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[Pre Order] GL.iNet Flint 2 AX6000 Wi-Fi 6 Router US$109 (~AU$180) + Free Shipping @ GL.iNet

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[Pre Order] GL.iNet Flint 2 AX6000 Wi-Fi 6 Router US$109 (~AU$180) + Free Shipping @ GL.iNet
Go to Deal
rygle on 16/11/2023 - 12:05 gl-inet.com (815 clicks)
Last edited 19/11/2023 - 09:11 by 2 other users

This is a brand new router based on the latest MediaTek Filogic 830 chipset from a brand that is popular on OzBargain.

WiFi 6, AX6000

They state free shipping, but earliest shipping time is started as "Mid to late Nov, 2023". I have read reports on the OpenWRT forums that people are getting them, but that might be from an earlier batch as I just read pre-orders opened on October 17th.

Pros:

  • WiFi 6 (802.11AX) on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands
  • AX6000, 1148Mbps (2.4GHz), 4804Mbps (5GHz), 4x4:4 (8 streams, I think)
  • 4 x 1Gbps LAN ports
  • 2 x 2.5Gbps WAN ports (one may be reassigned to LAN)
  • USB 3.0 port (file server, print server)
  • 1GB DDR4 memory & 8GB eMMC flash storage (allows more functions on top of routing)
  • Free shipping
  • Comes with a GL.iNet branded/forked version of "OpenWRT" with their interface on top, but also has recently gained full support for the latest version of actual OpenWRT. See https://forum.openwrt.org/t/gl-mt6000-up-to-900-mbps-using-w…
  • They state 900Mbps remote access capability via ethernet when using WireGuard (OpenVPN is 120Mbps as the protocol has much greater overheads). Tailscale will be much the same as it is built on WireGuard but just had some extras to make the whole process easier and more capable.

Cons:

  • Not WiFi 6e (no 6GHz band)
  • Only USB 3.0

Edit:
Please note that this is not a travel router, unlike many others from GL.iNet.

Computing GL.iNet Wireless Router

Related Stores

GL Technologies (Hong Kong)
GL Technologies (Hong Kong)

closed Comments

  • soymeat on 16/11/2023 - 12:42
    +1

    I've got this and I'm very happy with it. Rock solid stability and performance for the time I've used it.

    Especially for those looking for 2.5Gb Ethernet ports (it has 2), I think this is a great buy.

    But in general if you're looking for a high-performance Wifi 6 router with some great security/privacy/ad-blocking features, I highly recommend.

  • AssociatedLimbot @ GL Technologies (Hong Kong) on 16/11/2023 - 13:00
    +6

    For most people this will be overkill……umm future proofing, giving the fantastic state of the NBN. I'm using this for FTTN to a bridged Draytek 130. I'm on a 100Mbps plan and get around 80Mbps thanks to Tony and Mal so it's gonna be a while before I saturate the WAN link :p

    The unit has been rock solid, it's just running as a router and a Wireguard VPN server for me with around a dozen active devices (notebooks, phones, TVs ) and about 25 IOT devices (Shelleys, Eufy cameras, Google hubs ) and doesn't even break into a sweat.

    I'm using the USB just to run a USB stick for running movies/videos. Should really run Transmission for Bit Torrents on it.

    One thing I will say is that the WiFi coverage is better than the original Flint 1 and I've actually removed one of my APs ( a Slate AX) on the second story of my house based on the Flint 2's coverage.

    • J B S on 16/11/2023 - 14:07
      +1

      Sorry for being ignorant but who is Tony and Mal?

      • bopter12 on 16/11/2023 - 14:17
        +2

        Abbott and Turnbull

        • J B S on 16/11/2023 - 14:18
          +1

          Thanks now makes sense

    • stumo on 20/11/2023 - 09:44

      Any chance of a black friday deal on the router?

      I just need an AP for now, and I may as well go a 2.5Gbps backhaul to my current AX55pro for the sub $200 price range. So need decent router with at least AX3000 and with a 2.5Gbps port.

      I'd prefer this glinet router for futureproofing, but if this doesn't come back down at least the USD$20, I will just buy another AX55pro to use as AP for AUD$150.

