Amazon has the GL.iNet Beryl on sale for $89.25 and a further 15% off coupon at checkout. Works out to $75.86. Slate AXT1800 is also on sale for $156.
CamelCamelCamel.
probably due to the core i9 in it
Slate states VPN max 120Mbps. Almost double the price if VPN speed is important to you.
Have 1300 and its fine for travel use, processor is good enough to keep multiple devices and Adguard home etc running fine.
You mean Slate AX
OpenVPN tested up to 150 Mbps as discussed here https://www.cnx-software.com/2023/01/08/gl-inet-gl-mt3000-wi…
Sorry wrong device GL-MT3000
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0B4ZSR2PX/
GL-A1300 (Slate Plus)
Decent deal here too $99 (after applying $10 off coupon) slightly faster with quad core CPU and up to 190Mbps using wireguard or 28Mbps with OpenVPN
Use Wireguard if possible. OpenVPN is tough on the little cpus in these things
OpenVPN is pretty CPU heavy and this device will just not keep up.
But it's a good option in the sense that it'll operate (ideally falling back if UDP isn't available) over TCP / 443 which means it'll be your best chance at getting through restrictive connections.
If you want something quicker and you have a decent-ish networking background Mikrotik make cheap routers that'll outperform this (HAP AC2 for about $100 for example) but aren't as convenient as they aren't powered over USB and they're far from user friendly.
For what you'd need when travelling, asynchronous 21/21Mbps should be plenty in my opinion unless you're someone who's working on very large files that need to be constantly fetched / uploaded.
What's the difference with the mango?
More ethernet ports, faster processor to run more plugins and faster VPN
And faster Wifi
But also bigger, heavier and requires more juice… 😉
I've ally smart lights connected to the mango, which is powered by the USB port of the router. Neat. If I have to change router, I won't have to link all my lights again :-)
@ShouldIBuyIt: And… even if you changed your Mango to another Gl.Inet product , you could use the same SSID and import the DHCP static lease settings ( which I assume you use) across into the new unit and just swap the new "smart light" router in place. :)
FWIW I bought the Slate (GL-AR750S) a while back and have been very impressed with it. I chose it over the Beryl due to the smaller size, weight, and lower power requirements (making it easier to run it off a battery pack). A comparison is here: https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/mini-review-gl-ar750s-slate-vs-g…. Having said that, this is a really good price for the Beryl.
I'd say Beryl. The Slate GL-AR750S is a few years old now. I ordered the Slate A1300 yesterday but would've gone with the Beryl if this deal was available.
Slate is end of life but will still be supported firmware wise for the next couple of years. It's still smaller, lighter and less power hungry than the Beryl or the new Slates (AX, plus) and though ive pretty much got one of everything the original Slate is still my go to because of these factors.
Thanks all! Decided to pull the trigger on the Slate due to its form factor and power requirements
it would be nice if the power requirements are more clearly stated in their sites, often had to dig through their documents and figure out.
i guess with the newer powerbanks, there's less concerns about this.
New to this thing but can I USB connect it to an iPhone for tethering?
Sure can
Thanks. Ordered one
Would this be useful for everyday home use
Possibly, if you happen to be Greta Thunberg’s cat, and are super worried about privacy
Has anyone used this for work when overseas? Will this get picked up the nosy IT department? Eg using Australia VPN while overseas
you might want to consider separating work devices from personal.
if you think you are going to work 'remote' in a different country…. all i can say is that i've seen many instances of people getting fired (in different orgs), at best. If a data breach is involved, then be prepared to be the scapegoat.
A few ways around this, ignore if it's boring and too technical lol.
Option 1:
You could VPN everything back through your home internet connection using a separate device (such as this, but I have no experience with these in particular). That'd make it transparent in the sense they would see your home internet connections IP address.
Option 2:
If you use a 3rd party VPN provider, like torguard and the like for example you could state that you run your entire home internet connection through a VPN for the sake of privacy. And if they don't like that, they can provide you with a secondary home internet connection. It really is no ones business how your home gains access to the internet provided it is showing an Australian IP address. Now that said, shared VPN IPs often get flagged and can make it difficult to get onto some websites / services.
