Customer Reviews

KR2 Mobile Router

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Received the KR-2 today (ordered same day it went up for sale). I have been using a Kyocera KR-1 for two years. The performance of the KR-1 was poor (at best). The Wi-Fi signal was very weak, and both the EV-DO and Wi-Fi connections would come and go as the KR-1 saw fit. I am not sure if it was caused by the KR-1 or was simply a defective EV-DO card, but my first EV-DO card got smoked and had to be replaced. I have been waiting for the KR-2 to become available since it was announced last fall.

Set up is extremely simple: open box, insert your EV-DO card, apply power. The first thing I noticed is that the KR-2 is ready for use in seconds, versus 1-2 minutes for the KR-1. I followed the directions once I had internet access (browse to http://192.168.0.1) and enter admin password. From there, it is easy to set up Wi-Fi security level and internet access password (if desired).

That's it. Done. If you have a Sprint EV-DO card (PC Card, USB, or Express card), this is the way to go. The service is cheaper than Comcast broadband and you can take it with you where ever.

UPDATE: May 27, 2009. Been using the KR-2 for about 14 months. The wi-fi feature has grown un-reliable (same as happened to my KR-1). Am pretty much only able to use the KR-2 by running a ethernet jumper between it and my notebook computer.

I have used the Kyocera KR2 for 10 months with both Sierra 595 PCMCIA and Pantech UM175 EV-DO modems, both of which are on the supported modems listing of the manufacturer. Both will work fine and provide Broadband Rev A connections and high speed when directly inserted in the computer but when used in the Kyocera KR2 there are periods when the connection will downgrade to National Access speeds which are 1/10 to 1/4 as fast. Re-inserting the modems in the laptops shows connection speeds are again fast but this is not a viable solution if using the Kyocera router to share the internet connection with multiple computers.

Kyocera announced months ago that it was discontinuing this router and Kyocera provided its last firmware update in September of 2008 which makes this an unsupported piece of equipment for even those modems it is supposed to support. The KR2 appears to be a Cradlepoint router that Kyocera re-branded and the Cradlepoint devices are still supported by the manufacturer. I will be replacing my KR2 with a Cradlepoint MBR1100 router in the very near future.

Update - 9/25/2010

Since Verizon acquired Alltel a while back, the connection no longer seems to drop after hours of inactivity. Still works great. A firmware upgrade fixed the router login issue. I should have also mentioned that I am using an express card and not a USB card.
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I bought this after buying an evdo card from Alltel. The card was mainly used in my macbook pro, but I wanted to be able to share the Internet with two other computers in the house. Since the only form of Internet where I live it dial-up, I had to give this a try.

Using true WiFi from the router works great. The speeds are more reliable than using the evdo card directly connected to my mac and the other two PCs in the house work great (one wireless and the other wired). This thing has a ton of features compared to an old Linksys 802.11b router I had.

My only problems so far is that when there has been no Internet usage for a few hours, the router doesn't want to auto connect like it should. I usually have to reset it or simply remove the evdo card and insert it again. The other minor issue is that I can't seem to login to the router with Firefox 3 (but really, not a big deal).

Overall, while it is expensive, it's been worth it for me to get rid of dial-up!

Husband and I have used Sprint mobile broadband for years since it seems to be the only way to get unlimited access without DSL or cable. Any other router was a hassle to set up.

We each got a KR2, plugged in the units and then inserted the EDVO devices and we were on the internet. Setting up the ports for whatever is very easy with the http://192.168.0.1 in the browser - enter the unit password and you can set whatever security level and/or IP range you need.

I'm running XP pro, and he's running ubuntu operating systems. We both have had a wonderful surprise that this router works without a hassle.

Great product! Works as advertised. We use a Verizon broadband card to provide access to multiple home computers at a location where high-speed service is unavailable.

I was really impressed with this router and was my first experience with Kyocera.

It has all the abilities of the higher end business routers with features for home, business, retail, hotspots, etc...

well built and even has a signal detector to help position the unit.

Finally it allows for multiple kinds of Cellular broadband devices as well.

Great Router!

I use my wireless cell card to make a wireless hot spot of around a 600 ft radius of my KR2 to use any of my computers at the same time. My wife and I can surf the web at the same time. I am glad I bought it.

I live in the country, we have bad hard line phone service, no cable, no dsl, just satelite and week mobile. I decided to give this a try, and surprisingly, when I installed my air card in the Kyocera, I get better internet connectivty than when I use my air card in my computer. The biggest advantage is that all of my kids can get connected anywhere in the house. Download speeds are surprisingly good.

Before I took this out of the box i called to see if my USB modem was compatible with the KR2. I was told to look at the compatibility chart on the web. That chart from 2008 had modems that were no longer manufactured. When i asked them for a new list they said that was the newest list they had. When asked about supporting current USB modems they had no information. My suspicion was that it was the typical Indian/Asian support unable to do anything but read a script. I mean why sell a product that requires compatibility with other hardware and not support any hardware made after 2008.

I sent the unit back.

Add to my list of companies i will no longer buy from, Kyrocera, HP and Dell.

this product is a junk. customer support told me that there is no upgrade available for future USB mobile modem. so, if your mobile broadband upgraded their USB modem to 3G or 4G, it will not work. Do not buy this product. Buy cradle point CTR350, cheaper price.