Back when hotels offered business travelers wired Ethernet access in rooms, travelers could simply connect a standard travel router for reliable and secure Wi-Fi access. Finding an Ethernet jack in a modern hotel is now a fairly rare occurrence, and many business travelers only have the option to use Wi-Fi provided by the hotel.
A pain point for a business traveler carrying multiple devices is going through the process of sign-in, entering a password, and accepting the terms of service agreement every 24 hours for each device using Wi-Fi. More importantly, security-aware business travelers can never be sure how safe hotel Wi-Fi really is for their data.
Solution: NETGEAR Trek N300 Travel Router
The NETGEAR Trek N300 Travel Router allows you to connect to a hotel Wi-Fi network and share that Wi-Fi connection with other devices and guests. It essentially acts as its own secure Wi-Fi hotspot. It is inexpensive and compact, easily fitting inside a laptop case or carryall.
How It Works
Business travelers will want to unbox the Trek N300 at work or at home. Initial setup involves going online and entering a manufacturer code to set up the unique administrator password that will protect your Wi-Fi network. Instructions for this are stuck to the side of device.
The Trek powers up with an AC cable or USB connection into a powered device should a wall outlet be unavailable. Note that a multi-port high-speed desktop USB charger (Anker makes a good one) is a good companion for any business traveler.
Power up the Trek N300 and simply connect to it from whichever device you prefer to use for browser-based configuration. Do this by entering the address of the Trek N300 that is provided with the device. Enter the administrator password as determined in the initial setup, and you will see a list of public Wi-Fi networks appear. Choose the one for the hotel and log on.
Once connected, you will see the universal NETGEAR Genie pop up to configure the network.
Now simply log on the Trek N300 network with your other devices. This will get around device limitations hotels sometimes have, and alleviate having to sign in each day with every device that accesses the Wi-Fi.
The internal firewall built into the Trek N300 provides business users an extra layer of security that gives them assurance that their data and network is protected from outside intrusions.
The Trek N300 has additional uses. It can work as a traditional travel router when there is a live Ethernet cable present. It can be also used as a network range extender for a home network.
Video: Trek N300 for a streamlined and secure hotel Wi-Fi network.
