Wireless router - checked bag or carry on?

[Leash]

We're bringing a wireless router, to cover the 3 laptops that are coming, and I'm just not sure where it would be best to put it. I emailed the TSA and after there first response that had noting to do with the question I asked they responded with the most vague answer possible that basically came down to it is up to the screeners at the airport what gets through where.

So I figured I'd come to you guys, so who has brought a router and where did you pack it? DH did suggest that we just ship it and that may be what we do but I'd rather pack it so I can keep some sort of track of it. Any tips or advice is great. Thanks.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Anything of any value should be taken in your carry-on bag. A router should not cause any screening problems.

 

[disney david]

It wont be a problem in carry on you just might have to take it out and put it in the bin to put through the xray like you will have to do with your lap tops. I wouldn't ship it or pack it in your carry on because it might get broken or stolen. It also dose like tsa said depend on the tsa officers working on what they will allow they cant get them all on the same page because their so many airports. So you might get ones that wont allow it which i dont know why or you get some that will let you on with it in your bag. Most of the time tsa officer dont look at the xray screen all the time so they might not catch everything in your bag. Because the fed gov send undercover to airport trying to get bomb parts and other thing that shouldnt go through and most of the time tsa fails because they are to busy talking to each other instead of doing there job. I not saying it unsafe to fly just next time you fly look at the screener and see if they look at the screen when the bags being xrayed or they talking to one of their co workers. Good luck have a safe trip and you wont have a problem at all.


Sorry if it comes off as your not safe when you fly you are just saying that dhs has to do better to make sure tsa officer are doing there job. You are safe flying i dont want any one to panic if you read it.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Agree with the others - take it in your carry-on

 

[AlexDurrani]

You know the funny thing with me is I have a portable WiFi router and yet I still think it is too heavy and leave it in my checked luggage. go figure. I agree with everyone you should not have any problems carrying a router in the carryon on board.

 

[pr surfer]

Until recently (when I acquired a MiFi), I traveled with a wifi router. It always went in my carry on bag.

 

[Leash]

Thanks for the replies. The reason I was thinking the carry on might be a problem is that it's a box with an antenna, if the TSA person saw that going through they might flip out and it's not like a laptop where you can turn it on to show it's safe. But if others have had no problem it should be fine, of course every experience with the TSA is different and we may get some anti-electronics fanatic but I feel better about taking it now.
We are going to be bringing so many other electronics (2 laptops, 1 netbook, 2 iPods, 1 eReader, 1 DS, 2 digital cameras with rechargable AA batteries, 4 cell phones, 1 Flip video camera 2 CPAP machines, an oxygen concentrator, all the cords and chargers that go with the stuff and a partridge in a pear tree!) that hopefully the TSA agent will realize what it is and it won't be a problem.

 

[drew64]

Wow! That is a lot of electornics - must be staying for awhile.. Depending on what airport you fly out of, I woudl leave plenty of time for security as with that many electroncis- unless spread out over many people - they may open and look at everything.

 

[Gigi22]

Just a thought--if you still have the original packaging for the router, I would pack the router inside it. Not everyone is tech-savvy, a wireless router can't really be turned on for the benefit of TSA staff--so it would likely help if you had the package, preferably packaging with a picture of the router on it.

 

[seashoreCM]

. I wouldn't ship it or pack it in your carry on because it might get broken or stolen. it.

You mean, "I wouldn't ship it or pack it in my checked baggage because it might get broken or stolen."

 

[Techtravler]

I am a very frequent travler(2-6 flights per week) I always carry a small wireless router in my carry-on Lap Top bag and have never had an issue. Matter of fact I have never even needed to take it out when going through TSA. I will say my portable router does not have an attenna, but I would really not worry about it. If TSA has an issue they will simply ask to look in your bag, it will probably not even add 5 mintues to the whole proccess and I would be surprised if they even question it.

Altough, be sure to take out all those lap tops and have them in seperate bins.

TT

 

[Leash]

Wow! That is a lot of electornics - must be staying for awhile.. Depending on what airport you fly out of, I woudl leave plenty of time for security as with that many electroncis- unless spread out over many people - they may open and look at everything.

That is spread across 4 of us and we are staying fo 10 days but still a lot of stuff!

DH suggested we buy a new router just for the trip just in case the TSA decides they won't let it through and we will just leave it in the box. Found a decent enough one at Best Buy for $35 and that way we have a backup for when our home router dies.

 

[emmabelle]

We brought our brand new Apple one, still in the box, through security in Providence and back through MCO with no issues.

I had bought it for our trip in July since there was going to be four of us with laptops. The funny thing was that our room at the Boardwalk was so close to the wireless wifi in the concierge lounge, that we didn't need to use it. At first we couldn't figure out how we were getting wireless internet, my husband thought that Disney must have gone wireless, and I was like, there's no way, I would've seen that on the Disboards if it had. Oh well, I'll have it for the next trip.