UniFi Travel Router Review

In this post, I’ll review the UniFi Travel Router and share how it has become a “must pack” travel accessory for my trips. In preparation for a medical tourism trip to Seoul, South Korea, I picked up two accessories I thought would make things easier so I could fully focus on my recovery. The first accessory was the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 lens in X-mount and the second was the UniFi Travel Router (UTR).

Disclaimer: I purchased the UniFi Travel Router at full retail price from JD.com, and these opinions are my own.

What is the UniFi Travel Router?

The UTR is a compact, nearly credit card sized, portable networking device designed to provide secure and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity on the go. Ideal for travellers, it allows you to easily create your own private wireless network by connecting to hotel or public Wi-Fi, ensuring your devices remain safe from potential security risks. With its simple setup and robust features, the UniFi Travel Router is a convenient solution for staying connected while away from home.

How does it work?

The UTR operates by connecting to existing Wi-Fi networks, such as those found in hotels, airports or coffee shops, and then broadcasting its own secure wireless signal for your devices. Once plugged in and configured, it acts as a gateway, isolating your personal devices from the public network and providing enhanced security. The router’s interface is user-friendly, allowing travellers to quickly set up a private network and manage connected devices.

What I really loved about this experience was how easy it was to setup since I already have three UniFi networks in three countries. I was able to choose which personal Wi-Fi network I wanted to leverage while travelling and also if I wanted to relay the communications locally or via one of those three networks. I chose my Wi-Fi network in my Beijing residence since all my personal devices are accustomed to connecting to that.

Does it live up to the hype?

When I arrived at the Grand Intercontinental Parnas Hotel in Seoul, all I had to do was use the interface on the UniFi app to connect to the hotel Wi-Fi one time. Once I had logged on, every personal device connected to the UTR’s Wi-Fi as if I was at home. For example, if your home UniFi network’s Wi-Fi is called “Beijing Home” and you setup the UTR to use that same name when travelling, the UTR will broadcast “Beijing Home” Wi-Fi in your hotel room.

On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it was rather magical to see all of my personal devices start buzzing and pinging as they connected to the Wi-Fi by themselves, without me having to go through the process on each device of selecting the hotel’s Wi-Fi and entering the room number and last name. That convenience alone was worth the cost of acquisition at USD $79. I wish I had this device when I did the Alaska cruise in 2024; it could have saved a lot of money for the “per device” charges.

The UTR is powered by USB-C and can connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi or Ethernet port. The range of the UTR’s Wi-Fi appeared to be very good. I tested the Wi-Fi speed and was able to attain ~350 mbps in transfer speeds without VPN/Teleport and ~150mbps with VPN/Teleport. While not a crushing performance, it’s more than enough for travel purposes. I never felt like I needed more speed on this trip.  

Can it seamlessly access your home network?

To add onto the convenience, there’s also the ability to seamlessly and very easily access any of your UniFi networks via VPN. If it’s a UniFi network, you don’t need to do any additional setup. You go to the Teleport section of the UniFi app and connect to your home network; you then have access to your home network just as if you’re back at home. If you’re wanting to connect to another VPN provider, there’s the capability to use WireGuard and OpenVPN to access those networks via the UTR.

Would I buy it again?

For USD $79, I think this is a no-regrets purchase if you’re already invested in the UniFi ecosystem. If you’re not, you can use this with limited capability or consider grabbing one of its more capable competitors from other networking manufacturers. I’ve now included the UTR in my travel electronics pouch as a “must-pack” item for future trips.