Travel routers?

Velvis

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Medfield, MA
I am going on a cruise this february and Royal Caribbean charges per device.
I know I need texting access so I need my phone connected.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience sharing internet with additional devices with a travel router and specifically on a cruise ship?

Anything I should look for in a travel router?
 
I'll likely get some heat for this... but I run around with a WIFI Pineapple Nano.

It's primarily a WIFI hacking and pentest device, but it makes a great router on-the-go... just as a router... then if I run into a Hotel that has their network locked up somehow... I can usually get around it, as well as apply a VPN at the router.
 
What do you have for a smart phone? I know my iPhone hotspots just fine, both LTE and 802.11 for the "WAN", and I can do at least 2 devices.

Thanks @phaZed. That pineapple is new to me. Hak5 does have some nice stuff. Bought a Lan Turtle a while ago to mess around with. I think I'll get a pineapple for myself.
 
I have android LG Style 4. I was under the impression hotspots didn't work when not connected to cellular networks.


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I have android LG Style 4.
Ssame phone but never tried it. It costs a little extra and I have had no need for it. On top of that I only get 5 gigs a month fast data.

Second on a ship, Doubt you will get a good if any signal anyway (never been on a cruise anyway) so I don't have any idea.
 
LOL, I've been looking at the LAN Turtle.. would you recommend it?

To be honest I never got very far into it but the price was right. The problem with running a business, with the team of me, myself, and I, is making money tends to occupy most of my time. So, unless something is directly tied to revenue generation, I have a hard time fully testing things. LOL!!!

I had initially thought of using it for some kind of network remote access but there are much better, easier solutions.

On Wifi on ships. Don't know about LTE/4G access but they've had 802.11 access for years now. Some 15 years ago the Internet access was just fine for emails.

And I don't have to pay any extra for the hot spot function.
 
I'm pretty sure I've used my (unlocked Android 7 Nougat) phone as a Bluetooth hotspot definitely with LTE and I think with Wifi, though it's been a while on the wifi side. Not blindingly fast, but lower-power than wifi. Note that a lot of carriers do or did muck around with the wifi hotspot software, which is why I noted that mine was an unlocked one - what you have on a carrier-provided phone may not do what you're looking for.

I'd still say a travel router is a better bet.
 
Looks like I can share wifi via bluetooth with my laptop. But Im also thinking a travel router might be better, then the kids can sponge off it as well.
 
Why not just stay home and enjoy your internet? There is tons of stuff to do on a cruise that doesn't require internet.

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I've had various travel routers over the years. This is my current one:
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/products/details/cat-5032_M7350.html
(I've had it at least a year or two, so there's probably a better/later model available now).

If I'm out on a job and I need a mobile internet connection, most of the time I'll just use my phone as a hotspot (Samsung S8+) but the mobile router is handy to have. I have it on an unlimited data plan, even though it gets little use. It's well worth the cost though (at less than £30/month) just to have another way to get online should I need to deal with an urgent issue while I'm away from the office. I keep it in the car for internet access for myself and passengers on longer journeys but it's also useful when staying away at places with weak mobile network signals, where it can be placed by the window in whichever room gets the best reception (I've even dangled it out of open windows on some occasions).

So is LTE/4G available on cruise ships then? Presumably they relay it over a satellite/microwave link?
 
I am going on a cruise this february and Royal Caribbean charges per device.
I know I need texting access so I need my phone connected.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience sharing internet with additional devices with a travel router and specifically on a cruise ship?

Anything I should look for in a travel router?
Is this a vacation?

If so, leave your phone at home and ENJOY your cruise!

I mean, what did people ever do BEFORE cell phones were invented? We HAD FUN and of course we had plenty of PAY PHONES to use.

Good golly!!!
 
Wish I could. But people rely on me and I rely on getting paid. I don't need the voice so a PAY PHONE wouldn't help me, but I do need data. So BEFORE it wasn't an issue because the world didn't rely on computers.

Regardless I will ENJOY and HAVE FUN!
 
I'm pretty sure he's not looking for a LTE hotspot, but for a router that can use either wired or wifi on the WAN side while providing a private wifi network.
 
Does LTE work in the middle of the ocean?

I have never brought my phone on a cruise ship.

Have you checked with the cruise line to see if they have any package deals?

Most ports have free WiFi of work can wait for stops along the way.

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