Now the issue is, in Option 1 if your home internet connections goes tits up while you're away you are really shit out of luck. Router failures, NBN outage or whatever it may be could put you in a position with no access.
Option 3:
If this were me, I'd be purchasing a VPS with an Australian host specifically one in your state, running a router on said VPS (I like RouterOS, PFsense would also fit the bill and there's no license fee) and then tunnel everything through that with a separate dedicated device that won't expose your IP address similar to the device linked here. I have no experience with these devices though, so I'm not sure what they're capable of.
While this IP might look weird if they actually look into it, ie it will be inside a datacentre if anyone complained I would simply say that I have a redundant internet connection setup with 4G / NBN (which I do) and run all traffic out of this VPN as I have some servers at home that won't operate over CGNat and I'd like them to be available when the NBN connection inevitably fails. I've actually setup a few starlink or multi WAN setups like this for clients where they want to access CCTV (don't start, some systems are shit house and require open ports still) or various servers. The formal term for this is "SD-WAN" ie software defined WAN.
Now keep in mind this is what I do for a living, and love the networking side and it's definitely not for everyone. However this is the reality of what they can / can't see.
i find that if you are techie enough to do all those above, you wouldn't be asking that question. :P
i know people (firewall/network specialists) who go at great lengths to do all that and still get fired, and also people who didn't get fired (yet but their managers know). I know some are never going to be able to get hired back in that same company (not sure about industry, but circles are small, and people love to talk).
you can bounce traffic off cloud providers too, i mean if money isn't an issue.
i guess it all depends on how much bridge burning one wish to do.
Is it just the fact they are travelling overseas with their laptop that's the issue?
Why are they going to such great lengths to try and get around being detected? Trying to get away with being overseas when they are meant to be working?
@soymeat: 'working from home' in a different country mostly. most are cases before covid19 is a thing.
in most heavily regulated organisations dealing with data belonging to Australians, there are no tolerances for actions like that.
even leaving the country with the laptops is frown upon unless you have justified business reasons and approvals.
that's just my anecdotal observations btw. i know some other companies don't care (until they are on the hook).
Can anyone comment on using one of these with Starlink RV? Specifically in a caravan
That will be fine, but you will be limiting your connection speeds of course.
I’m currently at a holiday house without internet - can I add a SIM to this to share the internet? Or would I need a USB 5G Dongle?
It doesn't take a SIM. You can either get a USB 5G dongle or add a SIM/eSIM to your existing phone and plug it in (if your phone supports dual SIM or eSIM)
I’m gonna hold off for now - will look into once I get home. Would have been great for the current trip
Thanks - ordered this to replace my GL-AR300M16-EXT which I found too slow.
Noob Question. Can I connect the Beryl to my existing home network (TP Link Deco M5), plug in a micro SD card / USB drive to it and share it over the whole network?
(Trying to find a cheap way to share a small backup drive <512gb between 2 laptops).
Pretty sure it can. I have the Mango and use it for that purpose. (I have the Beryl too, which replaced my Mango)
You probably will have to either use this in Bridge mode or use the M5 in Access Point mode to prevent double network address translation - It's not a good idea to run two routers in the same network
Yeah run it in extender mode and it'll pickup a DHCP address from main router then turn off WiFi on the Beryl. Mini storage server. 😊
hi Limbot, do you work with GL.Inet? do they have a team in Australia yet?
@borgainerz: Hey don't work for them. I was helping them to build out their market here on Ozbargain and still do some testing work for them on their products in Australia (hence the "Associated" tag). Given that Amazon vendors can no longer post direct deals on Ozbargain anymore, it kind of eliminates my association with them here, but I'm willing to throw in any information I can help to people with here as I still think they have a great product.
There's no team in Australia, but their forums and their help desk are both pretty good.
