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Edited September 30, 2021
at 07:25 PM
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I saw the previous deal, so I know it's not the better deal. I was in the market for one, so I was browsing around last night. I almost pulled the trigger, but slept on it and woke up to see this deal. I was going to buy the GL.iNet GL-AR750 (Creta) which is priced at $49.90 and this was priced at $69.90, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay $20 extra for some differences. Now I'm going to get this thanks to the deal.
GL.iNet GL-AR750S-Ext Travel Router:
[OPEN SOURCE & PROGRAMMABLE] OpenWrt/LEDE pre-installed, backed by software repository.
[VPN CLIENT & SERVER] OpenVPN and WireGuard pre-installed, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers.
[LARGER STORAGE & EXTENSIBILITY] 128MB RAM, 16MB NOR Flash, and 128MB NAND Flash, up to 128GB MicroSD slot, USB 2.0 port, three Gigabit Ethernet ports (1 WAN and 2 LAN).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product..._qh_dp_hza
Previous Deal:
https://slickdeals.net/f/14836483-gl-inet-gl-ar750s-ext-gigabit-ac-vpn-travel-router-54-90-fs?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1
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The only reason this router is being on sale is because the new router (GL-MT1300) was released, at a similar price to the old AC750S-Ext. ($74.90) https://store.gl-inet.com/product...-gl-mt1300
The chipset on this router is quite dated at this point, it's single core QCA9563. I don't have this specific router, but I do have a TP-Link router with the same SoC. On that router, I get ~20mbps on openvpn and ~80mbps through wireguard.
It's not bad, but it's certainly not as fast as I'd prefer.
Of course, being an older model it also has micro USB, whereas the newer one has usb-c.
My personal recommendation if you're going to spend $60-70 anyway on a travel router is as such:
Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB): $35
2 x MT7612U USB adapters (AC1200 x 2): $20 x 2 - from aliexpress/amazon
Total cost comes down to $75, and you can upgrade the components individually down the road when wifi6/6e comes out on usb sticks.
You can put OpenWRT on the raspberry pi and it will have dedicated backhaul/connection to your hotel's wifi instead of halving the bandwidth available to your client devices. The RPI4 can also handle wireguard up to a gigabit and openvpn @ 300mbps so you get way more performance than these outdated overpriced travel routers.
Even if you don't like the RPI4 DIY, the newer GL-MT1300 has a dual core MT7621A SoC which is significantly faster than the QCA9563. Wireguard speeds of 200mbps are to be expected vs ~70mbps. https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-us...erformance
For $20 more the GL-MT1300 is the better buy if you care at all about performance and I find more and more that hotels have fiber or at least >100mbps connections now.
Otherwise the AC750 at $55 is /acceptable/ but not hot by any means - just warm.
For context, a fully saturated wifi5 connection should hit 500-600mbps in real world use. QCA9563 wireguard caps out at ~75mbps, MT7621 wireguard caps out at ~200mbps.
I've stayed in hotels with gigabit symmetric connections, others with terrible 10/1 connections. If you're downloading and uploading stuff, you'd cap out the CPU at 100/100 for example on the MT7621 CPU and 40/40 on the QCA9563 CPU.
In addition, if you want to power one of these things as you travel so you have it as a repeater for all your devices, and be able to plug it in to the wall at your convenience (so it doesn't reboot the router as you move it around) you can get a power bank/battery pack that supports passthrough charging.
Notable powerbanks that support passthrough charging include: ZMI Ambi 10k ($25), zendure x6 ($$$$) , Voltaic V50 USB Battery Pack ($$$), etc. That way you can keep your travel router running without reboots as you get to the hotel or move away from the hotel and keep it in your bag or something.
I had to do a lot of digging to find/build my optimal travel router, hope this helps someone.
A final thing to note: if you plan on using any device as a wireless repeater, you should have 2 separate radios, otherwise you will halve the throughput due to the frequency/channel space. For example, 2 clients both using channel 36 will mean the theoretical throughput will be halved. Because both the AC750 and MT1300 only have ONE radio, your throughput is halved. By having 2 separate radios on the DIY RPI4, you can make sure you have this issue by setting up the connection on 1 channel and the AP (access point) on a separate channel. That way your clients will not experience throughput halving.
Edit: corrected model number because I don't have photographic memory
It does increase the risk for other servers that are connected similarly which can increase the risk even inside the firewall depending on how things are configured, etc. Too many variables that can cause trouble.
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I definitely will look into setting up Wireguard server using Pi.
I may have a follow-up question.
I can see Brume-W (GL-MV1000W) can meet 97Mbps for OpenVPN and 280Mbps for Wireguard.
What decides the speed? CPU? Ram? or the whole design?
what you guys think of this router:
lint (GL-AX1800) is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with connection speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). It can host VPN servers and provide a high-performance secure network for mass device connection, high-speed data streaming, ultra-low latency gaming, and office data transmission.
Product Description
Powerful Dual-band AX Gigabit Wireless Router: Superior Wi-Fi speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). With MU-MIMO technology, you can connect 100+ devices simultaneously.
