routers are small internet routers that you can carry in your pocket to enjoy WiFi connectivity across all your devices outside your home.

Since they are small and can easily fit in your pocket, these routers are also called pocket or travel routers.

You can use these little devices to create a private wireless network using a single wired connection (like in hotels or conference rooms) and connect all your wireless devices to it. Also, these portable WiFi routers can be used as range extenders/repeaters on existing WiFi networks for increasing coverage, thereby eliminating dead zones.

Some of these routers also offer advanced security features that will prove very useful when you are using a hotel, airport or any public network to access the internet.

Note: Routers mentioned in this article are not in any ranking order, choose the router according to your requirements. Also, check the official sites of these portable WiFi routers for more details.

Here’s the summary of Best Portable WiFi Routers:

Best Portable WiFi Routers

1. TP-Link AC750 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router(TL-WR902AC)

The First on this best portable WiFi routers list is the TP-LINK WR902AC. This dual-band router offers maximum speeds of up to 433 Mbps on the 5GHz band and up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.

You can set this router in 5 modes:

1. Range Extender mode – To extend your existing WiFi network for maximum coverage.

2. Client Mode – To connect to devices that requires a wired connection.

3. Access Point (AP) Mode – To create a wireless network for other devices to connect to.

4. Router Mode – To convert an Ethernet connection to a private wireless network.

5. Hotspot Mode – To connect to a WISP access point.

There is a mode switch button available to change modes. Not only that, but TL-WR902AC also has a multifunctional USB Port for File Sharing and Charging your smartphone or tablet devices.

As for security, it supports WEP, WPA, WPA2 encryption standards. So, you can have peace of mind while using the wireless router in public places while travelling.

You can easily manage all the configurations of the portable router using the web interface or the Tether App.

Hardware Specs:

Features of TP-Link pocket router:

• Dual Band (2.4 and 5 GHz) AC750 Portable WiFi Router.
• Maximum speeds up to 433 Mbps (5GHz) and up to 300 Mbps (2.4 GHz)
• 2 internal antennas.
• Multifunctional USB Port for File Sharing and Charging.
• Supports WiFi 5 technology.
• 5 Modes (Router, Access Point, Range Extender, Client and Hotspot Mode)
• Supports WEP, WPA, WPA2 wireless security.
• Supported WAN Types – Dynamic IP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP.
• Easy management through Tether app or webpage.

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2. GL.iNet G-AR750S-Ext Portable WiFi Router

The next on the list is the GL.iNet G-AR750S-Ext portable WiFi router. This dual-band portable router offers maximum speeds of up to 433 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.

It has 2 x 2dBi fixed external antennas and is compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless standards. G-AR750S also has 3 x Gigabit Ethernet ports and 1 x USB 2.0 ports.

The G-AR750S-Ext router ships with OpenWRT along with OpenVPN and Wireguard VPN pre-installed. The router itself is compatible with 30+ VPN service providers. Moreover, DNS encryption using Cloudflare is also available.

With all of these security and privacy-related features, you don’t have to worry about prying eyes while travelling or using WiFi in public places.

You can easily set this router in different modes like Repeater, 3G/4G Modem or Tethering mode. There is also a Mode switch button available for the same.

As if all these features were not enough, this router also has UART and GPIO for additional DIY stuff and an external MicroSD card slot that supports up to 128 GB SD card.

There are many other features available and the best part is you can manage all the settings for this router using a web management panel.

Hardware Specs:

Features of GL.iNet G-AR750S-Ext:

• Dual Band (2.4 and 5 GHz) Portable WiFi router.
• The maximum speed of up to 433Mbps (5GHz) and up to 300Mbps (2.4GHz).
• 2 x 2dBi fixed external antennas.
• Multiple modes (Repeater, 3G/4G Modem, Tethering) are available.
• Compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless standards.
• UART, GPIO, 3.3V & 5V power port and DIY features available.
• TF Card Slot included that supports up to 128GB card.
• Pre-installed OpenWrt.
• DNS over TLS from Cloudflare available.
• Easy management through web management panel.

Shop now at Amazon

3. TP-Link N300 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router(TL-WR802N)

TP-Link N300 Wireless Portable router is a single band router that offers a maximum speed of up to 300 Mbps on a 2.4 GHz band.

It has 2x internal fixed antennas and 1x Ethernet port. Just like the previously mentioned TP-Link model, this one also supports Router, Repeater, Client, AP and hotspot operation modes. However, it doesn’t have any Mode switch button, you have to manage modes from the web management panel or Tether app.

