With vacation season starting to get underway, the latest buzz is about CradlePoint’s CTR500 3G travel router. The router, which is touted on the companies website as being “the most compact…in the world,” is unique in that it accepts both Express Card and USB-style Cellular Modems, and supports most of the popular modems and handsets of the major carriers. PC Perspective did a recent review of the device, the lowdown of which you can read after the jump.

The CTR500 is a handy product that can act as a tool to turn a normal cable or DSL line into a wireless system for both home and office. The uniqueness of the product, however, is that it can also use USB or Express Card-based 3G wireless modems to create a wireless access point. This option gives users the freedom to use the Internet on the go at places such as job sites and on vacation.

Extras that come with the CradlePoint include a wide variety of international adapters. The device is also great for travel because of its size, measuring 4.75″ long, 2.75″ wide and 0.75″ tall and weighing between under 4 ounces.

The software that is included with the device is similar to that of any wireless router. The setup is supposedly easy, and WEP, WPA and WPA2 are supported as well.

The CTR500 also sports many of the same features found on standard routers such as support for virtual servers, port routing, static IP addresses, and a firewall. A failover feature is also available which allows easy transition from DSL/cable to cellular device is your primary connection goes down. One hidden jewel of the CTR500 is the included GPS system, which can send data to Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps and Map Quest.

Like all devices, this one has some downfalls as well. Not all USB or Express Card modems have been tested with the device, so they are not guaranteed to work. On the bright side, a compatability chart is available from CradlePoint’s website. The price is also a disadvantage of the device, which retails for $179.99 on the CradlePoint website. However, it can be picked up on Amazon for $169.99.