12 Best Portable Wi-Fi Routers for Traveling in 2022

by Guy McDowell

It’s almost time to begin the holiday travels to visit family and friends, near and far. Even though internet service is more available than ever, some spots are still almost off the grid. You need a portable Wi-Fi router for your travels.

We present the best portable Wi-Fi routers for traveling to keep you connected through the holidays and 2022.

Table of Contents

    Why Would I Want a Portable Wi-Fi Router?

    There are many reasons you’d want to set up a mobile hotspot with your own portable Wi-Fi router.

    1. Best High End Mobile Wi-Fi Router – Netgear Nighthawk M5

    Price: $699

    Cell Network: 5G

    Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi Version 6

    At around $700, the Netgear Nighthawk M5 mobile Wi-Fi unit should be able to do almost everything. And it does. If you’re a heavy traveler or use this as your primary Internet connection at home, it may be worth it. Note that it works best on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the US. The battery is easily removed, so consider getting a spare to keep charged for quick swaps. If you don’t have 5G cell service in your area, consider the Netgear M1 for 4G service.

    2. Runner Up High End Mobile Wi-Fi Router – NetGear Nighthawk M1 

    Price: $400

    Cell Network: 4G

    Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n Dual Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz

    Yes, another NetGear Nighthawk. You’ve probably guessed that this is the NetGear Wi-Fi router that came before the M5. Yet, it’s still sought after. It’s also the ideal mobile Wi-Fi router if you only have access to 4G cell service.

    3. Best Affordable Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot – NetGear 4G AC797

    Price: $219

    Cell Network: 4G

    Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/c Dual Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz

    NetGear is popular for a reason. If the higher priced NetGear devices are just out of reach, this is the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for you. With many of the features available on the Nighthawks, you’ll get your money’s worth. Although its peak download speed is 400 Mbs, it’s enough for most people.

    4. Runner Up Affordable Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot – GlocalMe U3 Mobile Hotspot

    Price: $120

    Cell Network: 4G

    Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz

    5. Best Budget Portable Wi-Fi Router – Alcatel LINKZONE MW41NF

    Price: $60

    Cell Network: 4G

    Wi-Fi: 802.11b, 2.4 GHz

    If you need a mobile hotspot that’s lightweight, inexpensive, and versatile in several countries, the Alcatel Linkzone MW41NF might be for you. This mobile hotspot device does require a SIM card, so it won’t work on CDMA services like Sprint, Virgin, or Verizon. Alcatel also warns about leaving it charging for more than 10 hours, leading to overheating.

    6. Runner Up Budget Portable Wi-Fi Router – Yeacomm P21-2 4G LTE CPE Router

    Price: $99

    Cell Network: 4G

    Wi-Fi: 802.11 n/bg, 2.4 GHz

    If you need greater Wi-Fi range and have somewhere to plug it in, the Yeacomm P21-2 may be for you. It’s affordable, yet it’s larger than the other mobile Wi-Fi routers listed. The Ethernet and phone ports are ideal for the cottage or remote offices. Yes, you can plug in landline phones and make voice calls over cellular.

    7. Best High End Travel Wi-Fi Hotspot – GL.iNet GL-MT1300 Beryl

    Price: $90

    Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Dual Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz

    The GL.iNet Beryl may be the cutest portable Wi-Fi router, but it’s also a beast when it comes to setting up a solid mobile internet connection. This mobile access point is small enough to fit in a pocket yet built with security and versatility at its core. The Beryl can be used as a Wi-Fi router, repeater, or tether to your phone through its USB 3.0 port.

    8. Runner Up High End Travel Wi-Fi Hotspot – GL.iNet GL-AR750S-Ext Slate

    Price: $70

    Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Dual Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz

    Slightly less cute and powerful, the GL.iNet Slate gives you most of the security features of the Beryl, support for sharing data from MicroSD cards, and respectable 433 Mbps Wi-Fi speeds. It can also be used as a range extender. Think of it as Beryl’s younger sibling that happens to be the same size.

    9. Best Affordable Travel Wi-Fi Router – TP-Link Wireless N Nano

    Price: $35

    Wi-Fi: ‎802.11a/b/g/n 2.4GHz

    What’s with travel routers being cute? The TP-Link N300 is likely the most popular travel Wi-Fi router. The price, features, and 2-year warranty with unlimited technical support make it hard to beat, even if it was twice the price. Plus, it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, so it can travel in your laptop bag. Because it can be used as a repeater, access point (AP), or a mobile hotspot, you can use it even when you’re not traveling. Check out the Nano Router emulator page to see how it’s managed.

    10. Runner Up Affordable Travel Wi-Fi Router – MikroTik – hAP Mini

    Price: $22

    Wi-Fi: ‎802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz

    MikroTik’s hAP mini is roughly 4 inches in height and length and under 2 inches in width. That’s small, considering it also has three ethernet ports. It uses the MikroTik RouterOS that’s configured to run out of the box, or you can access its web-based configuration page to make it do what you want. If anything, the depth of configuration possible may be too much. Of course, there’s an app as well.

    11. Best Budget Travel Wi-Fi Router – GL.iNet microuter-N300

    Price: $22

    Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz

    Another entry from GL.iNet, the microrouter-N300 must be the smallest Wi-Fi router available. With such a small size comes fewer features and range. However, this wireless router is still very capable and energy efficient.

    12. Runner Up Budget Travel Wi-Fi Router – Kasda KW55293

    Price: $16

    Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz

    It’s lower priced and has more ethernet ports than the GL.iNet microuter-N300, so why isn’t the Kasda the best in this class? It’s about the size of 6 microuter-N300s. But at that price, it’s just too good to pass up.

    Happy Trails and Safe Travels

    One of our featured portable Wi-Fi routers is going to keep you connected while connecting with family and friends for the holidays. You may even want to give them as gifts. Could there be a better, affordable tech stocking stuffer?

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