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Kyocera KR2 Mobile Router

Kyocera Wireless today announced the KR2 Mobile Router, a followon to their ground breaking KR1 Mobile Router (now $199) which integrates a WiFi hotspot with cellular EVDO backhaul in one small box.

The KR2 Mobile Router supports PCMCIA, ExpressCard and USB devices for wireless connectivity and features 802.11n (Draft 2.0) for longer-range, faster Wi-Fi. The new KR2 can also act as a conventional router, plugging into cable or DSL modems to provide fail-over capability to an EV-DO connection during network interruptions.

The KR2 takes a single CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 or Rev. A backhaul connection and creates a mobile 802.11b/g/n WiFi hot spot.

Kyocera claims the KR2 Mobile Router can be installed in minutes virtually anywhere and provides high-speed Internet and data access for multiple users. It supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup Mode via a dedicated button, a VPN-L2TP and enhanced encryption for network security.

It should be available sometime in early 2008. No price yet.

Other access points with cellular backbones include:

Kyocera Wireless announced a free firmware update for its Kyocera KR1 Mobile Router earlier this year. The $219 access point now supports a variety of EV-DO Rev. A devices, including the Kyocera KPC680 ExpressCard as well as other Rev A devices including Novatel’s S720 PCMCIA card and U720 USB device, Pantech’s PX-500 PCMCIA card, and UTStarCom’s PC5750 PCMCIA card.
WAAV makes “mobile access points” that allow Internet connectivity in mobile environments. Their $499 wireless router, with a single backbone connection, uses Sprint’s EVDO starting at $59.99/month. Their AirBox X2 ($1099), is the first mobile cellular router that establishes two cellular Internet connections, binding them together for additional speed. It can also utilize WiMAX or 4.9 GHz public service frequencies for the backhaul, mixing and matching various types of backbone providers.
Sprint’s Linksys EV-DO/Wi-Fi Router costs less than $250 (plus monthly service charge).
D-Link has a family of 3G mobile broadband wireless routers that use cellular (EVDO or HSDPA) wireless backbones. The $300 D-Link routers are available in two versions: the DIR-450 (EV-DO) and DIR-451 (UMTS/HSDPA).
The $700 Junxion Box provides a similar cellular backhaul solution. It’s used on Seattle buses to provide mobile WiFi, so a static (or bike-mounted) webcam shouldn’t be too difficult.
The 3G Phoebus MB6000, a pyramid-shaped access point converts your cellular PC Card into an 802.11g access point. The 3G Phoebus is said to be compatible with most major wireless providers and compatible with most EV-DO, UMTS, and HSDPA networks, as well as slower EDGE/GPRS connections.