Review: Compact Kanex MySpot extends an Ethernet network to Wi-Fi
Kanex’s $60 MySpot aims to let you easily create a secure Wi-Fi network in a hotel room or any other location where you have an ethernet port that provides automatically assigned IP addresses. This seems like a marvelous idea, but the MySpot doesn’t quite live up to the promise on scrutiny.
The MySpot weighs just a few ounces and is tiny, at just three inches long by a bit over one inch square. The MySpot is powered by USB, but doesn’t use USB for data transfer or configuration. You connect its built-in USB cable (which snaps into the body of the device when not in use) to a USB port on a computer or to a USB-to-AC adapter (not supplied) for power, and then connect an ethernet cable to the other end of the MySpot for data. You supply the ethernet cable—some hotels may have an ethernet stub or cable in the room, while others provide just a jack.
I tested the MySpot while traveling, plugging it into a hotel room’s ethernet jack during a conference in which the facility’s Wi-Fi was regularly overwhelmed by the quantity of attendees trying to connect. The MySpot gave me quasi-private access to the fast, wired Internet connection through a separate Wi-Fi channel. I also performed similar tests elsewhere, with the same effect. The unit powers up rapidly, as well.
The MySpot is small, but you need a USB power source and an ethernet cable to make it functional.
As one would expect from a compact device using an outdated Wi-Fi standard (see below), the MySpot’s network isn’t strong enough to be usable from rooms away. Within a single room, coverage is fair to good, and in most circumstances where the MySpot makes more sense than the larger and heavier $99 Apple AirPort Express, you’ll be within line of sight anyway. I didn’t exhaustively test speed, but the MySpot keeps up fine with high-speed cable broadband compared to directly wired and other Wi-Fi connections.
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