  • stopbuying on 16/11/2023 - 13:15

    Can it setup as Mesh router if I have more then one ?

    • AssociatedLimbot @ GL Technologies (Hong Kong) on 16/11/2023 - 13:20
      +1

      Not out of the box 😕

    • xor on 16/11/2023 - 14:03
      +1

      I have a bunch of other devices that I've flashed with regular OpenWRT and set up 802.11s mesh with, so I'll do the same with these (probably replace my lesser devices)

    • rygle on 16/11/2023 - 18:26
      +1

      If you can install actual OpenWRT as opposed to the GL.iNet forked/branded version, there are videos on YouTube by "One Marc Fifty" that explain a basic mesh setup using fast transitioning 802.11r.

  • dfg555 on 16/11/2023 - 13:31

    you guys plan on getting into 5g portable hotspots?

    • AssociatedLimbot @ GL Technologies (Hong Kong) on 16/11/2023 - 13:50
      +2

      Their latest offerings in that space:

      Spitz AX
      Puli AX
      M2

  • tribal on 16/11/2023 - 13:53

    I have the previous generation of this router (Flint 1) and it's excellent. Very satisfied with the software (OpenWRT) and hardware in my unit. I can imagine this would be much of the same if not better.

  • stumo on 16/11/2023 - 14:06

    Will this support EasyMesh?

    I just got a AX55 Pro for free from Amazon. So might switch to this and use the AX55 for EasyMesh if its compatable?

    • ozdesi on 16/11/2023 - 18:15

      Free?

      • stumo on 20/11/2023 - 09:48
        +1

        Yes Amazon screwed up their listing saying it came with two 2.5Gbps ports, when really it only comes with one port. So I managed to wrangle a total refund with waived return out of amazon chat.

        • vodamerc on 30/11/2023 - 19:16

          How did you get out of returning it?

    • rygle on 16/11/2023 - 18:22
      +1

      Sorry, but I really doubt you can get these talking using EasyMesh.

      As far as I understand, while "EasyMesh" is meant to be an industry standard, it doesn't define everything needed for a full mesh solution and so manufacturers do their own thing for stuff like fast transitioning (and many other functions), so compatibility between two different brands' version of EasyMesh is still quite bad.

      I don't think you can put OpenWRT on the AX55 Pro either.

  • troubadour on 17/11/2023 - 13:37

    Can this router block outgoing traffic for specified devices (LAN static IP x.y.z.w > WAN) but keep them visible on LAN? I can't find anything on the help pages and don't know anything about openwrt plug-ins.

    And if anyone knows, what's the power consumption at the power point when idle?

    • ozbyau on 17/11/2023 - 13:57
      +1

      Power Consumption:
      https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-mt6000/#specs

      Their official doco states will block access to both LAN / WAN if enabled:
      https://docs.gl-inet.com/router/en/4/interface_guide/clients…
      Not sure if running OpenWrt will give you better options.

      • troubadour on 17/11/2023 - 14:03
        +2

        Thanks for LAN block info. Missed that..

        Thanks OP & ozbyau. Ordered one.

    • rygle on 17/11/2023 - 15:35
      +1

      I think in vanilla/actual OpenWRT there would be multiple ways you could do this. As you can access Luci from the GL.iNet interface also, you might be able to do these things in the GL.iNet firmware also, but using the OpenWRT Luci interface, but that might get messy.

      1. Create a separate IOT/Jail WiFi zone on the same router and allow forwarding only to the LAN network - see https://forum.openwrt.org/t/how-to-create-a-new-access-point…

      2. Set a firewall rule that would filter by either IP address or MAC/Ethernet address. You might have to set a static IP for the device, e.g. 192.168.1.10, then in the firewall a block all rule (from e.g. IP 192.168.1.10 or MAC xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, set the to field as WAN - or possibly leave blank) and you might also then set an allow rule that only allows to the local subnet, e.g. 192.168.1.0/24 or similar.

