Windy31 USB Router
Rating: 3 out of 5
Price: $59.99

Ever been on a business trip where there was just one Internet connection and more than one laptop? Or maybe you paid for Internet in an airport and wished you could share that connection with a friend?

One way to share that hotel LAN connection would be to bring your wireless router along on your trip, but it's bulky and would take up precious packing space. Instead, how about bringing along the USB Windy31? It' a wireless LAN card and router all in one!

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At a little less than 3 inches high and about 1 inch wide, it broadcasts signals out just about as far as your home router -- only it plugs into the side of your computer for wireless portability!

So how does it work? To use, simply connect your computer via wifi, LAN line or cellular broadband card. Then plug in the Windy31 and in mere moments a menu pops up with all sorts of options.

If you do absolutely nothing at this stage, it sets up its own open wifi network and starts sharing your Internet connection with up to 32 other people. While in this mode anyone within about 300 feet of you could be using your Internet as well. At best this means they’re slowing down your connection, at worst they could be using your connection for something you don’t want them to.

What you should do is change the security measures by adding a WEP key or password like you would at home. The trouble is the menu is not that user-friendly. So you'll probably end up hunting around for what you want or you may need to crack out the book.

So why would you need this device? Really it's for someone on the go. Business travelers especially would find this beneficial. That's because they're often the ones traveling in groups and maybe one person has a cellular broadband card and the others don't. Or maybe you subscribe to Internet at a coffee shop and you have a friend in town who doesn't really want to pay for just an hour's worth of Internet. In all of these cases, you could share the Internet connection easily.

The device isn't just for sharing it can also used to boost a wifi connection. Standalone boosters are out there but cost quite a bit of money. Instead, you could buy this product, place it on a computer where the wifi signal starts to fade and it will pick up the fading signal and rebroadcast it, filling in the dead areas in your home.

The Upsides: What I liked about the Windy31 is it's small and easy to carry around. It doesn't take up much space in your laptop case at all. And while not needed often, it would work well in situations where friends or business partners are traveling together and have just one Internet connection but multiple laptops.

The Downsides: What I wasn't so impressed with was the menu structure and that's really the reason I scored the product 3.5. While it works great, setting up security or trying to find out how to connect to a wifi network isn't all that intuitive. I could easily see how this may frustrate someone who doesn't have a whole lot of patience for figuring out how to use a gadget.

The Bottom Line: All in all if you are willing to take the time to play around with the Windy31 before putting it to the test you will be pleasantly surprised. And at $60 -- even less in places online -- it's competitively priced.