With us being very concerned with public WiFi and the lack of security we usually avoid using any hot spots and I have configured our phones and laptops with a personal VPN when using those services. The downside is that the VPN clients on these devices will drain the battery and there is cost per device using that service. With the GL.iNet travel router with the bult in VPN service you only connect to the public WiFi and then launch the VPN on the router itself. Our phones and laptops connect to a secure local connection to the router, which then goes over the VPN which is encrypted over the public WiFi. This was easy to configure and worked well. I didn't have a chance to test at home since the router arrived the day of travel so I quickly did a VPN configuration (WireGuard) that I would enable at the location. Once I was at our destination I plugged in the router and also connected my laptop to the SSID and key using the ones printed on the side of the router. I then created new SSID and key that I would share with the family. The next step was to connect to the WiFi since there was no ethernet at our location and I was able to scan and connect with no issues. The last piece was to put in the WireGuard VPN configuration and activate the VPN which was really easy. The VPN activated on the first try and then tested with my laptop and was able to get to all my sites and services. I then shared the SSID and Key on the family devices and they were all able to connect as well. We had a total of 8 devices running against one connection over the VPN. There are lot more features in this router but for us it was about being secured in the public WiFi space. The router can become a NAS, can use Ethernet as the WAN connection, and also you can use a cell phone USB tethered if no other services are available. What I really liked: Price, compact, easy to setup, USB C powered, up to date software What I would suggest in improvements: For some reason even though the access point for WiFi was in our room the GL.iNet GL-MT3000 seemed to favor 2.4 GHz over 5 GHz. I clicked on the connection type and was able to force 5 GHz in the WAN settings. The router by default separates the 5 GHz from 2.4 GHz by using separate SSID's. I always preferred to combine both into one SSID and let my devices determine the best one to use. When I configured the local WiFi id did just that in the configuration of our new SSID. I would recommend anyone that travels with family and needs to share and secure their internet devices to take a hard look at using the GL.iNet GL-MT3000.

The biggest advantage of traveling with a portable router is having all my friends/family devices simply autoconnect to the saved Wifi network and then joining the router to whatever establishment we might be at. If you have a lot of non-tech folks with you and don't want to keep joining devices individually, this saves a lot of trouble. It has a small network footprint as well: it manifests as a single device and multiplexes that connection to several. It's powered by a simple USB-C connection so it could be powered from the wall, an Anker battery, or even your laptop. While some Pixel phones with 2x2 repeater support can do this too, once that phone leaves the room or runs out of battery, everyone's disconnected. This device is running a nice web UI on top of OpenWRT that gives you full blown router features. I've run this without issue in a cafe, a hotel, the airport, an airplane and none of my party had to bother me about what the local Wifi password was or entering their account info or room number, etc. Also supports VPN and Adguard which I haven't tried yet. Two issues: First, I did run into 1 hotel that used EAP which Beryl doesn't support (but Slate AX does). In that case, a CAT5 network cable to the WAN solved the issue, though I hear cloning MAC addresses does this too but I couldn't get that to work. Second, there weren't clear instructions on how to connect to a network with a captive portal but you can find examples of this on YouTube if you search with those terms. But, bottom line, I'm never traveling anywhere without this thing.

The GL.iNet GL-MT3000 (Beryl AX) has quickly become essential to my travel kit. This pocket-sized Wi-Fi 6 wireless travel router packs an impressive array of features into a compact design, making it perfect for staying connected on the go. Despite its small size, the Beryl AX offers robust performance, delivering fast and reliable internet access whether I’m in a hotel, airport, or any other location with spotty Wi-Fi. I love that it supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of devices. The setup is straightforward, and the interface is user-friendly, allowing me to configure and secure my network quickly. The router also supports OpenVPN and WireGuard, providing an extra layer of security, which is a must when using public Wi-Fi. One of the standout features is its multi-gigabit Ethernet port, which is perfect for creating a reliable wired connection when needed. Another big plus is the ability to share a VPN connection across all my devices with minimal effort. The USB-C powered GL-MT3000’s compact size means it fits easily into my bag or even a pocket, making it incredibly convenient for travel. Overall, it’s a powerful and versatile travel router that I highly recommend.

Excelente capacidades y rendimiento para un router portátil, puede funcionar por horas con una power bank, excelente para VPNs y AdGuard es genial para los anuncios. Muy recomendable!

I already had another GL.iNet router (Mango), decided to upgrade, and I'm keeping both, they're just so good and convenient. This one has much better WiFi, much faster wired Ethernet, and a faster CPU. Wireguard connections are very fast too, you won't notice that it's on. The firmware for all of these routers is amazing. It has a simple interface if you just want to get up and running, but if you're into networking beyond a beginner level there is a ton here to tweak, and they just keep updating it (the Mango still gets updates). Multiple types of VPN (both client and server), routing, extenders, cellular bridge, a mini file server, user management, MAC cloning... and more and more and more. The one unusual thing is the switch, which is programmable. It's hard to figure out which position is on and which is off. There's a little dot, but that seems to be "off" for Wireguard? You basically have to go to the UI to figure out what's going on. I love the Mango because it runs on almost any power source. This one is a bit more needy, though it comes with a good USB-C power adapter (and international plugs), but you can't just use any other USB power source you might have around, so you do have to carry one extra thing, or just be very conscious of what you use to power it (test before you go). There is no MicroSD slot, which is too bad, but there is USB 3.0 which will host an external USB SSD just fine. You can also plug in a MicroSD reader and fix that tiny oversight. Fantastic device. Legendary support for their devices.

Worth money

Świetny router nie tylko do podróży, ale i do domu. Przetestowałem i jestem zadowolony na 4000%. Gorąco polecam.

Ils connaissent leur sujet chez GL.iNet, je suis bluffé par l'appareil. Très très simple à paramétrer, à flasher, à contrôler en local ou à distance. Possibilité de partager des logs et laisse le support (qui est réactif d'ailleurs) accéder temporairement en lecture... Des MàJ récurrentes (firmware open source OpenWRT ou celui de GL.iNet), toutes les fonctionnalités sont là. Il se connecte à votre téléphone (en partage de connexion), à votre réseau wifi existant, en Ethernet, il fait routeur, répéteur, il re-crée un réseau (2.4ghz et 5ghz) qui peut passer par un tunnel VPN (OpenVPN ou Wireguard). Il y a même un bouton physique pour activer ou non votre VPN si vous voulez éviter d'aller fouiller dans l'interface admin (2 clics). J'ai adoré Adguard intégré pour filtrer et vous protéger en + du DNS chiffré. Solution au top pour les nomades, ceux en voyage ou pour la maison. Le routeur est stable, même en VPN, pas de plantage, ni de drop de connexion. Bonne portée. Les débits sont moindres en OpenVPN qu'en WireGuard, ce n'est pas une surprise. Sans VPN, j'arrive à atteindre près de 600mpbs/s sur un wifi à 5ghz WPA3 (sur ma box j'atteins 1600mbps/s). Franchement tout y est et simplement. Peut-être j'aurais adoré un appareil plus petit, plus léger et qui chauffe/consomme moins. Je recommande à 200%.