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Public Wi-Fi is a necessity, but I don’t recommend trusting it. According to Statista, some of the most common places personal information is compromised are cafes, restaurants, and hotels. Plus, public Wi-Fi isn’t always the best-performing. It’s unlikely that you’ll get the same fast, stable speeds you have at home. But that’s where the TP-Link Roam 7 comes in.
Also: TP-Link Deco 7 Pro review: This Wi-Fi 7 router wiped out my dead zones
This mobile router is designed to bring secure Wi-Fi 7 wherever you go. It’s a compact device that will instantly improve your public Wi-FI experience… when it starts working.
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Compact design
TP-Link’s Roam 7 is built for life on the road. It’s a small gadget, measuring 4.9 x 3.7 x 1.5 inches and weighing just under nine ounces. On the sides are two adjustable antennas to boost wireless signals, while on the bottom are a pair of rubber feet keeping the unit stable. Heat vents wrap around the body, allowing hot air to escape, which are much needed. The Roam 7 can support up to 90 other connected devices at once, and as you pile on the connections, the router heats up.
Across the Roam 7, you’ll find the gadget’s ports. Starting from the right is a USB-C port for the power adapter. The brick is a little tricky to carry around because of its size. Luckily, you can use a power bank like the Anker Nano 10,000 mAh instead. It works the same.
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Next is a 1Gbps LAN port and a faster 2.5Gbps WAN port for high-speed wired connections. There’s also a USB 3.0 port, which can be used for file sharing or for connecting to a USB 4G/5G modem. Along the side sits a reset button and an Action button that can be configured to one of three functions: turning on the rear LED light, disabling Wi-Fi, or toggling the VPN.
The setup process
Setting up the Roam 7 is simple in theory. You plug the router into power, download TP-Link’s Tether app, scan the QR code on the bottom of the router, and then follow the on-screen instructions. Tether teaches you how to create wireless networks, name them, and connect the device to a local internet source.
In practice, however, the process wasn’t very smooth. There were several times when the app refused to connect to the router, forcing me to retry the setup multiple times before it worked. Even after the initial setup, I still ran into trouble.
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The Roam 7 worked perfectly at home; however, when I took the device to my local Starbucks, neither my phone nor my Galaxy Book6 Pro could connect to it. After multiple failed attempts, I ended up redoing the full setup process. Then, on top of all this, the Wi-Fi signal would randomly drop a few times, forcing me to reboot.
These incidents were pretty frustrating. However, once you get past the finicky setup and signal drops (assuming they occur at all), you will enjoy a great wireless experience.
Performance test
For testing, I took the TP-Link Roam 7 to a few public locations, like the aforementioned local Starbucks, to see if using the router has any negative effects on connection quality. Would the device cause any slowdowns?
I’m happy to report that using the Roam 7 did not have any negative impacts on local Wi-Fi. My experience browsing the internet on the router felt identical to browsing on the local Wi-Fi: just as responsive and just as smooth.
Back home, I ran the Ookla speed test several times to compare wireless speeds on and off the router. While connected to Ookla via the Roam 7, I recorded download speeds of 151.95 Mbps and upload speeds of 37.13 Mbps. Connected directly to my home network, I saw download speeds of 173.98 Mbps and upload speeds of 35.76 Mbps.
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There is a slight difference in speeds, as you can see. On paper, the router appears to slow down connections, but if you’re actually on the network, you don’t notice anything off.
The Roam 7 also comes with a handful of management features, all accessible through the Tether app. One of my favorites is the security scanner, which checks the network for potential vulnerabilities and highlights any settings that should be changed. Like the Deco Pro 7, the router includes a Network Optimization tool to reduce channel congestion.
Plus, the Roam 7 supports VPNs with built-in compatibility for services like NordVPN, Surfshark, IPVanish, and PureVPN, as well as the option to manually add your own preferred service.
Also: TP-Link Deco 7 Pro review: This Wi-Fi 7 router wiped out my dead zones
ZDNET’s buying advice
The TP-Link Roam 7 normally retails for $140, but at the time of this writing, it’s on sale for $99. At that price, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who wants a fast, more secure connection while on public Wi-Fi. It’s a great accessory if you often work away from the office and home.
One thing to remember is that the Roam 7 cannot create its own internet connection. It isn’t a hotspot. If you are looking for a device that can generate its own connection, be sure to check out the TravlFi JourneyGo 4G, which uses cellular signals to provide internet access wherever you have coverage.