A 180 PKR (0.6 US) WiFi Router at Islamabad Sunday Bazaar – Observation, Reality, and Questions

Islamabad’s Sunday Bazaar is one of those places where you always expect something unusual, but every once in a while, you see something that actually makes you stop and think. This time, it was a small roadside stall that caught my attention. While walking through the market, casually looking around, my eyes fell on a sign written in bold Urdu letters. It said something like:
“Imported WiFi Router – Only 180 PKR.”
At first, I honestly thought I misread it. I stepped closer, read it again, and yes, it clearly said 180 rupees. In today’s time, when even a decent data cable costs more than that, seeing a WiFi router at this price felt unreal.
The stall itself wasn’t a proper shop. Just a setup inside the Sunday Bazaar, with routers piled up everywhere—on the table, on the ground, stacked on top of each other. I noticed brands like TP-Link, Tenda, and even a few Huawei units. Some had yellowed plastic, some antennas were bent or broken, and a few looked like they had been used heavily in offices or shared spaces.
Since it was Sunday Bazaar, there was a crowd. People were stopping, picking up routers, asking questions. Some were buying one, others were taking two or three at once. The seller seemed very relaxed and confident. He kept repeating the same line:
“Imported stuff, brother. Only 180. If it works, it’s profit.”
I took these photos myself, standing right there. Looking closely, it was obvious these were not new routers. Anyone with a bit of tech sense could tell they were either old, discarded, or imported as electronic waste. Most of them didn’t have power adapters. Some still had old stickers or faded serial numbers. A few looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in years.
So the obvious question is: why are people still buying them?
The answer was right there. One man said he would try it in his kids’ room. Another said even if WiFi doesn’t work, it can still be used as a LAN switch. Someone else simply said, “At this price, what’s the risk?” And honestly, that mindset explains everything. For many people, 180 rupees is worth the gamble.
But there’s another side to this story that usually gets ignored. Even if a router turns on and works, there is no guarantee about its firmware, security, or past usage. These devices could be many years old. They might have been used on unknown networks, in offices, cafés, or who knows where. For an average buyer, these details don’t matter much. Price becomes the only deciding factor.
I’m not saying every single router there is useless. Some of them probably do work, at least partially. But the reality is that this is more like a lottery than a real deal. If you’re lucky, you get a working unit. If not, you lose 180 rupees and move on.
This is exactly what makes Islamabad’s Sunday Bazaar interesting and confusing at the same time. You find cheap items, surprising items, and scenes that reflect how people balance need, curiosity, and risk. I took these pictures not just because the price was shocking, but because this stall tells a bigger story—about technology, affordability, experimentation, and sometimes blind trust.
In the end, I’d say buying such things isn’t wrong, but doing it without awareness can be risky. Cheap prices attract everyone, but understanding what you’re actually buying matters even more.

Posted Using INLEO