GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 (Opal) Portable WiFi Travel Router, Mini VPN Wireless Router for Fiber Optic Modem, Mobile Internet WiFi Repeater, Dual Band Openwrt Computer Routers, Home/Business/RV/Cruise

Quick set up, works fantastic, either with ethernet or wifi as the base. Small, compact, and easy to set up. Added all my devices at home and didnt have to connect with hotel wifi for each.

Sometimes things just delight you. This is one of the products. On a recent trip to Europe, I stayed at many hotels. It was nice to connect one device and share the connection instantly with all devices. Easy to connect to, easy UI, fast, reliable, takes little power from USB-C so you can even power it with a small power bank. USB drive to stream own media. Built in VPN. …. Wow wow wow. It even saved me one time. I was at a nice small cozy hotel but their WiFi only worked outside my door (in the hall). No problem. I simply connected the router to a small battery bank and left it outside of my door. My devices connected to it and the router was closer to the hotel WiFi transmitter so I could use internet in the room. I know it’s not a topical example but it was so awesome to be saved this way. I use it each time I work from a coffee shop too. Why not. One WiFi connection, VPN, all my devices go online and are safe (VPN).

If you like Openwrt and are looking for a travel router in this price range get this one!! I've been using and loving Openwrt on my home's wifi routers for years now and this thing is running Openwrt out of the box. Its got a nice web admin interface but you can install Luci if you want. It even has an advanced option in it's web interface where you can point and click to install Luci and all the other hundreds of Openwrt packages. I just took it on a cruise and it worked fantastic. If you are a geeky Linux dude like me, 1000% this is the one to get and even if you aren't it's web interface is very simple and easy to use while at the same time having all the normal features you'd want without Luci or any extra Openwrt packages. You can even ssh into it. The only negative I will say is a default configuration item which is easily changed... by default it monitors if your internet connection is up by pinging google and cisco and a couple other sites almost continously. Its super simple to turn off or change the frequency of pings though. The funny thing is the GL-SFT1200 isnt a supported device on the actual Openwrt website, I think because the actual Openwrt site doesnt have acess to the network drivers this is using. Its sort of using a proprietary Openwrt in a way. I mean it IS Openwrt but its using network drivers the actual Openwrt site doesnt have access too.

Great little router that you can throw into your travel tech pack. As we travel with the family and everyone's got their laptop / tablet / phone / handhelds etc, makes it super easy to connect to one travel router all the time from hotel to hotel. Has plenty of bandwidth for holiday travel especially. I see around ~80MB/s max12 without VPN. Also has VPN support if you are overseas or on business travel although VPN is not quick since it has an older CPU. I see around 1.2 MB/s, okay for emails and documents, but tough for larger files. I like the Opal that I plan to upgrade to the Beryl 7 for the much faster (almost 100x) VPN speeds for business travel in the future.

Works amazingly, I love the ease of the interface and the amount of control I have with the router. I’m using this with a tiny NUC like computer and a small box to make a portable homelab for off grid use. I’ve only had a handful of devices connect at once, but I have found no issue with the little router yet. Would recommend as a fantastic portable router to travel with.

The GL.iNet Opal is a gem like it's namesake says. Bang for your buck, this is one of the best value in routers that exists. That said, it is an older router with limitations. Know before you buy: Look, this is NOT a power router with huge throughput for OpenVPN, WireGuard, or your favorite commercial VPN. It will work just great if you need to do normal day-to-day work, but if you're trying to move large files or backhaul multiple video streams via VPN, there are limits to its throughput. The reason is simple: VPNs use a lot of CPU and memory for the overhead of encryption. At this price-point you're not getting a huge processor or a lot of memory. If you need a lot of VPN throughput, then look at GL.iNet's higher-end travel routers for the same form factor and the throughput performance you are looking for. For everyone else, this is the travel router you want. It is an OpenWRT router (though not capable of the newest builds) and will support all of the features you would expect on a router 2-4x the price. Very easy to setup and administer to share an internet connection through tethering to your cell phone or sharing a public WiFi. This device is also easily setup as a VPN server behind your typical NAT primary router by port forwarding. Range is good for the travel form-factor and power consumption. It doesn't hold a candle to the range of my primary router at home, but it still covers the entirety of our 6,000sf home, just at lower signal & throughput a the furthest distances.

Excellent product overall. For a portable travel router, I was very impressed with the ease of setup, connection reliability and user-friendly interface. The administration console is light years ahead of other more expensive routers I've used in the past. The flexibility, security options and elegantly designed interface outshine the modest cost. Put simply: it just works. Some of the more prominent names in home networking products can take a lesson from these folks on intelligent design. Considering all the available features and functionality for the price, a clear winner in my opinion.