    • Graduate on 17/11/2023 - 16:35
      +2

      Mobile devices use randomised MAC nowadays, so you'll have to inform people to disable that privacy feature in their respective Wi-Fi connection to this router - in order that you can manually whitelist their real device MAC; otherwise a MAC blacklist is profitless…

      You'll need a whitelist rule, and ending in a deny all rule…

      Some copy paste remote shell commands (untested) to work from:

      ssh [email protected]

      # whitelist
uci delete firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic;
uci set firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic=rule;
uci set firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic.name='my_accept_wan_traffic';
uci set firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic.src='lan';
uci set firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic.src_mac='11:11:11:11:11:11 22:22:22:22:22:22 33:33:33:33:33:33';
uci set firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic.dest='wan';
uci set firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic.proto='all';
uci set firewall.my_accept_wan_traffic.target='ACCEPT';

# blacklist (deny lan to wan)
uci delete firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic;
uci set firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic=rule;
uci set firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic.name='my_reject_wan_traffic';
uci set firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic.src='lan';
#uci set firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic.src_mac='44:44:44:44:44:44 55:55:55:55:55:55';
uci set firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic.dest='wan';
uci set firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic.proto='all';
uci set firewall.my_reject_wan_traffic.target='REJECT';

uci commit firewall;
service firewall restart;

      uci show firewall;

      • troubadour on 17/11/2023 - 17:59
        +2

        Thanks rygle and Graduate.

        I'll be blocking a 'benevolent' devices, ie, prevent smart TV and some IoT devices from calling home. Currently works fine with static IP alloc.

        These replies are getting me feverishly excited about OpenWRT. Now I really want to get my hands on it.

        • zfa on 17/11/2023 - 18:08

          Better to block the malevolent ones and leave the benevolent ones, surely.

        • rygle on 18/11/2023 - 11:07

          I'm pretty sure onemarcfifty has videos about making an IOT WiFi interface on YouTube, along the lines of my first suggestion.

          That way you don't have to worry about MAC addresses or IP addresses at all as the device can only connect to the network it knows about, and that whole network is blocked from WAN.

          Edit: Try this video, but just ignore the vlan stuff and the second router, unless you want that, of course.
          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4t_S2oWsBpE&list=PLZXNpqQDHIJr…

          • Graduate on 18/11/2023 - 12:45

            @rygle: I can't think of a need for what sounds like a lot of bridging and routing complexity, a nightmare to troubleshoot… when I only wanted to scan, edit, and print something [without anything phoning home]!

            Maybe, just maybe I'll let an IoT device through to the WAN to update its firmware (if that were determined to be the right move), easy to script vs. dealing with myriad of network config or physical axs¿

            • rygle on 18/11/2023 - 13:25
              +1

              @Graduate: I think you missed the bit where I said to ignore the vlan and second router stuff.

              So that leaves you with adding an IOT WiFi interface, then adding a forward to LAN.

              Just a different approach to give options.

              Peace! 😉

              • Graduate on 18/11/2023 - 14:15
                +1

                @rygle: Nice, but still actually a lot more involved. I might migrate to this admittedly superior method, for the truly dubious of IoT that could masquerade as one's whitelisted MAC addresses.

                How to configure OpenWrt as Firewall for your home network and Guest Wifi and IPTables explained

                I believe here's the relevant guide in his OpenWrt playlist where he sets up the significant zones and interfaces(, all of which I'll eventually automate so it's just as easy to undo).

                • rygle on 18/11/2023 - 14:52
                  +1

                  @Graduate: As long as it works for you! Not a question of superior, but horses for courses… and just working, which can be a variety of approaches ;)

  • ozbyau on 17/11/2023 - 13:41
    +1

    Great, thanks for the heads up, I just pre-ordered to replace my aging Asus RT-AC68U.

    OpenWrt support is confirmed too:
    https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt/pull/13414

  • stumo on 17/11/2023 - 21:33
    +1

    Oh come on!!!!!!!

    Just when I decided to finally bite the bullet, its gone up to $129 fml.

    • rygle on 17/11/2023 - 23:41
      +2

      Dang! Edited the deal.

      Still a pretty good deal in my opinion.

