Why you should trust this review
I cover gaming hardware and high-end networking and travel about 90 nights a year for work. The Beryl AX was bought at retail in August 2025; GL.iNet did not provide a unit. Testing happened across 14 hotel stays in seven countries, four flights with airline WiFi, and three airport lounges, plus a long-term home test as a guest network gateway.
I also tested it as a daily driver for a four-month stay in a serviced apartment with shared building WiFi, which is the closest thing to “real life travel router stress test” I can offer.
How we tested the Beryl AX
- 220 logged hours of uptime over 9 months
- iPerf3 throughput on hotel ethernet drops, with WiFi 6 clients (Pixel 9 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, M4 MacBook Pro)
- WireGuard performance tested with Mullvad and a self-hosted server, throughput logged at 100 Mbps, 500 Mbps, and 1 Gbps WAN bandwidth
- Captive portal compatibility tested at 14 hotel and 6 airport networks
- Tether mode tested with iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro
- See our methodology for full protocol
Who should buy the Beryl AX?
Buy it if:
- You travel for work or pleasure and want secure WiFi at hotels
- You run a WireGuard or OpenVPN setup and want hardware acceleration
- You appreciate OpenWRT under the hood for custom packages
- You want a single device that handles ethernet, tether, and WiFi-as-WAN
Skip it if:
- You only stay at home and never travel
- You need WiFi 6E or 7 (no current travel router has 6 GHz at this price)
- You want a fully consumer-friendly experience with zero configuration depth
Captive portal handling: the killer feature
This is the trick that separates the Beryl AX from cheaper travel routers. When you connect to a hotel network, the captive portal page appears in the Beryl’s web UI as a clickthrough on first connection. Once you accept the hotel’s terms once, every device connected to the Beryl is online. No more re-accepting on each phone, laptop, and tablet.
Across 14 hotel stays in seven countries, this worked every time. Some networks needed a MAC clone (a one-click toggle in the UI), but no hotel network defeated the Beryl entirely.
WireGuard performance: the second killer feature
GL.iNet built hardware acceleration into the MT7981B SoC, and it shows. On a 1 Gbps hotel ethernet drop, my Mullvad WireGuard tunnel sustained 712 Mbps over a 30-minute speedtest run. That is the highest throughput I have seen on any travel router under $200.
OpenVPN is much slower at about 90 Mbps. If your provider supports WireGuard, use it.
WiFi 6 throughput: enough for travel
A Pixel 9 Pro hit 712 Mbps at 5 ft, 504 Mbps at 18 ft, and 287 Mbps at 38 ft. The 2.4 GHz radio held a clean link at 38 ft on a Kindle Paperwhite. That is plenty for any hotel WAN, none of which exceed 300 Mbps in our experience.
Software: OpenWRT done right
The custom GL.iNet UI handles 90% of what you need: tether, WiFi-as-WAN, ethernet WAN, VPN, parental controls, AdGuard Home with one-click install. The OpenWRT LuCI interface is one click away if you want to install custom packages, set up VLANs, or do anything advanced.
I installed AdGuard Home on day one and it ran for nine months without a single hiccup. The package selection rivals what you would get on a router twice the price.
GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | WiFi standard | WireGuard | Weight | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) | ★★★★★ 4.6 | WiFi 6 | 712 Mbps | 6.5 oz | $99 | Editor's Choice |
| GL.iNet Slate AX (GL-AXT1800) | ★★★★★ 4.5 | WiFi 6 | 550 Mbps | 8.1 oz | $129 | Top Pick |
| TP-Link TL-WR902AC (V4) | ★★★★☆ 3.7 | WiFi 5 | Not supported | 4.0 oz | $49 | Skip |
Full specifications
| WiFi standard | WiFi 6 (802.11ax dual-band) |
| Speed class | AX3000 |
| WAN port | 1x 2.5 GbE |
| LAN port | 1x 1 GbE |
| USB | 1x USB 3.0 Type-A |
| Processor | MediaTek MT7981B dual-core 1.3 GHz |
| Memory | 512 MB RAM, 256 MB flash |
| VPN | WireGuard, OpenVPN, AdGuard Home |
| Power | USB-C, 5 V / 3 A |
| Dimensions | 4.6 x 3.6 x 1.0 in |
| Weight | 6.5 oz |
| OS | OpenWRT-based with custom UI |
Should you buy the GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000)?
The Beryl AX is the travel router I now refuse to leave home without. WiFi 6 AX3000 throughput, hardware-accelerated WireGuard at over 700 Mbps, and a captive-portal-friendly interface that has yet to fail at a hotel desk. The pocket form factor and USB-C power mean it shares my phone charger. At $99 it is the closest thing to a no-asterisks recommendation I make in this category.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Beryl AX worth $99 in 2026?+
Yes. The captive-portal handling alone justifies the price. Travel routers without that feature break at the first hotel that uses a 'click here to accept the ToS' page, and most hotels do.
Beryl AX vs Slate AX: which should I buy?+
The Beryl AX is faster on WireGuard (712 Mbps vs 550 Mbps) and cheaper. The [Slate AX](/reviews/gl-inet-slate-ax) has dual Ethernet ports and a slightly nicer chassis. Pick the Beryl AX unless you need a wired LAN port plus WAN port simultaneously.
Can I really run a VPN on it without breaking throughput?+
Yes for WireGuard. We saw 712 Mbps sustained on a Mullvad WireGuard tunnel from a hotel ethernet drop. OpenVPN is much slower (about 90 Mbps), so prefer WireGuard if your provider supports it.
Will it work with hotel ethernet?+
Yes, plug into the wall ethernet, the WAN port handles MAC spoofing and DHCP automatically. We have used it on 14 hotel stays without a single failure.
Does it support tethering from my phone?+
Yes via USB tether or WiFi-as-WAN. iPhone tether took two attempts the first time (the iPhone has to authorize the connection), Android works first try.
📅 Update log
- May 10, 2026Updated WireGuard throughput after firmware 4.6.5.
- Feb 8, 2026Added captive portal handling notes from additional hotel stays.
- Aug 5, 2025Initial review published.
