Sometimes you may find yourself someplace with Wi-Fi access to the Internet, but you are working on a device with only a wired Ethernet connection… what to do?
Last year my wife (an RN) and I lived with her mother for over 8 months while she was on hospice for the end of her life. They did have Wi-Fi, but I still needed to work and had configuration projects that needed a wired connection. After stringing 15m Ethernet cables throughout their home… and having them get tangled in wheelchairs and become quite the trip hazard, my wife kindly suggested I find another way to get my work done.
Thus, my search for a Wireless to Wired Bridge solution.
First up was a small, almost tiny, bridge designed specifically for this use. Though it worked well enough, I found the requirement for a micro USB to power it, and that it was 2.4GHz with very low max speed, made me think there should be another solution.
The next attempt was a much larger, more capable device from BrosTrend. This device did perform much better with a GbE port and 5GHz capabilities. But I was now tethered to a wall plug and still had to string Ethernet cables from wherever I was working to this big “wall-wart.” It did NOT pass the wife’s “needs to not be obtrusive” test.
My next attempt was a much smaller, lighter, and just as capable device in a TP-Link Travel Router. It did what I needed but was still powered over that silly micro USB cable. It did work and even met the wife’s criteria. But configuring it as we moved from site to site became a pain.
Then there was the entire phase of going through a series of more capable GL.iNet Travel Routers. They had way more capabilities, ran off USB-C, and offered 2.5Gb Ethernet ports and supported Wi-Fi 7. But it was big, and though it had a front-panel screen, it was still not as easy to configure or move around. It could, and did, offer VPN service back to my home network — I needed to configure both sides, and it was a bit finicky. But it served me well for the past year as a traveling solution to this problem.
The Winner: Ubiquiti UniFi Travel Router
Finally, I found my favorite so far. It is the Ubiquiti UniFi Travel Router. It is small, lightweight, and not only does a fantastic job of connecting a wired device to a nearby wireless access point — but it also supports a wide range of other functions. (Including letting me automatically connect back to my home network, and “share” the SSIDs from home — so any other devices, like family phones, tablets, or computers don’t need any “tech support” from me!)
The size is amazingly small, like a ½ deck of playing cards. It has WAN and LAN GbE ports that have a “hinged” door to keep the size as slim as possible. It can work as a Wireless to Wired bridge using 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi, use my iPhone’s cellular connection via tethered USB-C cable, or as a Wired to Wired bridge when there is an available Ethernet drop.
As just a wireless to wired bridge, it shines — better and easier to configure than any of the other solutions. Using the UniFi app on my phone and Bluetooth to the little Travel Router, I can quickly choose between local available Wi-Fi options, add any authentication like PSKs, or answer Captive Portal questions. Basically… it just works.
Oh, and it also does all the other Travel Router things as well.