Why you should trust this review
I have reviewed networking gear since 2018 and am the resident travel router specialist at The Tested Hub. The Slate AX was bought at retail in September 2025; GL.iNet did not provide a unit. Testing happened across 11 hotel nights, two coworking visits, and a long-term test as a guest WiFi gateway in my home office.
I tested it side by side with the Beryl AX during three of those hotel stays so the comparisons in this review use real measurements, not estimates.
How we tested the Slate AX
- 190 logged hours of uptime over 8 months
- iPerf3 throughput on hotel ethernet drops, with WiFi 6 clients (Pixel 9 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, M4 MacBook Pro)
- WireGuard performance tested with self-hosted server and Mullvad
- MicroSD storage tested with a Samsung 256 GB card running as Samba share
- Captive portal compatibility tested at 11 hotel and 4 airport networks
- See our methodology for full protocol
Who should buy the Slate AX?
Buy it if:
- You need two Ethernet ports on a travel router (rare but real)
- You want a microSD slot for offline file storage and sharing
- You run advanced OpenWRT setups with custom packages
- Your VPN throughput needs are 500 Mbps or below
Skip it if:
- You want maximum WireGuard throughput, the Beryl AX is faster
- You need WiFi 6E or 7 for newer phones
- You only travel a few times a year, the Beryl AX is cheaper and lighter
Two Ethernet ports: the differentiator
This is the entire reason to pick the Slate AX over the Beryl AX. With two 1 GbE ports, you can run hotel ethernet into the WAN port and run a wired uplink to a laptop, security camera, or printer on the LAN port simultaneously. The Beryl has a 2.5 GbE WAN and a 1 GbE LAN, but the LAN side is meaningfully less useful when traveling.
I have used this exact setup at three hotels to plug a Sonos Beam into the LAN port for a portable speaker that does not have to fight WiFi for bandwidth.
WireGuard performance
550 Mbps sustained on a 1 Gbps WAN with a self-hosted WireGuard server. Mullvad fluctuated between 280 and 480 Mbps depending on exit node and time of day. That is enough for any hotel WAN (which never exceeds 300 Mbps) and matches the Beryl AX in real-world VPN scenarios.
The IPQ6000 SoC is older than the Beryl’s MT7981B, which explains the throughput gap on synthetic tests. In practice, you will not notice unless you are doing 1 Gbps file transfers over a VPN.
Captive portal handling
Worked at every one of the 11 hotel networks I tested. The Slate AX shares the same captive-portal logic as the Beryl AX, including MAC clone for stubborn networks. WiFi-as-WAN repeater mode is a one-click toggle.
Software: same OpenWRT base, same flexibility
The custom GL.iNet UI handles tether, WiFi-as-WAN, ethernet WAN, VPN, AdGuard Home, parental controls, and basic firewall rules. The LuCI interface is one click away. I installed Tailscale on day one and it ran for eight months without issue.
What I miss from the Beryl AX
Faster WireGuard, smaller chassis, lighter weight in the bag. The Slate AX is not bulky, but next to the Beryl it feels like a step toward “small router” rather than “pocket router.” If you do not need the second Ethernet port, the Beryl is the better travel companion.
GL.iNet Slate AX (GL-AXT1800) vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | Ethernet ports | WireGuard | Weight | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GL.iNet Slate AX (GL-AXT1800) | ★★★★★ 4.5 | 2 | 550 Mbps | 8.1 oz | $129 | Top Pick |
| GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) | ★★★★★ 4.6 | 2 | 712 Mbps | 6.5 oz | $99 | Editor's Choice |
| TP-Link TL-WR902AC (V4) | ★★★★☆ 3.7 | 1 WAN/LAN | Not supported | 4.0 oz | $49 | Skip |
Full specifications
| WiFi standard | WiFi 6 (802.11ax dual-band) |
| Speed class | AX1800 |
| WAN port | 1x 1 GbE |
| LAN port | 1x 1 GbE |
| USB | 1x USB 3.0 Type-A |
| MicroSD | Up to 512 GB |
| Processor | Qualcomm IPQ6000 quad-core 1.2 GHz |
| Memory | 512 MB RAM, 128 MB flash |
| VPN | WireGuard, OpenVPN, AdGuard Home |
| Power | USB-C, 5 V / 3 A |
| Dimensions | 4.7 x 3.5 x 1.0 in |
| Weight | 8.1 oz |
Should you buy the GL.iNet Slate AX (GL-AXT1800)?
The Slate AX is the right pick if you need two Ethernet ports on a travel router, full stop. Dual 1 GbE means you can hardwire a laptop and a hotel ethernet uplink at the same time, which the [Beryl AX](/reviews/gl-inet-beryl-ax) cannot do. Throughput is slightly lower (550 Mbps WireGuard vs 712 Mbps on the Beryl) but the use cases that need two ports tend not to need wire-speed VPN. Worth the $30 premium for power users.
Frequently asked questions
Slate AX vs Beryl AX: which should I buy?+
Buy the [Beryl AX](/reviews/gl-inet-beryl-ax) for raw WireGuard speed and a smaller chassis. Buy the Slate AX if you need to hardwire a laptop and an ethernet uplink simultaneously, or if you want a microSD slot for storage.
Does the microSD slot do anything useful?+
Yes, you can mount a microSD as Samba network storage for the LAN. We tested a 256 GB card running as a shared folder for two laptops in a hotel room and it worked cleanly.
Can it really push 550 Mbps over a VPN?+
Yes, on a self-hosted WireGuard server with a 1 Gbps fiber WAN, we measured 550 Mbps sustained for a 30-minute test. On Mullvad's commercial WireGuard servers, performance is more variable depending on which exit node you choose.
Does it work with hotel WiFi as a repeater?+
Yes. WiFi-as-WAN is a one-toggle setup in the UI. We connected the Slate AX to hotel WiFi as the uplink and rebroadcast a private SSID for our devices, which sidesteps the per-device captive-portal limit some hotels enforce.
Is it overkill for a casual traveler?+
If you only travel a few times a year and never use a VPN, yes. The Beryl AX or even a basic [TP-Link AX21](/reviews/tp-link-archer-ax21) at home covers most casual needs.
📅 Update log
- May 10, 2026Updated WireGuard throughput after firmware 4.6.4.
- Feb 15, 2026Added microSD storage testing notes.
- Sep 1, 2025Initial review published.
Morgan Davis
Morgan Davis writes for The Tested Hub.