Edimax 3G-6210n - 3G+WiFi Portable Router

[Hands0n]

11088087Available from £57.23 to £79.99 - make sure you shop around - this is the Edimax 3G-6210n battery-operated portable 3G router that may be an alternative to the 3 MiFi that is all the rage right now. It is also quite a bit more too.

The manufacturer describes the device as so

The 3G-6210n is a portable wireless 3G broadband router. When connecting either a 3G or 3.5G USB modem card* to 3G-6210n, all network (wired / wireless) users can share 3G/3.5G Internet connection. The 3G-6210n can support 3G/3.5G speeds up to 7.2Mbps and comes with a built-in Ethernet WAN port for Cable modem or xDSL modem. When connected to a xDSL /Cable broadband, 3G-6210n will enable the xDSL /Cable broadband connection automatically when 3G/3.5G Internet connection is not available.

Essentially, this device will accept a USB dongle/stick from any mobile broadband network provider. It then has the intelligence to use the USB device to connect to the 3G/HSPA network as and when there is any traffic to route. The specific parameters for it to follow are configurable by the user (i.e. always on, on demand etc.).

The device is battery powered from its own built-in Li-Ion rechargeable pack - but may also be run (and charged) from a supplied 5Volt 2Amp mini-USB power adapter. That suggests that it may also be capable of being powered by a laptop

The 3G-6210n is currently the smallest wireless 3G router. The compact design is convenient to carry for all mobile users. The 3G-6210n built in rechargeable li -ion battery. Utilize the rechargeable Li-ion battery, user can access Internet wirelessly via 3G modem card up to 1.5 hours.

The 1.5 hours run time may seem very little - but on the basis that it is capable of being powered and charged from a suitable USB power source this may be a moot point.

It is also fully 802.11n spec - that means upwards of 150Mbps to compatible WiFi devices

Edimax 3G-6210n complies with wireless IEEE 802.11b/g, and is compatible with IEEE 802.11n standard. When fine-tuned to operate using the wireless 802.11n technology, 3G-6210n wireless data transmission rate can reach up to 150Mbps – a coverage 3 times more than a standard 802.11g/b router.

Amazingly, the device is also able to act as a terrestrial router with 3G backup when plugged in to a Cable or ADSL router/modem. It will switch from one means of communication to the other as configured by the user.

The manufacturer's website - Edimax (http://www.edimax.co.uk/en/produce_detail.php?pl1_id=1&pl2_id=77&pl3_id=168&pd_id=313) - has full technical and specification details.

So, if you're in the market for a portable 3G/WiFi router device - and where a typical USB stick/dongle will not suffice - this may well foot the bill nicely. Particularly so because it is not allied to any one single network provider. Any USB 3G stick will work just fine.

Typical deployment:
1087

The Quick Install Guide is available for reading here --> http://www.edimax.co.uk/images/Image/QIG/Wireless/3G-6210n/3G-6210n_QIG_English.pdf

The full Install Manual is here --> http://www.edimax.co.uk/images/Image/manual/Wireless/3G-6210n/3G-6210n_Manual.pdf

The full Compatibility Guide is here --> http://www.edimax.co.uk/images/Image/CompatibleList/3G-6210n/3G-6210n_Compatiblelist--V1.0.pdf
Make sure your USB 3G device is listed here

[paulbds]

Saw this at the gadget show. I bought one before the show in PC World but took back after making my 3 Mifi dongle SIM free.
The only advantage that i can see at present is the fact it is n standard.

The stand at the gadget show had the units at the PC World price but also included an additional N USB dongle

[Hands0n]

Cool - do you recall how much they were being sold for at the time? Were you able to make any opinion about the product - it would be interesting to hear your views of this vs the MiFi :)

Edimax have a reputation for cheap but rather good kit - I've used their WLAN routers many times previously, their OS is very good.

[Ben]

Looks like a cool device. I'm not impressed by the battery life, though - I really like the idea of a truly mobile solution and we're going to need orders of magnitude more power for that to be a reality!

[Hands0n]

Yea, the battery life is a bit on the low side. In this day and age there isn't a laptop/netbook that wouldn't see off that 1.5 hours. But I wonder if it would make more sense to run it from the car's cigar lighter socket when out on the move. In a remote [from home] location I would have thought this would be used in a hotel/villa rather than the middle of a field away from more traditional power sources. The whole point being able to pop up a WLAN accessing the Internet via mobile broadband.

Typical uses would, I imagine being, a building site office or suchlike. Personally, I don't think that I can find a use for such a device domestically in any but very rare circumstances. I do recall using my Nokia N95 with a utility called Joikuspot (see http://www.joikushop.com/index.php?action=products&mode=productDetails&product_id=33) that cost around €9

JoikuSpot enables "1-click internet". 1 click to turn a phone to a WiFi internet gateway
Today we have iPhone and Android "tethering" that achieves the same result. But even then, it only got used a couple of times when in the car with a pair of MacBooks passing the time on a long run. Ordinarily I would use the USB stick dedicated to my MacBook as and when required. I cannot recall the last time I needed to share using a "hotspot"