I have this router for a few weeks and I am very happy with it. Can't beat all the features for the price you get! Problems with connections you say ?? I has some as well but when I changed ISP's to another carrier and another wireless modem at the exact same place, presto chango, everything works like a charm. Router is totally dependent on reception of the USB cellular modem in connected to it . You can have the best router in the world but if your ISP is below par or your connection is bad then your router can't improve it. I feel sorry for the gentleman who bought the cradlepoint router I am pretty sure that they are experiencing the same problems as before. One of the most positive things about routers and equipment that comes out of China like this one does is that it uses easily available spare parts, so you can go on line and but an extra battery or two for next to nothing (NP-120 = $12 including shipping) so if you are on a long trip take a few with you and you can work for quite a long time. Router has excellent transmission distance . Security features are quite good and even has a WPS system if you use that ( I don't) .Looks quite similar to Trendnet TEW-655BR3G .Many products coming out of china have different names but identical products. This type of product will grow in popularity as wireless modems become more and more popular. As for use with Ethernet connection results are quite standard , no surprises.
In short if you have decent wireless reception or Ethernet when you travel and you need to connect more than one device then this product could be invaluable to you, if not change ISP
Regards Zoom 4506 3G Wireless-N Travel Router
I give this device four stars because when it works, it is great; but it is not bullet-proof. First it is at the mercy of the cellular service, and second, it appears that the firmware can hang under certain circumstances, requiring a re-boot. I have been using this in a rural area of the US Northeast where wired broadband is hard to find. Cell service is US Cellular (CDMA 3G). The first problem is there is no easy way to see the number of "bars" the dongle is getting, so locating the Zoom 3G for best signal is blind. Second, the unit does not function well on battery at temperature near or below 50F. The unit gets very slow, drops packets, and eventually hangs. I'm guessing the problem is the Li battery as when I plug in to power and reboot, it usually runs fine. Two other things appear to cause the firmware to hang: changing from battery power to line power or vice-versa, and attempting to dig into the set-up menus while the dongle is plugged in and operating. Neither of these are show-stoppers, and a re-boot (power off-on) brings the Zoom 3G back to life. And as I said, when everything is warm and stable, the unit works very well, crisp and clean.
I had a Cradlepoint router for several years. My cat knocked it onto the floor, and it no longer worked. I saw the Zoom was lower priced, and thought I'd give it a try. I fought with it for 3 weeks. I upgraded the firmware, and still it wouldn't work. I constantly had to reboot the device to get it to connect. Rebooting consisted of turning the device off, removing the USB modem, turning the device on and waiting for it to light up, then plugging the USB modem back in, and waiting another 3-4 minutes for detection. The entire process took about 10 minutes, multiple times per day. Sometimes, I couldn't even get the user interface up...it would time out rather than connecting to the router. At times it would cycle by disconnecting and connecting over and over to the USB modem. I finally gave up, sent it back, and ordered a Cradlepoint Router.
I was initially a bit apprehensive about purchasing this bit of kit because of some of the reviews, and the fact I was buying it for use in Aus where I couldn't easily return it if it didn't work. I needn't have worried; the Zoon 4506 has worked out great for me! I've been mainly using it on power when away for the Christmas break, so haven't tried the battery life, but so far the connectivity has been excellent.
I have been using it with a Huawei E220 which it found immediately, and a Virgin Mobile Australia SIM. Setup was a piece of cake; go to 192.168.1.1 after connecting to it wirelessly, set a WPA password, set the APN settings for VM Aus, and rebooted it. It connected the modem immediately on restart, and speed was excellent - a lot better than my tethering to my BBerry via bluetooth. Have also used with my iPad and BB using Wifi.
Can't fault this, it does what it says and has been excellent so far.
S
I bought this it took me and 3 zoom tech support people, to get it to work right out if the box , about 5 months later now it drops connections several times a day, I called tech support they said they changed the firmware there was a problem with the old firmware, and to update firmware, I did nothing improved so they told me to put it back to factory defaults, and the tech support would not help me set it back up again even after he learmed it was under warranty and I explained the difficulty it was to set up using tech support people at their tech support, in the first place he said I should learn the settings well them guys could not figure it out until it esculated to a possible return, and now I am buying a good reputable brand . as well the connection speed has always slowed down when using this \ ok for simple one at a time transactions but bottled neck things up when doing more than a basic simple task. I had no choice for a 0 star for product and I give their tech support a -10
First unit worked, but only when powered from an external source, otherwise it would not connect. Powered it only connects about 50% of the time, requiring a power cycle to get it connected. Once connected, it will stay connected for hours with no issues, even on battery. Throughput of data is a bit slower than when the same modem is plugged into the computer directly. I recieved a replacement unit from Amazon, the replacement does the same thing connectivity wise. Both units also display another odd issue, when connecting by wifi with my laptop, Internet explorer becomes sluggish and unresponsive at times, and the wifi seems to reconnect occationally, and there are very few other wifi signals in the area that would cause interference. My iPod touch seems to connect and stay connected pretty well, but it's less sensitive about connection quality. If I plug in the ethernet cable, it works nearly flawlessly between the router and computer. Lastly, the replacement unit also seems to have a battery charging issue, as the power indicator light is flashing red even when charged, and displays red when on battery, even when the battery is charged, the original unit seemed to work normally in this regard. Firmware updates were required for my modem type, so they were done early in the process.
Sadly two contacts with Zoom about the issues has not got me anything difinitive as to a solution. The most recent was to pay for another unit direct from Zoom, and they would send it to me, and credit me when the defective unit arrives back to them. I have an RMA now, but tech support seemed disorganized and was difficult to understand on the phone. Cudos to Amazon for a better system.
Otherwise, the unit works as advertised, it creates a wifi hot spot with decent range, the setup is fairly easy, though you may have to look up log in data for your wireless modem to make it work, Zoom has info that may work for you.
Unfortunately, I think I'm going to return the unit back to Amazon and try another brand as I just don't have a good feeling about it at the moment. - Travel Router - Cradlepoint'
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