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Apple @ Work: AirCove Go delivers the perfect router for your work travel bag

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

I’ve never been the type to want to travel with a portable router in my bag. Dealing with the complexity of connecting to various networks along with the fact that many hotels have moved away from ethernet to a Wi-Fi-only experience. That is until I started using the AirCove Go. It’s now a permanent fixture in my travel bag.

About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.


What makes AirCove Go a great business travel router?

As I mentioned in the beginning, one of the reasons I’ve never gotten into traveling with a portable router is the complexity of configuring it at each hotel. Aircove Go eliminates the need for a wired ethernet connection altogether. Its Wi-Fi Link feature enables wireless connection to any local network, including those with “captive portals” that often hinder the connection of streaming sticks and similar devices.

With Aircove Go, there’s no need to manually connect each device to Wi-Fi or juggle multiple VPN apps. Every device you link up with Aircove Go will remember and automatically reconnect to it whenever in range.

On top of the simplicity of connecting all of your devices to a hotel Wi-Fi network, AirCove Go also adds a layer of security. When using public Wi-Fi networks, there’s always that looming concern for privacy and security. For business travelers, or remote workers, security is something you should be thinking about at each location.

Picture this: you’re in your hotel room, needing to connect securely to the Wi-Fi. Aircove Go becomes your trusted connection, offering a secure, private bubble of Wi-Fi that travels with you wherever you go. Whether you’re in a hotel, Airbnb, or coworking space, AirCove Go ensures your online activities are protected from any man-in-the-middle attacks on the connection you’re using

Even devices that can’t typically support VPN apps, like game consoles, smart locks, and certain smart TVs, are protected when they’re using AirCove Go.

Setup experience

I had been holding off on unboxing the AirCove Go until I had some business travel so I could see how easy it made it. Once you unbox it, you’ll see how small it is. There are no external antennas and it’s about as big as some of the larger MagSafe battery packs.

I plugged it up and connected it to the new SSID it created. You’ll find the SSID and password on the unit’s underside. Once getting to the SSID, you’ll go to expressvpnrouter.com to start working through the setup experience. It’ll go a little faster if you can connect the device to ethernet, but you certainly don’t have to. As I mentioned earlier, you can connect the Aircove Go to another Wi-Fi connection and use it as a middle ground between public Wi-Fi and all of your devices. Connecting the device to Express VPN’s service was really simple, and you can pick from a long list of locations.

I brought an Apple TV with me on this trip and it immediately connected as well and bypassed the new to use the hotel’s captive portal.

Wrap up

Aircove Go includes Wi-Fi 6, allowing it to deliver wireless speeds of up to 1,200 Mbps for 5GHz and 600 Mbps for 2.4GHz. Overall, it’s a great device that is perfect for someone who spends a lot of time in hotels. Instead of manually connecting your Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc to the hotel Wi-Fi, you’ll only need to connect the Aircove Go and then you’ll be up and running. It’s not powerful enough where I’d want to use it in my home, but it’s not designed for that. It’s designed to be a portable VPN router, and it does an amazing job at that.

You can buy the Aircove Go from Amazon, and it comes with a free 30 day trial of ExpressVPN.

Full specs of the AirCove Go

  • Wi-Fi: Dual-band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz) Wi-Fi, ​​AX1800 MU-MIMO
  • Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax)
  • Wi-Fi speed: Up to 600 Mbps (2.4GHz), up to 1,200 Mbps (5GHz)
  • Interface: 1 x WAN Ethernet port, 2 x LAN Ethernet ports, 1 x LED, 1 x reset button, 1 x USB Type-C power input, 2 x external antennas
  • Coverage: 750 sq. ft. / 70 sq. m
  • Processor, memory, and storage: 1.2 GHz 64-bit Quad-Core CPU, 512 MB RAM, 128 MB flash storage
  • Ethernet connectivity: DHCP, PPPoE, Static IP
  • Security features: Built-in ExpressVPN protection, WPA2/3 Wi-Fi security, Automatic updates
  • Advanced protection features: Threat Manager, parental controls, and ad blocking
  • Dimensions: 125 mm x 82 mm x 36 mm
  • Weight: 245g

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

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Author

Avatar for Bradley Chambers Bradley Chambers

Bradley lives in Chattanooga, TN.

Tips, feedback, corrections and questions can be sent to Bradley@9to5mac.com.


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