Despite the prevalence of devices with built-in modems for internet connectivity, there are still plenty of reasons why the D-Link DWR-933M 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 Mobile Hotspot is still useful.
Don’t be confused by the Cat6 designator. The DWR does not support a LAN cable. Instead it refers to LTE Cat6 – downlink speed of up to 300 Mbps.
First Impressions
The DWR is a small, immensely portable device. It measures at 108 x 63 x 16 mm which puts it about 20mm x 10mm larger than a credit card.
Much of that extra length is the large but handle “strap handle”. You can easily loop a strap through it and hang it off a bag. Mine hangs off a loop on the inside of my work bag.
The SIM slot is under the removeable battery. If you are worried about putting the battery in the wrong way, it is notched so that it will only fit in one direction.
On the front is a 1.77″ TFT display, USB-C charging port on the left, power and WPS button on the right. There is also a keyhole for a pin reset if necessary.
Initial connection details are on a label under the battery. This applies for both admin access to the device, and the default wireless connection. These are randomised so you will be reasonably secure even if you leave it there. At the end of the day, the usage of the DWR is not designed to be permanently on and you do need to be in range to attempt to brute force a connection.
In Use
When you need to get online, you want it quickly. The DWR takes about thirty seconds to power up and be ready, longer if it is the first time establishing a connection to your telco.
The display provides key details at a glance:
- Current bandwidth used
- WiFi networks – 2.4 and 5 GHz
- signal strength
- number of devices connected
- Battery level
I said at the start that many devices have modems and sim slots built in, so why the need for the DWR?
Perhaps you need to share a data plan between members of a young family who does not need their own SIM. Or you want to centralise control to the internet for the same young family. It is a lot easier to just turn off the DWR or take out the battery and access is limited.
Or in my case, I have a work issued laptop with a modem built in. The battery life has never been amazing, and running an onboard modem makes it even worse. With a DWR I can offload some of the power drain to squeeze a little more time out of it.
Perhaps the onboard modem is not supporting LTE (4G). Instead of replacing the entire unit, you can take advantage of a 4G modem on the cheap.
Other Features
The DWR has a browser interface for some configuration. It is not a router and does not have means to configure routes or VPN connections. There is also an app you can use to do the same. I used the browser and realistically, there is little reason to tinker with the setup once you are done the first time.
The DWR comes with a limited access control list. Rather than being an allow list, it is an deny list for up to eight devices via MAC address. Personally I would have gone with an explicit allow list
The removable battery is rated at 3000 mAh.
It can support up to 64 wireless clients – I didn’t try to max it out.
Gripes
There is one. The DWR supports WPA2 encryption but not WPA3.
To a degree this is neither here or there, but the default position really should be the best level of available security as possible.
Conclusions
The D-Link DWR-933M 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 Mobile Hotspot is a lightweight easy to use mobile hotspot. Especially for those travelling with family overseas, it is much cheaper to share a hotspot than sims to multiple individual devices.
For me, it is working well by offloading the battery drain from my laptop, and it is convenient to quickly get another team member onboard when we are getting ready to do presentations.
The RRP for the D-Link DWR-933M 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 Mobile Hotspot is A99, but Amazon seems to be stocking it for $89 at time of publishing.
DRN would like to thank D-Link for providing the review unit.
