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Get a TrendNet 802.11n travel router for $19.99

Regularly priced as high as $76.99, this pocket-size router (which doubles as an access point) can turn nearly any hotel room into a fast, secure Wi-Fi hot spot.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
Small enough to fit in your pocket, the TrendNet Travel Router is an excellent companion for road warriors.
Small enough to fit in your pocket, the TrendNet Travel Router is an excellent companion for road warriors. TrendNet

How many times has this happened to you? You check into your hotel, only to find it doesn't have Wi-Fi. Or charges extra for it. Or the signal in your room is too weak to be of any use.

What you need is a travel router, a portable gizmo you can connect to the room's Ethernet cable to create your own speedy, potentially free Wi-Fi hot spot. (Some hotels charge for Internet access regardless of how you connect, but others offer the Ethernet variety free.)

Newegg has the TrendNet TEW-654TR Wireless N Travel Router Kit for $19.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCYTZT342 at checkout. (Note: You must be a Newegg newsletter subscriber for the code to work.) Newegg's regular price: $49.99. And TrendNet sells it direct for $76.99.

The router is downright tiny, measuring just 3.2 by 2.4 inches and weighing just 1.6 ounces. Just plug in the Ethernet cable and presto: you've got your own secure 802.11n Wi-Fi network.

You can power it with the included AC adapter or, if you're trying to keep your travel gear to a minimum, one of your laptop's USB ports. (TrendNet supplies the necessary cable.)

In addition to pulling router duty, the TEW-654TR can also function as an access point and AP client. TrendNet backs it with a five-year warranty.

If you travel a lot, stick this in your bag and forget about it--until you need it, at which point you might find it's the best $20 you've spend in a while.

Bonus deal: Today only, 1SaleADay has Microsoft Office Professional 2010 Plus (download version) for $99.99. That's a pretty smoking deal, but there are a couple red flags. I recommend reading the user comments over at deals.woot before pulling the trigger on this.