GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 (Opal) Portable Wifi Router for Travel, Wireless Access Point, Pocket Wifi 5 Abroad, Secure Vpn Router, Mobile Wireless Routers for Modem, Mini Routers for Hotel, Plane, Openwrt

I would describe this device as a “pocket rocket.” Despite its small size, it offers an impressive range of functionalities at a very reasonable price. The router is highly portable, making it perfect for travel, while also capable of serving as a full-featured VPN server at home.Design & Portability:The router is compact and fits comfortably in the hand, making it easy to carry when traveling. Its low power consumption means it can be powered via a power bank, laptop USB port, or standard phone charger, adding to its convenience on the go.Wifi 6 gives excellent wifi signal strength offering both 5 & 2.4 options.VPN Capabilities:This router supports both OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN, allowing for secure connections from anywhere. One of the standout features is that it does not require a static IP to run a VPN server. The router detects your IP automatically and integrates seamlessly with the cloud services it provides, simplifying setup. Client configurations are easy to download and configure on multiple devices.Use Case & Performance:I use two of these routers:• At home, as a WireGuard VPN server.• While traveling, as a client connecting to my home VPN server.When abroad, I simply connect the portable router to the hotel or public Wi-Fi network, and it automatically secures all my devices through the VPN. This setup provides a hassle-free, secure Internet experience on the go.Remote Management & Interface:The router’s interface is intuitive and straightforward, offering a wide range of features. You can access and modify the router remotely from anywhere in the world, allowing for easy management of VPN settings and other configurations.Support & Resources:The support page is comprehensive, providing all the information needed to maximize the router’s capabilities. I found it extremely helpful for both setup and troubleshooting.Conclusion:For the price, this router is exceptional. It’s perfect for travelers who want a portable, secure VPN solution or for anyone needing a local VPN server at home. I am very satisfied with my purchase and highly recommend it.

If you've not used GL-iNet routers you are missing out.I needed a value for money travel router with 5GHz Wifi that would connect to my 5G HotSpot (via WIFI 5GHz), provide easy VPN access via WireGuard to my home network, have gigabit ethernet ports and be powered by USB C. This router fulfilled all of those requirements :-)The initial setup is super easy. Power up the device, connect to it either by WIFI or one of the Gigabit ethernet ports and put the router IP into your browser. From there you have an extremely user friendly interface with all the options you could ever need.Just to summarise these, you can connect to another Wifi source for your internet, you can plug in an ethernet source or you can even tether from a USB source (whether your phone or a USB stick).Once connected to the internet you can configure your VPN. Here you have the choice of OpenVPN or WireGuard. As my home router has a WireGuard VPN server built in, I used that and immediately I was connected.The other nice touch with regards to this router and the VPN connection is the switch on the side of the unit. You can configure this for several options, one being VPN on or off - what a smart idea!!!You can of course configure the onboard firewall as well, opening ports, DMZ etc etc. For such a small device it's heavily loaded with relevant functionality.Due to the complexity of my home network I did run into an issue where I was routing the internet connection through to the VPN, but my local network resources were not reachable.I reached out to the GL-iNet support team and they responded very quickly with great support. After changing the routing mode of the VPN (to Customize Routing Rules) I was able to apply customised routing rules specifically for my home VLAN, and as a bonus, was also able to push internet traffic out locally from the connected WIFI source instead of going via my home network :-)The support I received was first class, and the engineer even went as far as giving me the reason why I needed to use the customised routing. This was due to an IP range clash I had somewhere along the way. If the router detects this it won't push traffic automatically down the VPN tunnel, to prevent potential IP clash issues. However, you can override this easily and this is what I ended up doing.It now works flawlessly. A Huge thanks again to GL-iNet support, it really was a pleasure communicating with you.I can honestly recommend these devices and this company, what a great end user experience !!