Video from 2018. Since then, we’ve seen the riots (revolution?) in HKG. Suddenly, the HDBs in Singapore make a lot more sense, and we should credit the SG Housing Board for their solution (sure, HDBs are not perfect, but compared to those cages…).
Living conditions in Singapore in
Right. With the pandemic and all none of us are going to travel much but still…
About a year ago I purchased myself an OpenWRT router to use on the plane and in hotels.
And so far I really like both the device and the Hong Kong based brand (launching new and updated products, and releasing relatively regular updates for older products). Pick a device that fits your needs (USB powered? LTE? Small form factor?).
The GL-AR750S aka Slate is fully customizable but runs a few nice things out of the box: WireGuard (with a physical button to turn it on or off), OpenVPN, shell access, Tor (requires the latest firmware), IPv6, DoH (Cloudflare only for now), multiple SSIDs (i.e. Guest WiFi), and more.
Oh and I specifically picked this version (compared to other or cheaper ones) because it had both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, as well as 3 Gbit ports (1x WAN, 2x LAN).
I use the device on flights, where I connect to the network once in the air, purchase WiFi or use iPass “for one device” and then connect to the interwebs behind my NAT-router from my iPad, phone(s), laptop(s), and even Shan‘s devices if she is travelling with me.
In hotels, I either connect it to the wired ethernet, if still available (tends to be more stable), or connect it to the guest WiFi and then connect my devices to the router: saves me from connecting to a new network and typing the room number and login/password/family name on every device. And once again hides the true number of connected devices; quite handy trick for those pesky hotels providing free access only to two devices.
Sure it takes a bit of setup every time: find a working USB port, sign in to the web interface, search for new networks if this is a new hotel or I haven’t travelled on this airline, connect to said network, sign in with iPass, and optionally enable VPN)…
And once in a while some fiddling with VPN or DNS that’s borking up or being blocked by overzealous firewalls.
Also, some in-flight entertainment USB ports don’t provide enough power (and/or are often broken — looking at you Lufthansa in economy) so be sure to carry a couple of these (US-plug works best) — I’ve already forgotten one on my last flight from MUC-SIN on LH, but luckily I have pretty easy access to these.
If you travel a lot it’s totally worth the money.
I should put more effort and time in updating my blog again. Got a shit load of random experience/issues with an Edgerouter now on Starhub in Singapore (IPv6, but still not reaching my Gbit speed). But that’ll be for later.
Had a few days in HK last week for an offsite with work. Jetstar + first time Tiger.
Now flying from SIN to ICN via KUL because the direct flights didn’t fit my price cap at work for that period. Business class on Korean Air (and MH — but that’s supposedly not as good).