Strengthens Internet Security: The powerful CPU provides you a high-speed VPN clients' performance: OpenVPN up to 112Mbps, WireGuard®VPN up to 667Mbps, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers. WPA2/WPA3 enterprise encryption and IPv6 are supported. Encrypted DNS with Cloudflare. AdGuard Home is supported for blocking ads and online tracking.
Most Customizable Router for Tech Lovers: Coming with OpenWrt operating system pre-installed, allowing users to fully customize their own Wi-Fi 6 router. The extra storage also brings you a local drive to store files, which is perfect for installing different applications.
Upgrade Your Home Network: Flint comes with 5 gigabit ports, you can enjoy better 4K video streaming, gaming, and video chatting with your friends and families.
Best Router for Entertainment: Supporting 30+ popular VPN services, Flint allows you to unlock movies from other countries. Using Wi-Fi 6 technology, you can enjoy lag-free gaming with superior speed.
what you guys think of this router:
lint (GL-AX1800) is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with connection speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). It can host VPN servers and provide a high-performance secure network for mass device connection, high-speed data streaming, ultra-low latency gaming, and office data transmission.
Product Description
Powerful Dual-band AX Gigabit Wireless Router: Superior Wi-Fi speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). With MU-MIMO technology, you can connect 100+ devices simultaneously.
Strengthens Internet Security: The powerful CPU provides you a high-speed VPN clients' performance: OpenVPN up to 112Mbps, WireGuard®VPN up to 667Mbps, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers. WPA2/WPA3 enterprise encryption and IPv6 are supported. Encrypted DNS with Cloudflare. AdGuard Home is supported for blocking ads and online tracking.
Most Customizable Router for Tech Lovers: Coming with OpenWrt operating system pre-installed, allowing users to fully customize their own Wi-Fi 6 router. The extra storage also brings you a local drive to store files, which is perfect for installing different applications.
Upgrade Your Home Network: Flint comes with 5 gigabit ports, you can enjoy better 4K video streaming, gaming, and video chatting with your friends and families.
Best Router for Entertainment: Supporting 30+ popular VPN services, Flint allows you to unlock movies from other countries. Using Wi-Fi 6 technology, you can enjoy lag-free gaming with superior speed.
what you guys think of this router:
lint (GL-AX1800) is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with connection speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). It can host VPN servers and provide a high-performance secure network for mass device connection, high-speed data streaming, ultra-low latency gaming, and office data transmission.
Product Description
Powerful Dual-band AX Gigabit Wireless Router: Superior Wi-Fi speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). With MU-MIMO technology, you can connect 100+ devices simultaneously.
Strengthens Internet Security: The powerful CPU provides you a high-speed VPN clients' performance: OpenVPN up to 112Mbps, WireGuard®VPN up to 667Mbps, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers. WPA2/WPA3 enterprise encryption and IPv6 are supported. Encrypted DNS with Cloudflare. AdGuard Home is supported for blocking ads and online tracking.
Most Customizable Router for Tech Lovers: Coming with OpenWrt operating system pre-installed, allowing users to fully customize their own Wi-Fi 6 router. The extra storage also brings you a local drive to store files, which is perfect for installing different applications.
Upgrade Your Home Network: Flint comes with 5 gigabit ports, you can enjoy better 4K video streaming, gaming, and video chatting with your friends and families.
Best Router for Entertainment: Supporting 30+ popular VPN services, Flint allows you to unlock movies from other countries. Using Wi-Fi 6 technology, you can enjoy lag-free gaming with superior speed.
Wifi signal (service provider) --> GL.iNet Wifi (as modem) 1st layer of firewall --> Wifi Wireless Router (Asus ac1900) 2nd layer of firewall --> LAN connected devices to ethernet and wifi.
So yea, it replaces the standard modem since the service provider is a wifi signal.
Works great and speed is on par to what the service provider provides.
Was amaze how such a small foot print gives such a punch compare to the router size modem.
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The only reason this router is being on sale is because the new router (GL-MT1300) was released, at a similar price to the old AC750S-Ext. ($74.90) https://store.gl-inet.com/product...-gl-mt1300
The chipset on this router is quite dated at this point, it's single core QCA9563. I don't have this specific router, but I do have a TP-Link router with the same SoC. On that router, I get ~20mbps on openvpn and ~80mbps through wireguard.
It's not bad, but it's certainly not as fast as I'd prefer.
Of course, being an older model it also has micro USB, whereas the newer one has usb-c.
My personal recommendation if you're going to spend $60-70 anyway on a travel router is as such:
Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB): $35
2 x MT7621 USB adapters (AC1200 x 2): $20 x 2 - from aliexpress/amazon
Total cost comes down to $75, and you can upgrade the components individually down the road when wifi6/6e comes out on usb sticks.
You can put OpenWRT on the raspberry pi and it will have dedicated backhaul/connection to your hotel's wifi instead of halving the bandwidth available to your client devices. The RPI4 can also handle wireguard up to a gigabit and openvpn @ 300mbps so you get way more performance than these outdated overpriced travel routers.
