HooToo TripMate Elite 2.4 GHz router review, is it worth it?

The HooToo TripMate Elite (HT-TM04) router released in 2015. It is powered by Ralink RT5350 @ 360 MHz chipset, 32 MB of RAM and 8 MB of flash. The N150 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with TripMate Elite is 150 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN and no LAN ports.

Operating on the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the TripMate Elite router offers decent wireless coverage and compatibility with a wide range of devices. You can connect supported USB devices to the TripMate Elite router. The external storage devices such as USB flash drives or external hard drives add file-server functionality to this router. HooToo is another well-known manufacturer in the networking industry.

Table of contents:

• HooToo TripMate Elite specifications
• HooToo TripMate Elite pictures

HooToo TripMate Elite (HT-TM04) specifications

Body

The dimensions and design of a router can impact its cooling capabilities. Routers with larger dimensions may have more space for internal cooling mechanisms, such as larger fans or heat sinks, which can help dissipate heat more effectively. If you plan to mount your router on a wall or ceiling, the weight can influence the mounting process and the type of mounting hardware required. Heavier routers might require more robust mounting solutions to ensure stability and prevent damage or accidents.

System

The HooToo TripMate Elite router is equipped with Ralink RT5350 @ 360 MHz processor. The 32 MB of RAM enables the router to handle multiple tasks and processes concurrently. It allows for the efficient switching and allocation of resources among different processes running on the router, facilitating multitasking and ensuring smooth operation. The flash memory in a HooToo router is different from the volatile memory (RAM) that is used for temporary storage of data while the router is powered on. Flash memory of the TripMate Elite retains its data even when the router is powered off, allowing the router to maintain its firmware and configuration settings across reboots.

To upgrade the firmware of the TripMate Elite router, you typically need to visit the manufacturer's website, locate the specific model of your router, and download the latest firmware version provided. The firmware upgrade process may vary depending on the router model, but it often involves accessing the router's web-based administration interface and uploading the downloaded firmware file. Using a custom OS on a router can offer certain benefits and advantages, but it also comes with potential risks and considerations. Installing custom firmware on theHooToo router voids the manufacturer's warranty and may impact your ability to receive official support.

The HooToo firmware of the TripMate Elite can be replaced with OpenWRT. OpenWrt is an open-source operating system that provides a customizable and feature-rich firmware solution for embedded devices, particularly routers and access points. The HooToo TripMate Elite router comes with 5V / 1A PSU. This unit is responsible for providing electrical power to the router, and if it becomes faulty, it can be replaced with a new, compatible one.

Network

Like many modern routers, the HooToo TripMate Elite supports a variety of features and technologies to enhance your network connectivity and security. The IPv4 is the fourth iteration of the Internet Protocol (IP) and is the most widely used version of IP on the internet today. The HooToo TripMate Elite has no LAN and 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN ports. LAN or Ethernet ports (RJ-45) are used to connect devices to the local area network (LAN).

WAN ports are used to connect the router to your internet service provider (ISP). They typically use Ethernet cables or fiber optic connections to establish a high-speed link between your local network and the wider internet. The WAN port on the TripMate Elite router is a Fast Ethernet port, not a Gigabit Ethernet. The Fast Ethernet ports are capable of supporting speeds up to 100 Mbps, which is still suitable for most internet connections.

Wireless

This router has 1 x 2 dBi, internal antennas. Antennas play a significant role in Wi-Fi performance and coverage. They are essential components of wireless routers that transmit and receive radio signals to establish wireless connections with devices. The TripMate Elite is compatible with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. 2.4 GHz is the most widely used frequency and in some cases may be overcrowded. The TripMate Elite is a Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) router. Wi-Fi 4 improved the range and coverage compared to previous Wi-Fi standards. The use of MIMO technology and other enhancements help to mitigate signal degradation and provide better coverage in larger homes or office environments. This allows devices to maintain a stable connection even when located farther away from the Wi-Fi router.

The N150 is a performance indicator that represents the router's theoretical maximum speed. The theoretical maximum speed (150 Mbps) represents the highest data transfer rate that the router is capable of achieving under ideal conditions. The TX power (14 dBm) of a router refers to the transmission power or signal strength at which the router broadcasts its Wi-Fi signal. It determines the range and coverage area of the wireless network.

The TripMate Elite router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2. The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure.

Connectivity

USB ports can offer additional functionality depending on the router's capabilities. The USB 2 port has a maximum theoretical data transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps), which is equivalent to 60 megabytes per second (MB/s). You can attach a compatible USB printer to the HooToo TripMate Elite device. USB print servers allow you to connect a USB printer to your network, making it accessible to multiple devices. This eliminates the need for each device to have a direct USB connection to the printer. It has built-in NAS functionality. You can connect external storage devices such as USB flash drives or USB hard drives to your router. This allows you to share files, documents, photos, and media across devices on your network. It can be convenient for accessing and sharing files without the need for separate file servers or cloud storage.

Features

Administration

The default IP addresses of the HooToo TripMate Elite device is 10.10.10.254. These address allows you to access the router's console login page. Regularly changing the password is a good security practice to protect your network and devices from unauthorized access. It is also recommended to use strong, unique passwords for other devices and online accounts connected to your network for enhanced security. By changing the default password, you improve the security of your router and reduce the risk of unauthorized individuals gaining control over your network. It helps prevent unauthorized access to your router's settings, network configurations, and sensitive information.

The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the HooToo TripMate Elite, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

HooToo TripMate Elite (HT-TM04) pictures

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