Bought one of these awhile ago to replace my previous GL.inet travel router. Worked great while on holidays using it to share hotel wifi with wireguard in front. Definitely the cutest looking router I've ever owned.
FYI - the new version of the Beryl (Beryl AX with Wifi 6) is being released shortly.
Does anyone know if I can use this to connect to my current WiFi network and then either re-broadcast it as a different SSID or share the existing WiFi through network cable to create a segmented network and monitor/throttle bandwidth usage?
I want a PC that's exposed to the Internet with port forwarding but my current router's primary and guest networks areyalready being used and I don't want this PC to be able to connect to any other device in either
Better off replacing your main router with something that will be more flexible and do what you want.
I don't really have any recommendations outside of Mikrotik which are a bitch to configure if you're not technically inclined though. I'm sure someone else on here can recommend some consumer friendly devices that aren't trash though.
I sprung for the UniFi Dream Machine a year or two back and it's served me well. Do all kinds of virtual segmenting and throttling. Have all my IoT stuff on a seperate SSID and network, port forwards on specific vlans etc. Recommend it, but it's a router only, so still need a modem to bridge from.
Can definitely do this with the Mango (that's the whole purpose as a travel companion) hence assume this Berry would do too. You may only need a Mango tho ($30-ish?)
Yes - I don't think you'd have any major trouble achieving this with most of the gl.inet routers.
Two questions:
1. I am going to do a cruise and would like to share wifi with 4 devices, is this overkill for that?
2. I am not getting the 15% off at cart checkout? am I missing a code or something?
tick the 15% off box on the listing page before heading to checkout
1.just get the Mango, cheaper for your purpose
Currently on a cruise with a mango router and it works but ship wifi is very slow even on the stream package. Have to use MAC cloning as ship wifi detects based on hardware
Is it slow because of the mango router or just the cruise ship internet?
Are you able to stream youtube or netflix?
Due to cruise ship. Royal Caribbean. Max downloads of 3-4 mbits. Managed a 1080p Netflix stream but the internet does cut out at times
The major factor to keep in mind is that if you use a single band unit like the Mango, you will effectively halve your through put as you are both WISP repeating and WLANing on the same band. If you go up to a dual band, you can repeat on one band (e.g. 2.4Ghz) and then use the other band (5Ghz) to do your WLAN and you will preserve you bandwidth. Especially useful where the source signal you're connecting to is slow to start with.
I use a Slate AX for travel.
Would you just achieve this by confirming the band the source Wifi network/signal is using and then connect your devices to the travel router's alternate band? Eg. Source signal is using 5ghz band so then connect your devices to the travel router's 2.4ghz signal (and vice-versa). Or is there a more automated way to achieve this?
Im always a bit confused by the popularity of these - when I travel I rarely see WAN ports available at hotels etc, im always using wifi. Is there some use scenario im missing?
Probably people unplug a lan cable going to the back of the TV and hijack that at a guess
The main benefits I see are:
1. Securing connectivity via VPN for all your devices using the router's Wifi, or whichever devices you configure on the travel router.
2. Not having to connect all your devices to the accomodation's Wifi individually. You just setup the Wifi on the router (or connect it to a LAN port if available) and your devices can connect to the known travel router Wifi SSID automatically.
There's other benefits too, like some hotels etc limiting the number of personal devices that you can connect to their Wifi. The travel router will help you get around this limitation.
Nice, thanks for the info! My phone and ipad I use VPN on via an app regardless, but i guess its nice to have it centrally.
The device limiting work around seems like the most valuable thing for me - I was wondering how reliable is that? Does it struggle with the shitty random sign in portals and credentials and stuff each hotel might use?
No - I've never had any issues with my gl.inet router and hotels etc that use captive portals, and there are some features the routers have to help with this.
most of these allows you to do Hotel ssid -> your-local-wifi-ssid so you can connect your devices to your-local-wifi-ssid.
