When I departed Sling, I reluctantly returned my their Cradlepoint MBR1000. Instead of immediately replacing the 3G WiFi router at Dash, I hung tight a few weeks knowing a new model was in the pipeline. And today my CTR500 ($170) arrived, overnighted from the 3GStore. Like the MBR1000, this model will share the 3G data connectivity of a USB or ExpressCard modem to create an local Internet-connected WiFi network. Unlike the MBR1000, this unit is much more compact and doesn’t have three antennas to get mangled within my backpack. A drop in speed and coverage from the N-spec to 802.11g should be inconsequential for my specific usage at shows and in hotels. Speaking of those shows… At Sling I often had a need for more than one Ethernet jack to hardwire multiple devices, while my laptop and the Dash Express GPS (GPRS & WiFi) can now be completely fed over wireless – so the CTR500’s one Ethernet jack (toggle between incoming or outgoing connections), versus the MBR1000’s four, will be sufficient. Fortunately we managed to survive both TECHcocktail and GSP East with a comparatively pedestrian Belkin WiFi router these last few weeks, but I’m a firm believer in redundancy and Cradlepoint has been rock solid.