- 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

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).

Solid basic travel router. A bit slow when using VPN's, but otherwise great. Works like a wee charm. Super easy to set up Open-WRT compliant.

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.

I purchased the GL.iNet GL‑SFT1200 (Opal) Portable Wi‑Fi Travel Router and it does exactly what most travelers need: compact, lightweight, easy to use, plug‑and‑play, and dependable. Out of the box it was straightforward to set up with a very simple interface, and it connected quickly to devices without hassle — perfect for hotels, cafes, airports, or on the go. However, I ended up sending this one back and upgrading to the GL.iNet Slate, which I got on sale at the same time. The main reason was performance and VPN capability. While the Opal is solid for basic routing and travel Wi‑Fi extension, it has some limitations: • VPN performance is limited — OpenVPN speeds on the Opal are relatively slow compared to more advanced GL.iNet models. This is because the Opal uses hardware that isn’t as powerful for encryption, so if you stream through a VPN or need fast secure connections, it will lag behind. • WireGuard is noticeably better than OpenVPN, especially when used with a wired connection, but still not as fast as on higher‑end units like the Slate. Many other users note the same thing: Opal is excellent as a travel companion — small, unobtrusive, and simple — but if you want high‑speed VPN, advanced features, or more throughput, the pricier models from GL.iNet (like the Slate) perform much better. That said, for what it is, the Opal does its job well. Its size and ease of use make it an ideal choice for travelers who want reliable Wi‑Fi sharing, basic guest network setup, or a simple hotspot to router solution. It’s also built with the same trustworthy software and decent hardware quality that GL.iNet is known for, so it does deliver as advertised — just within its performance class. If you travel light and just need plug‑and‑play connectivity, the Opal is a good and affordable choice. But if you plan to use it with VPNs heavily or for higher throughput over longer periods, consider investing in a more advanced model.

Inexpensive and flexible. Very useful when going anywhere with wifi. It supports VPNs so I can set it up to connect to my home wireguard VPN and route through that, then act as a router with NAT where the WAN is actually the wifi service. It then provides it's own wifi/ethernet ports on the private LAN and the operator of the wifi does not get any access to my data. The signal is actually decent for how small the two retracting antennae are. It's quick, very small, and runs on a USB C power supply. It technically runs OpenWRT on the back end but for most use cases, the custom front-end is more than enough. Also, if you need a quick bit of help setting it up, it defaults to 192.168.8.1 so that's what you put into your browser to configure it. Even if you aren't traveling and you just need a simple repeater/access point, it's not a bad price.

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.

This item will have limited availability shortly, as it is discontinued. If you want a compact travel router, and I needed one, for anything close to this price range, this may be your only option. There are a few other types offerred in an even more compact format but they seem to all only support 2.4ghz wifi, which won't cut it for me. I use this product to set up a portable software development system consisting of at least 3 machines of various types that need fast local network communications, while counting as only one internet connection. What you should know is that the product can be fragile and you'll most likely need to fuss with it, and possibly go deep into its underlying configuration. It might even fail permanently along the way and you'll have to replace it, as I did. There is a significant community devoted to this device, having discovered its relative value, and you can seek help from past forum comments or by making specific requests. It is built on an older version of the software Open WRT. First rule: reduce the wireless radio transmit power. Otherwise, the device may overheat and likely stop working after a few hours, requiring a hard reboot. This is also true of homemade versions similar systems built on, say, a Rasberry Pi. Performance may actually improve since the radio waveforms are more accurate if the transmitter is not overtaxed. Secondly, go into the Luci configuration and disable the "tor" and "gl_terf" services. You probably don't need them and the fewer services that run the better, because of limited memory. Finally, follow the manufacturer's directions and install the Smart Queue Management package (SQM). That will avoid unexpected crashes. You must disable hardware acceleration as a result, but I found that the combination improved performance overall. Once I invested in all this work I believe I now have a reliable and useful solution.