Another use case in addition to others mentioned is taking a chromecast/google tv with you when travelling to access Netflix/Prime etc on the hotel TV. This would allow you to connect your phone to the same network as the chromecast (google tv) and easily access the subscriptions and cast if needed. Most budget hotels dont have Netflix and if they do I wont be comfortable logging my user in there to access my watch list. :)
Yes - this works great for me most of the time! Really nice being able to use whatever streaming service you want, as long as the accomodation has half decent Wifi (and a TV with HDMI which is rarely an issue).
The only issue I've had is forgetting to bring the Chromecast with me when I leave, as it's easy to forget when it's plugged into the back of a TV. I've lost/left behind 3 Chromecasts doing this, and I'm usually pretty good with not losing things. I should just get a big, bright tag or something to hang off the Chromecast or stick on the TV as a reminder.
I have bought an extra HD google tv specifically for travel which is stored with my Mango. Ready for travel. ;)
@polarq: I have a cheap Amazon fire for the same purpose. Also with my mango. Think it cost like $19.
Yep, my standard travel kit (either locally or internationally) comprises of a Chromecast (Gen 2) and my Slate router. Why an old Chromecast and not the lastest? Because it only requires 5V/.5 A, so most TV USB ports will power it. Newer Chromecasts require more power and as such I would need to find a power point close to the TV to use and an additional USB (5V/1A, 5V/2A, 5V/3A ) adapter to use.
I normally have multiple reminders on my phone to get the Chromecast before I leave and hang some of the USB cable across the top of the TV screen to remind me it's there. Haven't lost/forgot one….yet.. :P
Yeah - good point on the newer Chromecasts requiring more power than many TV USB ports provide.
I also noticed there are adapters for this use case, that effectively seem to be like a small battery that you plug into the TV USB and the streaming device, with the battery providing additional power to the streaming device when required.
Tempted to get one.
@Limbot: Yeah that's the one I was referring to.
Stumbled across it on Amazon, and had never seen them referred to elsewhere.
Several scenarios:
The hotel only allows one connection/device (often the case if you have to pay extra for wifi). You can connect this and then share the wifi
You have multiple devices with you. Connect this to the hotel wifi and then those devices just connect to this. Saves setting up wifi on every device.
You have a device that doesn't play nicely with captive portal.
Recently spend 4 weeks in Japan. My Slate allowed me to:
1: Have all 5 members of my (non-technical) party just "attach" to WiFi when we move premises and not have to reattach to new WiFi every time
2: Have a VPN back to my home router so that I could use ABC Iview and SBS On demand to watch the news. Worth noting here that if I tried to use my KeepSolid account to a Sydney server , both apps would pickup it was VPN so they must have some sort of IP block
3: Stream shows on my Chromecast
4. As a consequence of the router in WISP repeater mode, anyone else on the public network could only see my Slate and not the multitude of devices attached
5. As a consequence of the VPN, all our data was encrypted.
That’s my setup with the Beryl too.
Traveled to HK, SG, NZ and just like the fact all my devices just connect to the Beryl automatically.
I bring my newer chromecast and power it from one of the gan chargers i bring with me. (Come on every good Ozbargainer has a few hahaha)
looks like GL.iNet GL-MT1300 has official openwrt images. tempted…I still have my flinter ax1800 sitting here collecting dust unopened which doesnt have the same support
Dang, the additional 15% off voucher is missing now - I think I am too late.
@Limbot and others
Doing some extended travel around Australia and looking for some easy to setup and connect devices to. Mostly using hotel/motel and Airbnb type accommodation but will also need a 4g dongle connected or maybe Sim hotspot from phone.
What would you recommend for someone looking to connect gaming laptop, oculus quest 2 (inc stream games from laptop so wifi 6 preferred), switch, phones, tablets etc.
Slate AX or something else?
Looks like your not worried about travelling light… 😂. So yes, if you want WiFi 6 then Slate AX is the only way to go at the moment. Not sure when you're travelling but I've been told that the new WiFi 6 MT3000 should be due from Amazon Au around March but don't have a price yet.
