GL-SFT1200

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.

The Bottom Line: If you travel internationally or just hate annoying hotel login pages, this tiny box is a must-have. It’s small, fast, and makes public networks actually secure. Why it’s a travel essential: International Reliable: I’ve used this across France and Wales with zero connectivity issues. It handles different network types like a pro. VPN Champ: The standout feature. I set it up to tunnel back to my home network—perfect for keeping my data private and accessing my home streaming services while abroad. Pocket-Sized: It’s barely larger than a pack of cards. It fits in my tech pouch without a second thought. USB-C Powered: I’ve even run it off a power bank when a wall socket wasn't handy. The Real-World Experience: The setup is intuitive. Instead of connecting five different devices to a new Wi-Fi every time I move locations, I just connect the Opal to the local network, and all my gear stays connected to the router. It saves so much time. The Verdict: A game-changer for digital nomads or anyone visiting family abroad. It’s significantly more stable and secure than using a phone hotspot.

small and light little device. Setup is pretty easy. you have choices, 1. repeater (connect to you existing wifi), 2. Ethernet connect to you router (mine changed to modem), 3. tethering (connect to a hotspot) and 4. which can be use dwith a mdoem dongle and a sim. My main router is vergin media HUB 5 with 350Mbps. I switcged my HUB 5 to modem and connected the little guy to it via the wan port you can use the 2.5Gbps port (the red one, which i am doing). You can only use one port on the HUB as wan (Internet). 1. Lan port, I get the full speed and a little more. 2. at 2.4Ghz (set the band width to 40) and I get 150 Mbps. 3. at 5Ghz I get 250 Mbps. Bandwidth set to 80 I am about 10 metres away. (you might have to adjsust the antenna for your locations. direct them one of them towards you.) setting up the VPN servers is a breeze. If you have a dybamic IP address form you ISP (i.e not permanent, most are dynamic) then you need to set a switch for DDNS, you will be advised to do that, ortherwise vpn wont work as it can resolved your IP address. You can choose openvpn or wireguard. Wireguard is newer and faster. Then export the configuration file from the menu to your dvice. Download the client for your device, import the configuration file, and connect to the server. thats it (you need to do this for each device that you want it to use VPN). I testd this configurations from insiode the otudoors and works perfectly fine. You will lose some speed of course, thats normal. I haven't tested the other configurations. I bought this for the otudoor. I liked so much that I bought its big brother the AX1800 (on sale on their website, cheaper than amazon by £20. Just for the VPN servers, saving monthly subscriptions. One more thing, you need to open up port 1194 (you will advised so by the this router) I think on your modem/router. The receiver should be the IP address of the little guy. Also open it on the little guy. In repeater mode, the 5Ghz can poly use bandiwth 40. Loss of some speed. 2.Ghz is great. I you find that it is slower than expected, then check the wifi channel. Experiemnt by changing it. I resolved an issue where 5HZ default channel which was conflicting with my neighbour's. After changing it I got about 280 Mbps. Not bad for this little device. Well Recommended.

I use this while away in my caravan. It allows me to hook up to the site wifi and then all my devices connect to the router. So your phones always connect at new sites to the router and you don't end up entering passwords multiple times ! Just the once for the router. Some sites my phone didn't even see the site wifi but my router could with its better aerials. So wifi all round . Provides better security for you connect ted devices and you can also use VPN if you have one for enhanced security. This little device has been a god send, phone TV and laptop all connected and this also gets round some sites only allowing one device / connection. Always streamed sports and movies without issues. Only downside for me was lack of USB 3 but that's just me. Highly recommended as: Good signal Good security Easy to setup and connect Small footprint. Not expensive Reasonable speed.

This won’t be everyone’s use case, but someone out there will be in the same boat. I picked up the Opal not for travelling, but to spin up a NAT’d guest network at home. My main network is basically a home-lab ecosystem, and the last thing I want is visitors connecting their random devices directly to it. The Opal gives them a normal, no-nonsense Wi-Fi experience without me having to collect MAC addresses or fight with whitelists. Setup was straightforward. I put it on its own subnet, plugged the WAN port into my main network, and it was up. At first it treated my LAN like the public internet, but the router is way more configurable than its price suggests. You can SSH into it, tweak IPTables, block inter-subnet access, and even enable an advanced control panel module straight from the web interface. It’s essentially a cut-down Linux box with a friendly skin on top. A genuinely nice touch is the hardware switch for its VPN client. The router can connect to a VPN server and push all guest traffic through it, and you can toggle this on and off on the side of the unit. Useful in the UK, where half the internet wants you to upload your passport for reasons unknown. The one real snag was OpenVPN performance. Without tunnelling, I was getting around 250 Mbps on 5 GHz. The moment OpenVPN client was enabled, speeds dropped to single digits, around 5–7 Mbps. It’s not the router’s fault; OpenVPN is single-threaded and the Opal’s CPU just doesn’t have the grunt for heavy crypto. It routes traffic fine, but encrypting it is another matter. WireGuard was the fix. After spinning up a WireGuard server remotely, the Opal managed around 50–60 Mbps through the tunnel, which is more than enough for guests to browse and stream. I suspect the higher-end GL.iNet models would perform better here simply because of the upgraded CPUs. Overall, I’m happy with it. It’s a small, cheap, surprisingly capable router that’s perfect for experiments, side networks, labs, and guest isolation. If that’s your type of setup, it’ll probably slot in nicely.

I chose a travel router as most places we stay on holiday have wifi but I'm never very sure how secure it is and the wee unit is supposed to protect our holiday Internet use. At first I couldn't get my phone to link to the Opal no matter how I tried, but when I used my laptop to run the set up it all happened fairly quickly, so be patient and do the set up at home, not on holiday or in a place where you have no alternative devices to try and help you. Signal strength was excellent and I noticed that both my phone, after linking to the Opal's WiFi rather than my primary WiFi, and my laptop seemed much faster using and browsing pages. Its truly a small wonder, feels a solidly built unit, very portable and a very clever mains plug with UK and European adaptors that fit in seconds wherever your use. Once you are set up via the set up routine its like every other router except its tiny compared to office or even home wifi hubs. I used it with my Virgin hub at home to run the set up and play with it for an hour so it looks like it'll work with most wifi signals that you could meet in hotels or any public place producing a wifi signal that you'd like to use but aren't sure how secure it could be. The only thing you need to consider is that its mains powered so no battery use, but if most of your wifi use in a hotel, or villa/apartment, train, is inside the public wifi signal where you are, just find a plug for power, log in once to the public wifi and its log in routine, and then connect up to five devices to the Opal, no need to log in to the service's log in restrictions or limits. There's also 2 settings in the set up to create a VPN server or client using the Opal so if you want belt and braces security while you travel or work away from home, this wee bit of kit could fit the bill.

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.

The setup on this was very simple. I tried configuring on old router with openwrt to act as a wifi repeater but found information online was either out of date or not quite what I wanted. This solved the configuration issue with it's simple web based interface. Tested speed against my one 150mb/s Internet and obtained 85mb/s using just wifi. Very happy with that. Seems well built and small enough of carry on travels. The cpu is slow using advanced settings with Luci ui, but that is to be expected at this price. Very happy with purchase.

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!

Good product Delivery is good Item is good and doing what is expected

Berbat