Significant update for 5ghz wifi instability at the end of the review.... The following was earlier in the year.. I'm a little skeptical a out the 5ghz radio. My current setup is in my RV with this used as an access point to my wired router with Starlink. I have the wifi 2.5 and 5ghz seperated because of some older devices that wont connect to the combined setup. I've noticed throughout the day if i do a speedtest to fiber test servers I get speeds of less than 60 mbps while on the 5ghz. I will then toggle to the 2.4 ghz and back to the 5ghz and the speedtests are now where they should be at 260 mbps+. I've found myself having to do this multiple times throughout the day doing speed tests. I have both radios on max power and have adjusted the 5ghz frequency all over the operating spectrum with the same results. Don't know what to make of it. Other than that, the router seems to be capable of great stuff Update... Replacement ordered. 2.4ghz and 5ghz both throttle down to 20-30 mbs download after awhile. Could be 5 minutes or 2 hours Both have to be toggled or disconnected and reconnected to regain full capable download speeds. I have adjusted and locked each frequency on specific channels. Tried disabling and re enabling certain bands. Changing power supply cords. Swaped the cat 6 cables from wan to lan and back again. Used different cables. Firmware downgrades and upgrades. I have tested every changable option in the Luci advanced settings for the wifi. Absolutely nothing fixed this issue. Im hoping this was just a dud router Next update: New router recieved and setup. Problem persists in access point mode. Seems that 5g speeds kick down to 30mbps or less after awhile of connection. Only correction to this is to toggle to the 2.4ghz ssid and then toggle back to the 5ghz ssid. Simply turning wifi off and back on, without toggling out if the 5ghz, does nothing to correct the issue. My Roku device has been experiencing the same results. In my opinion, that makes this device a complete dud. Don't know its a hardware or firmware issue. Both Opal devices showed this problem. Months later..... Determined to figure out what was really going on, i found that my old Samsung s10+ did fine on 5ghz wifi for days. So i was set on the notion that possibly my pos Motorola edge 2023+ i use all the time was having the issue. Tried reseting the phone's network settings to no avail. Looking back into the opal's advanced settings (luci), I navigated to network:wireless: (radio 1:master "your ssid 5ghz". Scroll to the bottom for Interface Configuration. Select Advance settings tab underneath. At the bottom is an option to check "Disassociate On Low Acknowledgement". Mine was checked, so I unchecked it and it seams that this is the fix! My Motorola nows stays stable with the 5g wifi giving me full bandwidth without interruption. According to Google.... ""Disassociate On Low Acknowledgement" is a wireless setting in routers (common in OpenWrt, DD-WRT) that forces an access point (AP) to drop clients if they fail to acknowledge packets, often due to weak signals or inactivity. Disabling this feature often resolves random Wi-Fi disconnections, authentication errors, or sluggish throughput on mobile devices." Hoping this may help someone. I upgraded the stars from 1 to 4.

I am quite pleased with the product. Compact enough size for travel. Works great with almost any type of usb power source. Easy to set up, with a lot of features. The VPN functionality is especially straightforward.

Very easy to setup, proton vpn is not one of the default Von though, so you need to the proton website and download a configuration file, then upload it to the router, and you'll be ready to go

I recently purchased the GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 (Opal) Secure Travel WiFi Router for my travels, and it has exceeded my expectations. This compact router is packed with features that make it ideal for anyone needing reliable internet access on the go. The AC1200 dual-band WiFi provides fast and stable connections, and I appreciate the gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connections when I need them. One of the most convenient features is the ability to purchase a single WiFi access (such as in a hotel or airport) and share it securely with multiple devices via the router. This is a huge time-saver, especially when you’re dealing with limited access or want to avoid connecting several devices directly to a public network. The router creates a private, secure connection for all your devices, so you don't have to worry about security issues on shared WiFi networks. The security features are a standout, offering secure connections even on public networks. It's easy to set up in Repeater, Bridge, or Access Point modes, providing flexibility depending on the situation. The 128MB RAM ensures smooth performance, even when multiple devices are connected. I’ve found it especially useful in hotel rooms where WiFi is spotty, allowing me to create a personal, secure network with ease. The MU-MIMO support is also a nice touch, ensuring that multiple devices get good bandwidth without interference. The GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 (Opal) is a powerful and secure travel router that makes it easy to stay connected wherever I am. Highly recommended for frequent travelers!

If you’re looking for a portable router that packs a serious punch, the GL-iNet travel router is hard to beat. I personally use it to provide router-level VPN across all devices in my home, including smart TVs and other networked devices, and it works flawlessly. Setup is quick and straightforward. Power it on, connect via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and enter the router’s IP in your browser. The admin panel is extremely intuitive, making it easy to configure VPN settings, connect to networks, manage devices, or adjust firewall and port options. Even complex routing setups are simple to manage thanks to the clear interface and helpful documentation. The router supports both OpenVPN and WireGuard, but from my experience its real strength is getting full network-level VPN without having to configure individual devices. The physical VPN switch on the side is a clever feature, letting you toggle the VPN on or off instantly. And if I need to travel, it’s incredibly convenient—compact and foldable enough to carry in a bag. I can take it abroad and set it up in hotels or other networks to create my own secure Wi-Fi, piggybacking off the existing router or Ethernet connections. This makes accessing a safe VPN on all my devices easy, even when away from home. Overall, this is a small, portable router that delivers full-featured, router-level VPN at home, with an incredibly user-friendly admin panel, strong Wi-Fi, and excellent support. For the price, it’s hard to find a better option. Highly recommended.

Ik heb het kort getest, want ik krijg het pas met kerst. Maar ziet er heel goed uit. Ik wil op vakantieverblijf gebruiken om meerdere apparaten over een wireguard tunnel naar mijn thuis internet verbinding te laten lopen. Mijn internetverbinding thuis is niet de snelste, dus deze goedkope variant is voor mij snel genoeg, en goedkoper dan een zelfgebouwde op basis van een raspberry pi. En deze werkt meteen.