Even if you don't like the RPI4 DIY, the newer GL-MT1300 has a dual core MT7621A SoC which is significantly faster than the QCA9563. Wireguard speeds of 200mbps are to be expected vs ~70mbps. https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-us...erformance
For $20 more the GL-MT1300 is the better buy if you care at all about performance and I find more and more that hotels have fiber or at least >100mbps connections now.
Otherwise the AC750 at $55 is /acceptable/ but not hot by any means - just warm.
For context, a fully saturated wifi5 connection should hit 500-600mbps in real world use. QCA9563 wireguard caps out at ~75mbps, MT7621 wireguard caps out at ~200mbps.
I've stayed in hotels with gigabit symmetric connections, others with terrible 10/1 connections. If you're downloading and uploading stuff, you'd cap out the CPU at 100/100 for example on the MT7621 CPU and 40/40 on the QCA9563 CPU.
In addition, if you want to power one of these things as you travel so you have it as a repeater for all your devices, and be able to plug it in to the wall at your convenience (so it doesn't reboot the router as you move it around) you can get a power bank/battery pack that supports passthrough charging.
Notable powerbanks that support passthrough charging include: ZMI Ambi 10k ($25), zendure x6 ($$$$) , Voltaic V50 USB Battery Pack ($$$), etc. That way you can keep your travel router running without reboots as you get to the hotel or move away from the hotel and keep it in your bag or something.
I had to do a lot of digging to find/build my optimal travel router, hope this helps someone.
A final thing to note: if you plan on using any device as a wireless repeater, you should have 2 separate radios, otherwise you will halve the throughput due to the frequency/channel space. For example, 2 clients both using channel 36 will mean the theoretical throughput will be halved. Because both the AC750 and MT1300 only have ONE radio, your throughput is halved. By having 2 separate radios on the DIY RPI4, you can make sure you have this issue by setting up the connection on 1 channel and the AP (access point) on a separate channel. That way your clients will not experience throughput halving.
Do you have links for those MT7621 USB for $20 each and the RPI4 for $35? I assume those are old prices before chip shortages b/c I can't find them or if I do it's expensive.
what you guys think of this router:
lint (GL-AX1800) is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with connection speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). It can host VPN servers and provide a high-performance secure network for mass device connection, high-speed data streaming, ultra-low latency gaming, and office data transmission.
Product Description
Powerful Dual-band AX Gigabit Wireless Router: Superior Wi-Fi speed up to 600Mbps(2.4G)+1200Mbps(5G). With MU-MIMO technology, you can connect 100+ devices simultaneously.
Strengthens Internet Security: The powerful CPU provides you a high-speed VPN clients' performance: OpenVPN up to 112Mbps, WireGuard®VPN up to 667Mbps, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers. WPA2/WPA3 enterprise encryption and IPv6 are supported. Encrypted DNS with Cloudflare. AdGuard Home is supported for blocking ads and online tracking.
Most Customizable Router for Tech Lovers: Coming with OpenWrt operating system pre-installed, allowing users to fully customize their own Wi-Fi 6 router. The extra storage also brings you a local drive to store files, which is perfect for installing different applications.
Upgrade Your Home Network: Flint comes with 5 gigabit ports, you can enjoy better 4K video streaming, gaming, and video chatting with your friends and families.
Best Router for Entertainment: Supporting 30+ popular VPN services, Flint allows you to unlock movies from other countries. Using Wi-Fi 6 technology, you can enjoy lag-free gaming with superior speed.
Asus ax1800 seems the same price. I just bought it for this reason (vpn client). Got it on Amazon for $99.
I didn't run a direct comparison, but like similar.
as i have said, if you think that majority of public wifi like hotels are harboring some genius hacker who spends his/her days trying to break into your phone you are due for a yearly checkup, tuneup or you are watching way too much tv. statistically you have a higher chance loosing your luggage before you arrive to that hotel. Don't tell me you buy luggage insurance too.
Big advantage of Gl.inet is they have built-in wireguard server and client. I don't seewhy ppl still using openVPN while the newer wireguard has much better speed.
The cheaper $20 mango one has only 2.4Ghz, but with wiregaurd, i get 30mbps up and down, better than this $55 router with openvpn. Silly for ppl to choose openVPN.
Hey, this is great advice. I purchased this one to setup as VPN server at home and access when I'm away.
What speeds are you getting with the mango as at home vpn server with wireguard?
It's tricky trying to get to connect without knowing how. Mostly due to the captive portal connection as what this device main usage is for at hotels, coffee shops and airports.
The other part is getting the vpn to work properly, again, it's setting it up correctly and most user don't know or understand. The issue is there isn't any instructions to guide one to set it up, most of those who got it to setup either understand how or done enough reading off the net to properly set it up.
Overrall, this is a good device and has the functions to do one can't imagine (at the time it was dropped in the market place). It is still a great device for travel and also for home usage. Pretty powerful device for it's size.
What speeds are you getting with the mango as at home vpn server with wireguard?
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My old, truly unlimited plan doesn't include the hot spot feature.
Wow, that's sad, because the Wifi sharing is as the name says, sharing your Wifi internet connection rather than sharing your mobile data. That feature works on phones even with SIM cards without service.