When comparing TL-WR802N vs ZyXEL Wireless N 3-in-1 Travel Router, the Slant community recommends TL-WR802N for most people. In the question“What are the best portable routers?” TL-WR802N is ranked 2nd while ZyXEL Wireless N 3-in-1 Travel Router is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose TL-WR802N is:
You can configure it once with a specific SSID and password and then just plug an Ethernet cable every time you need a wireless connection.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro You just need to plug an Ethernet cable for it to start working
You can configure it once with a specific SSID and password and then just plug an Ethernet cable every time you need a wireless connection.
Pro Can be used as a repeater to strengthen a wireless connection
When you use the repeater function, the LAN/WAN is disconnected and the port is used only to rebroadcast the existing wireless signal. The WiFi antenna is quite powerful as well, so this router will probably be able to pick up signals that your phone does not.
Pro Can be charged by most USB cables
Has a microUSB port that is used for charging. This way you can connect it to most phone chargers if you lose the cable that comes with the router.
Pro Extremely portable
It measures only 2.2 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches and it's very light at only 7.2 ounces, making it easy to carry around even in your pocket.
Pro Can be used to connect a device with Ethernet
Since it has two ports, you can use one to connect to the internet, and the other to connect a device to the router using wired connection. This lets you use a device at full speeds without being hindered by wireless speed limitations.
Pro Extremely small and portable
At 2.91 x 2.3 x 0.59 inches it's the size of a few small cards stacked on top of each other.
Pro Can be used for both WAN and LAN connectivity
Has two gigabit Ethernet ports that can be used for WAN and LAN connectivity.
Cons
Con Doesn't really support Gigabit Ethernet
Even though the LAN/WAN port technically supports Gigabit Ethernet, the speed will still be bottlenecked by the 300 Mbps throughput.
Con Range could be better
The range of this router is kinda lacking. While for a travel router range is not that important, since most of the time the router will be right next to you all the time but with this router the signal will start dropping considerably even behind a single wall.