      The closest competitors to this that are capable of OpenWRT are the Mercusys MR90X that is still around the AU$200 mark posted, and the SinoVoip Banana Pi R3 (not the R4 yet), but they are a slightly different kettle of fish and a little more for the technically minded. Both have a similar MediaTek Filogic 830 chipset to the GL.iNet one in this deal. There is also the Asus Tuf AX6000, but that is around the $400+ mark for very similar capabilities to this.

      • Moderatorscrimshaw on 19/11/2023 - 09:12

        If the price has increased significantly you must expire the deal (by clicking on the expire button), please do not change / increase the prices displayed on the title as that will cause the votes to be misrepresented.

        • rygle on 19/11/2023 - 12:13

          Ok, didn't think of that, sorry.

      • ChurchMouth on 17/12/2023 - 12:30

        Hey @rygle, I'm looking for a router that has a bit more range (an extra few meters to cover new carport) than my bottom of the barrel tplink archer, and low latency wired PC gaming while the wife streams TV (currently an issue..need some SQM). In the future I'd probably to improve the security of my network with segregating some dodgy devices like the robot vacuum. Obviously I don't have very onerous requirements but I enjoy having efficient or capable gear for expanding needs. The MR90X at $180 pickup is a price I'm happy to pay but unsure about the firmware.. looks like OpenWRT too tricky for me currently.. do you think with time it will become more straight forward? I would like the Flint 2 but that price has gone up to around $240 AUD so starting to get a bit expensive (but maybe incrementally worth it) and unsure when I will receive. Is the Filogic 830 worth chasing for an average user or is there another router which makes more sense. I wanted the Asus AX86U from all the good reviews but the price has never really come down. Cheers!

        • stumo on 17/12/2023 - 13:55

          Look at my comments below. Specifically for SQM. It's hard to set up, and mine doesn't stay "good" for long.

          It's ok for me because I have a 2nd modern router that works perfectly and stably with QoS out of the box. For $150 vs $230 for virtually the same specs I would just buy the AX55pro and be done with it.

          The Flint2 is pretty epic on paper, but in practice you need a lot of faff to get it to do things other routers do with one click. Even then in my case I can't get it to work stably.

          • ChurchMouth on 18/12/2023 - 16:17

            @stumo: Thanks, it is hard to know if you have a lemon or not. If it is software issues that will be resolved eventually by reputable company. Thanks for putting the AX55pro on my radar.. seems solid but not easily available.

            • stumo on 20/12/2023 - 10:17

              @ChurchMouth: I'm 99.9% sure its something I'm doing (or not doing) that is making it not work right. But we are talking about having to research and then install various packages, and to configure them properly. This takes a lot of time and effort which I don't have, especially when I have a perfectly good router I can use instead and configure it how I want with one click.

              It would be better for users like me if GLinet did all that donkey work for us, and provided a simple SQM/QoS interface that works out of the box, you know, like what other router manufacturers do.

              • ChurchMouth on 21/12/2023 - 00:29

                @stumo: Yeah you are right, I didn't look into it properly but I assumed their version of OpenWRT that came by default was fairly user friendly. Cheers

  • Virus-7 on 06/12/2023 - 10:01

    I've ordered mine on 9 Nov, still haven't received it… ;(

    • rygle on 07/12/2023 - 06:59

      Did they email you? I ordered mine on November 16, and just got a message the other day from GL.iNet and FedEx that it's coming Monday.

      • Virus-7 on 07/12/2023 - 13:58
        +1

        just couple hours later I received the order update, delivery is expected 15 Dec. All good! ;)

        • rygle on 07/12/2023 - 18:51

          Excellent! I think they got a bit ozbargained, as well as OpenWRTed! They are catching up now.

  • stumo on 12/12/2023 - 18:29

    Mine arrived today. Nice piece of kit.

    • AssociatedLimbot @ GL Technologies (Hong Kong) on 12/12/2023 - 19:54

      Make sure you update to the latest firmware.
      dl.gl-inet.com

      • rygle on 13/12/2023 - 06:43

        Got mine yesterday. I think I saw the GL.iNet firmware is up to 4.5.3 with updates every week or so. Excellent that they're staying on top of things..

        I opted for the full upgrade to OpenWRT.