As for security, TL-WR802N supports WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA/WPA2 Enterprise encryption standards.

It only has 1 Ethernet port and a reset button and doesn’t have any USB port for file sharing.

Since this router offers only basic features, it doesn’t require much power as other portable routers mentioned in this post.

If you want a basic portable router to share WiFi with your friends or family for browsing the internet, then give this pocket router a try.

Hardware Specs:

Features of TP-Link N300 pocket router:

• Supports WiFi 4 (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n).
• The maximum speed of up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.
• Supports Router, Repeater, Client, AP and hotspot operation modes.
• 2 × Fixed internal antennas.
• Supports WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA/WPA2 Enterprise wireless security.
• Supported WAN Types – Dynamic IP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP.
• Easy management through Tether app or webpage.

Shop now at Amazon

4. NETGEAR Nighthawk M1 Mobile Hotspot 4G LTE Router (MR1100-100NAS)

When it comes to wireless routers, seeing a Netgear product on the list should be of no surprise. They make great network devices and are one of the most trusted brands when it comes to routers.

NETGEAR Nighthawk MR1100-100NAS is a Full Dual-Band/Dual-Concurrent WiFi pocket router. Although this is the most expensive portable WiFi router on this list, it offers a variety of features that others don’t.

One of such features is that you can insert a 4G LTE Nano Sim in this router and use it as a portable hotspot. This way you don’t have to rely on any external wired or wireless connection to connect to the internet.

Another great feature, it has a removable Li-ion battery that can last up to 11 hrs. So, you don’t have to rely on any external power supply either.

Moreover, you can connect up to 20 devices simultaneously which makes it an ideal router if you are travelling with your family.

Also, you’ll get all the basic pocket router features including an Ethernet port and a USB port to connect an external drive to stream media to all the connected devices. The 2.4-inch LCD screen will provide you with data usage and network management information to keep you updated.

This is not a cheap pocket router, however, if you are in the market for a premium product that can provide you blazing fast speed, then give this router a try.

Note: Please check Sim and LTE band compatibility before purchasing.

Hardware Specs:

Features of Netgear MR1100:

• Dual-Band (2.4 and 5 GHz) WiFi router.
• Maximum download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 150 Mbps.
• Up to 11 hours of continuous usage with removable Li-ion battery.
• Stream media from a USB or external hard drive to all your connected devices.
• Connect up to 20 devices simultaneously.
• Unlocked to accept all SIM cards and compatible with major service providers.
• 2.4-inch LCD screen for real-time data usage and network management information.

Shop now at Amazon

5. GL.iNet GL-MT1300 Portable WiFi Router

Another GL.iNet portable dual-band router is on this list. GL-MT1300 offers maximum speeds of up to 400 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and up to 867 Mbps on the 5GHz band.

Just like the previously mentioned model, it ships with OpenWRT and can be set up in multiple modes like Repeater, 3G/4G Modem or Tethering.

It is an advanced version of the G-AR750S model and supports up to 512GB in its microSD card slot.

As for security and privacy, this portable router is pre-installed with TOR service and is compatible with 30+ major VPN service providers. The DNS Encryption with Cloudflare is also available.

With all these top-notch security features, you don’t have to worry about any attacker eavesdropping or performing any manipulations via man-in-the-middle attacks.

Lastly, more powerful hardware like a dual-core CPU, 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB-3.0 port is just icing on the cake.

Hardware Specs:

Features of GL.iNet GL-MT1300:

• Dual-Band (2.4 and 5 GHz) portable WiFi router.
• Maximum speeds of up to 867Mbps (5GHz) and up to 400Mbps (2.4GHz).
• Pre-installed TOR (The Onion Router) service.
• Multiple modes (Repeater, 3G/4G Modem, Tethering) are available.
• TF Card Slot included that supports up to 512GB card.
• 2 x undetachable external Wi-Fi antennas.
• DNS Encryption with Cloudflare.
• Compatible with 30+ VPN service providers.
• Pre-installed OpenWrt.

Shop now at Amazon

Conclusion

This concludes this list of best portable WiFi routers. As you have seen, portable routers offer multiple features so that you can connect all your wireless devices to the internet during your journey with peace of mind.

There are many other pocket routers available on the market offering a variety of features. I hope this list will help you choose a good portable WiFi router.