Haha, not light at all! We leave early March so will be touch and go for the new model
Beryl AX is now up for pre-order with an expected delivery of Feb!
Free shipping too, so if you get the early bird deal it ends up being ~$115 AUD delivered, which seems pretty good to me.
Thanks, do you have a link?
Edit: found their site, was looking on Amazon.
I bought the Slate A1300 a month ago and was impressed enough to jump on the Beryl MT3000 AX pre-order for US$69.
HSBC Mastercard showed AU$114.xx converted so as a test I bought using Revolut. Exchange rate came in at at AU$99.89. I reckon I'll always use Revolut for international purchases now
Pre ordered one. Thanks!
Missed out on the cheap pre orders, so had to settled to $89USD
@souljah You may need the bandwidth of WIFI6 / AX for your usage, but power has been a constraint while travelling. I was worried about GL.iNET consumption so researched a bit.
I bought the Slate A1300 (launched Sep-22 IIRC) due to low power draw so I can run it for longer on a power bank. Forum posts for Slate AX reported much higher load at ~13w A3000 vs ~7w A1300.
The Beryl MT3000 lists <8w in specs, but it has an internal fan in teardown so is heavier at 196g. It may consume more power IRL but until tested I don't know.
If you're on mains power and not budget constrained, AX is probably the go.
Oversharing some other tips that might be helpful for your March digital nomad planning…
Multiple cashback burner sim plans - I have two Alcatel MT41 4G devices from $9 Woolworths deal (1 Optus, 1 Boost), Vodafone 5G sim in S22 ultra mobile, and Amaysim 4G in my sons tablet. I sim-swap on deals here for cheap data (or profit thanks to CR+Boost deals) and cover all networks. Boost has had best cover in 3500km travel so far, but Vodafone was only network with cover at one campsite. Tower location I guess.
Limit streaming quality - I found streaming video smashed data until I set all apps to data saver. For 3-5x less data the quality isn't all that bad.
Move the router, not the devices - This week I'm using Slate as a wifi repeater at an Airbnb but have had issues. S22 scans for and connects to the Airbnb SSID, but the Slate 6 inches away does not find the SSID. Adding SSID manually to Slate repeater setting worked, but connection was very unstable or gave an OpenWRT error about network connected but IP not available. I moved Slate to a kitchen window running on a powerbank. Connection is bearable now at ~12mbps but latency is still >300ms. I blame the airbnb network.
Use 4G fall back cautiously - Slate multi-wan load balance setting used an entire 45GB boost plan in just one night. The Slate probably did what it should and saw the tethered MT41 device as more reliable than the wifi it was repeating, but I was not aware of 4g priority until data ran out. I have changed back to Ethernet>Repeater>Tether mode on Slate.
4g Tether vs 4g Dongle - I don't know why, but Alcatel MT41 connected by micro USB to Slate detects as an Android tether, not a 4g dongle. I don't know if that's just an MT41 issue, but can't find any posts confirming USB 4G or 5G sticks that work. I intended to use a USB hub on slate and connect 3x mobile networks using dongle, tether, and hotspot all running on powerbank for a travel network in a box.
PowerPoint constraints - First weeks were painful swapping chargers, and powerboards were bulky. I'm now using a 100W Gooloo 23,000mAh jumpstarter, 100w Baseus Blade 20,000mAh powerbank and an old 3000mAh powerbank = 8 USB charger sockets on battery. I bought a Baseus Gan3 100w adapter which takes two more international power plugs on its sides.
Still to test it properly but it should help my goal of all high spec tech to fit in one laptop bag using 4k TV's onsite as casting monitors. E.g. this weeks setup is using some camping furniture but is bulky due to PC, 40" monitor, printer, and docs from storage.
The 3 concurrent mobile networks idea is probably overkill, but if anyone has found a 4g or 5g usb stick that GL.iNET detects as a dongle (not tether) I'm keen to hear please?
Got mine today, man this is an impressive little thing for the money!
OPENVPN (Via Ethernet) Max. 21Mbps
Seems slow?