The GL.iNet Beryl AX GL-MT3000 is an interesting travel router. It offers a lower cost (sub-$95, depending on the day and discount) way to bring along a travel router that is based on OpenWRT. The way we originally found this was that we were about to order a Banana Pi One OpenWRT WiFi 6 development kit (Amazon Affiliate Link), but this was $30 less, built around the same CPU, and was pre-built in a nicer-looking package. There are pros and cons to each, but it seemed like we should get this one since the GL.iNet GL-BE3600 Slate 7 Mini WiFi 7 Router we reviewed was great and a clear step above the TP-Link BE3600 Wi-Fi 7 Portable Travel Router TL-WR3602BE we reviewed. Still, the Beryl AX is a lower-cost WiFi 6 device, so we wanted to see what it offers.
Here is an Amazon Affiliate Link to where we purchased ours.
GL.iNet Beryl AX GL-MT3000 Hardware Overview
The unit itself is small at only 120 x 83 x 34mm and under 200g.
The antenna design that flips out helps keep the device small.
Something very different between this unit and the Slate 7 is that as a lower-cost option the Beryl AX does not have a front screen.
On the side, we get a vent.
On the other side, we get the reset button and a toggle mode button that can change the configuration of the device.
On the rear, we get the ports.
First off, the power input is a 5V USB Type-C port.
We have a 2.5GbE WAN port and a 1GbE LAN port. We wish the LAN side were 2.5GbE, but as you will see from the performance section, that may not be necessary.
On the bottom, we get vents.
Inside, this is powered by the MediaTek MT7981B. This is a dual core Arm Cortex-A53 device that is similar to what is used in the Banana Pi OpenWRT One WiFi 6 router. DIY folks may prefer the Banana Pi, but there is a lot to be said about getting something already built and integrated.
There is 512MB of DDR4 and 256MB of flash. What you might not be able to see in the above is that there is actually a fan inside.
A small feature, but one worth noting on a sub $95 device, is that we also get a network cable.
Next, let us get to the management.
I have one of these, it’s great for traveling. It would be nice to see some of the travel features reviewed since this is advertised as a travel router.
Our primary use case is when staying in hotels with the kids. I am able to connect this device to hotel’s captive portal and then re-broadcast the same SSID and security we use at home.
This way everyone’s electronics don’t need to be manually connected to the hotel WiFi. It makes it especially easy for smart devices that are app managed and can’t support the captive portal logins usually required (kids have a smart alarm clock/white noise sound machine).
The switch on the side is configure to enable or disable the WireGuard VPN back to my home so traffic is tunneled through a secure connection and everyone is still under the DNS filtering and ad blocking at my home router level. The kids get access to the NAS at home and can watch their downloaded shows on their tablets.
There is an iOS app ( I assume android too) so I don’t need to pull out my laptop or struggle with the browser on my phone to connect it when we arrive.
I use the same device when traveling for work to client sites and have to give presentations and need to connect multiple devices to guest WiFi.
Easily one of the pieces of technology I didn’t know I needed but use it quite a bit.
I own this model for more than 2 years already. Used it mostly when on the trips and it worked without any issues.
I have two of these, a perfect replacement of a TL-WR902AC.
Flashing upstream OpenWRT is so easy on this device that I don’t understand that SetveTheHome doesn’t test this in their review.
A second 2.5gbps port is still missed – I don’t do NAT with it, but use it as a dumb AP + WDS extender for wired ethernet devices.
and this need WiFi
As Frank mentioned, this device has good upstream OpenWRT support (the article did mention this as an alternative to OpenWRT One).
An updated device (GL-MT3600BE) was announced (at CES, I believe), and that is on a similar MediaTek chip and should be well supported by upstream as well; that won’t happen before people get their hands on them first, though.
Can you put a disclaimer on products when they are manufactured in China?
jon it will be easier to mention when a product is NOT made in China…
I have one of these, and I don’t like it. At first I did. But my use case is to keep it connected to a neighbors wifi as WAN to create a new network. That worked for the first few days, then it stopped. It claims it is connected, but it doesn’t get data. After restarting a couple of times it might work for an hour or two, then it’s gone again. Resetting the whole device may work for a day or two, but then, gone again. Tried multiple official firmwares, same issue. Another router, a 10 year old ASUS with OpenWRT on it, works. Now it barely gets a signal unlike the GL.inet, and the signal strength is hardly enough to cover the place, but that thing works like a champ.
I’ve used the gl.inets for years as a travel router and they are fantastic for that. Like George mentioned they are great for WiFi Bridging to a hotel or other wifi. Very few travel routers can do that. Also the various vpn features are great too. Another lesser known feature is that under OpenWRT you can install the cake traffic shaping module that can make a 50-200mbps internet connection feel silky smooth by traffic shaping and QOS’ing different flows. Quite powerful for such a small form factor.