  • stumo on 13/12/2023 - 08:58

    Hmmm I'm not off to a good start. I swapped out my current router (TPlink AX55 pro) this morning with the shiny new flint2. Updated the firmware to 4.5.3

    Everything works, except… ummm. it doesn't "route".

    All the LAN clients are connecting to it just fine and can talk to each other on LAN and wifi just fine.
    The router itself is connected to the internet just fine via the WAN port - and was able to retrieve and update its own firmware.
    But none of the LAN clients can connect to the internet.

    I thought this should just plug and play like every other router I've had? I've never had a router that doesn't route WAN to LAN by default.
    Did I do something wrong?

    • stumo on 13/12/2023 - 11:01

      Ok I got it working.

      I reset the router and started from scratch, enabling each aspect of my own setup one at a time. Stuff like ssid, LAN address, DHCP address range, etc.

      But now I'm trying to get QoS to work to optimise my 1000/50 FTTP. If I don't do this the upload speeds are all over the place and generally slow and laggy.
      The AX55 was really easy, optimising to 930/47, this flint2 is a bit of a nightmare…

      I had to install SQM.
      Then I figured out I need network acceleration set to software.
      Then I had to turn off download shaping.
      Then set the upload shaping to 52000.
      Then (and only then) can I get speeds of 930/47 like on the AX55.

      If I change any of that, or try to enable it for downloads, I immediately get like 400 instead of 930 down, and crappy uploads. I'm guessing its not able to do more than about 4 to 500Mbps throughput because it immediately drops to that level on the upload.

      This is the flint2 with SQM
      https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=d021989d-…

      And the AX55
      https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=fafb4a13-…

      So although their ookla speedtest results are identical, the latency is much better under load on the flint2. So the flint2 will now become my main router.

  • stumo on 14/12/2023 - 15:21

    I just did the latest update today like it told me to. 4.5.4

    And now the updates deleted all my SQM setup I did above.

    This isn't really a device you can just set and forget is it.

    EDIT and mow my internet DL is back to 500Mbit with software acceleration, down from 930Mbit before the update. I think Imma just go back to the AX55 and use this Flint2 as an AP.

    I'm rather disappointed in this device.

  • stumo on 15/12/2023 - 08:59

    This is mostly for my own record, but I've switched back to the AX55 and re-tested.

    Best I can get out of AX55pro:
    https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=aeb7da58-…

    vs the best I can get out of the Flint2:
    https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat?test-id=d021989d-…

    The Flint2 is slightly better benchmarks but nothing really in it. This could be a difference in QoS vs SQM implementations.

    But the Flint2 is not able to keep those speeds for some reason. It regularly drops back and stays at 500/47 for no apparent reason. The settings have not changed.
    The AX55 keeps these same full speeds 930/47 at all times and any time in between. Even when A-B-A testing immediately, the difference is still there.

  • rygle on 16/12/2023 - 17:14

    Did you think about backing up the settings, including SQM, before you installed a new firmware?

    In terms of speed, those tests are nearly neck and neck. You're only talking a difference of 1.2% peak.

    Did you try turning on hardware offloading on the mt6000?

    You do know that SQM and hardware offloading often don't work well together?

    This animation doesn't show speed but the CPU load on the right side, which will translate to steadier/more consistent and higher Mbps at higher speeds.

    This is on vanilla OpenWrt, but the GL.iNet fork also has Luci if it's not in the GL.iNet GUI, so you should be able to switch the same setting there.

    https://i.imgur.com/xYwgBCk.gif

    From https://forum.openwrt.org/t/gl-mt6000-up-to-900-mbps-using-w…

    You could also ask on the GL.iNet forum if using the OEM firmware. This router is only just out of pre-release and they are being proactive.
    https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/flint-2-gl-mt6000-bug-reports-co…

  • stumo on 17/12/2023 - 12:13
    +1

    Yes I'm not concerned about the difference on speeds between the two.

    The problem is that after a while the flint2 reverts to halving the DL for no apparent reason.

    It's probably too new and bugs need to be ironed out.

    Yes you have to NOT use hardware acceleration to get SQM to work. You have to also use software acceleration if you want more then 300 down.

    I'm happily using it as an AP for now. I will just wait for it to hopefully become more stable. Others can be the guinea pigs, I don't have time for it.

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