Level One MobilSpot portable router shares 3G data over WiFi
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Apr 29th 2009 8:30AM
posted Apr 29th 2009 8:30AM
posted Apr 29th 2009 8:30AM
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:( we don't get 3G in Vanuatu, Oh how I long for faster connections.
No 3G? I'd be happy to get 3 megabit DSL in Vietnam. Oh how I long for the 60 megabit fiber I had in San Fran.
Here's a MUCH faster way to exceed those ridiculous 5 GB caps on most 3G data card plans. Let everyone in the house work together to get your contract terminated! hehe
Or there shouldn't be a cap in the first place.
This is what the Fonera 2.0 provides for 1/3 of this price... you only need to add the 3g usb mode of course, but even with this in mind it looks too expensive for me.
I actually think we're looking at the rebranding of the AirLink101 AR360W3G which I bought at Fry's in 2007 or 2008 for around $60. Here's a link to the product page: http://www.airlink101.com/products/ar360w3g.php
@Dave Bach:
It looks similar, but the router you linked to doesn't have the USB support. Those older 3G routers tended to be very sensitive to what card or USB modem you used. Most of the newer ones (hopefully this one, too) tend to provide a much wider compatibility with almost all 3G cards / sticks.
Portable ??? Where is the builtin lion battery then ?
Where do you find a moving environment requiring internet-connected WLAN lacking any source of electricity?
@VeixES My thoughts exactly. They shouldn't call it portable unless it's battery powered.
There are many places this can't be used like train, bus, park, beach etc. It's also often the case that all the sockets are in use or a big ass adapter (which this thing probably has) won't fit in the available space.
I approve of this product.
Or for those of you with a Wi-Fi enabled S60 phone, just get this app
http://www.joikuspot.com/aboutJoikuSpot.php
Or for those of you with a G1, just install this app: http://androidactivity.com/tetherWifi.html
The Kyocera KR2 runs circles around this thing and has been around for over a year. It'll take 3G ExpressCards, PCMCIA Cards, or an USB device. It's got support for the "N" WiFi Spec and nice GUI. Setting trusted sites via IP in the ACL is well worth the 30 bucks extra IMHO, not to mention the WAN connection failover and load balancing. We also use the D-Link DIR-450 at work and it is the suck.
Test
I'm sorry, you failed.
-jp
Actually, the box is from a company called NexAira, based in SoCal. Although this box offers a low price point, it also doesn't offer too many features for wireless failover and routing. For example, this box doesn't offer a "GroupWare" product that would show a dashboard of multiple modems and their up/down status. But for the price, only CradlePoint comes close. Damien makes a good point about the KR2. This box was created by CradlePoint and has the identical OS to the CradlePoint MBR1000 but was white labeled as the Kyocera KR2.
For an even more advanced router, you can use JBM or Digi. I have gotten most of my information from a US based wireless integrator called Source Inc (www.sourceincusa.com). Their site doesn't show pictures of the hardware or detail the specs of the boxes they sell, but they carry just about everything and have integration and management services to help install and keep running.
Not sure what company first made this device, but this definitely looks like a re-branding of the Netcomm N3G002W (http://www.netcomm.com.au/products/3g/n3g002w). I have no idea if the Netcomm one is re-branded from another company though.