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GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) Router Review

Tested using Methodology v0.8.1
Reviewed Jun 12, 2025 at 09:03 am
GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) Picture
7.8
Apartment/Condo
7.7
Multi-Level House
7.8
Speed
7.4
Range

The GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 travel router and the successor to the Wi-Fi 5 Beryl (GL-MT1300). It has a 2.5Gbps WAN port, a 1Gbps LAN port, and a USB 3.0 port. It runs a version of OpenWRT, a Linux-based, open-source firmware that's highly configurable. It has Tailscale, ZeroTier, OpenVPN, and WireGuard pre-installed so you can tunnel your entire network through a VPN, among many other advanced features.

Our Verdict

7.8 Apartment/Condo

The GL.iNet GL-MT3000 is a very good router for an apartment or small home. Since it's designed as a travel router, it's extremely small, so you can easily find an unobtrusive place to set it up inside your home. It touts a 2.5Gbps WAN port, a 1Gbps LAN port, and a USB 3.0 port for connecting external storage, cellular modem, or even tethering your mobile device for hotspot use. As for its performance, it delivers good speeds suitable for a family streaming 4k video simultaneously or other high bandwidth activities. It also supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), so it can use less congested DFS-only channels to give you better speeds in apartment buildings with noisy wireless conditions. Additionally, it has features that make it particularly well-suited as a travel companion, like having OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN protocols pre-installed, and the inclusion of travel adapters in the box. Its implementation of OpenWRT firmware makes it highly configurable and allows for a level of customization that make it a compelling option for networking enthusiasts.

Pros
  • Very good speeds.

  • Decent range.

  • Highly configurable and flexible OpenWRT software.

Cons
  • Only two Ethernet ports.

  • Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.

7.7 Multi-Level House

Despite being primarily designed as a travel router, the GL.iNet GL-MT3000 Beryl AX is a good router for multi-level homes. It has decent range and delivers very good speeds that are suitable for high-bandwidth use, like downloading large files quickly. It has a 2.5Gbps WAN port, a 1Gbps LAN port, and a USB 3.0 port you can use to connect external storage or even a cellular modem. It runs a version of OpenWRT, an open-source firmware that's highly configurable and well-suited for home networking enthusiasts.

Pros
  • Very good speeds.

  • Decent range.

  • Highly configurable and flexible OpenWRT software.

Cons
  • Only two Ethernet ports.

  • Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.

7.8 Speed

The GL.iNet GL-MT3000 delivers very good wireless speeds that are suitable for an internet connection up to ~700Mbps. It supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), which provides access to more channels for better speeds in congested wireless environments like apartment buildings.

Pros
  • Very good speeds.

Cons
  • Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.

7.4 Range

The GL.iNet GL-MT3000 has decent range. While it doesn't have any native mesh support, you can configure it as an extender/repeater in the software.

Pros
  • Decent range.

Cons
  • 7.8 Apartment/Condo
  • 7.7 Multi-Level House

Performance Usages

  • 7.8 Speed
  • 7.4 Range

Changelog

  1. Updated Jun 12, 2025: Review published.
  2. Updated May 30, 2025: Early access published.
  3. Updated May 27, 2025: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated May 07, 2025: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  5. Updated May 05, 2025: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

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Differences Between Sizes And Variants

This router doesn't have any variants. See a photo of our unit's label.

Compared To Other Routers

The GL.iNet GL-MT3000 Beryl AX is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 travel router. It has several features that make it well-suited if you need control over the Wi-Fi network where you're staying while traveling. Its small size and foldable antennae make it easy to tote, and it even comes with travel adapters in the box. One of the most unique aspects of this router is its firmware. It runs a version of OpenWRT, an open-source, Linux-based firmware that's highly configurable and has lots of extra features, like Tailscale and WireGuard VPNs pre-installed, an adblocker, plug-in support, failover, and much more. While it doesn't support the same creation of mesh networks that off-the-shelf products like the TP-Link Deco X5000 do, you can configure it as an access point with a wired backhaul or an extender in the firmware.

This router has good performance that's really impressive considering its size and price bracket. Its range isn't quite as good as the TP-Link Archer AX55, but it's still decent and absolutely suitable if you live in an apartment or smaller home.

See our recommendations for the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, the best budget and cheap routers, and the best routers for streaming.

TP-Link Archer AX55

The TP-Link Archer AX55 and the GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) are dual-band Wi-Fi 6 routers. The GL.iNet is designed as a travel router, and as such, is considerably smaller. It also runs OpenWRT, an open-source firmware that's more configurable than TP-Link's. The TP-Link, on the other hand, delivers slightly faster top speeds and better range than the GL.iNet. Also, while the latter has a faster, 2.5Gbps WAN port and a 1Gbps LAN port, the former has four 1Gbps LAN ports, so you can connect more devices without buying an external switch.

eero 6

The GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) and the eero 6 are dual-band Wi-Fi 6 routers. The eero is designed to be as easy to use as possible, while the GL.iNet is designed to be extremely configurable. The two deliver very similar speed and range performance, but we tested the eero in a dual mesh configuration, and the GL.iNet as a standalone router since it doesn't have any native mesh functionality. The eero is the better choice for a plug-and-play solution that's easily expandable with more units for better range, while the GL.iNet is the better choice for tinkerers and enthusiasts.

TP-Link Archer AX20

The GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) and the TP-Link Archer AX20 are dual-band Wi-Fi 6 routers. The two deliver similar wireless performance, but the TP-Link has slightly better range. That said, the GL.iNet supports DFS-only channels, which can help your speeds in noisy wireless environments. The TP-Link has more Ethernet ports overall, but the GL.iNet has a faster, 2.5Gbps WAN port. Lastly, the GL.iNet runs OpenWRT, a much more configurable firmware than the TP-Link.

UniFi Express 7

The GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) and the UniFi Express 7 are small routers designed to be versatile, but ultimately for different purposes. The GL.iNet is marketed as a travel router and runs OpenWRT, an open-source firmware that's extremely configurable. The UniFi, on the other hand, runs UniFi's 'Network' application, software that's also highly configurable but designed to be used within UniFi's ecosystem of products. Performance-wise, the UniFi has the GL.iNet beat. It's a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router that delivers faster speeds than the GL.iNet, but its 5GHz band is slower once you're very far away.

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
8.9
Design
Dimensions
Height
3.07" (7.8 cm)
Width
4.65" (11.8 cm)
Depth
3.23" (8.2 cm)
Depth With Cables
4.21" (10.7 cm)
7.7
Design
Network Ports
WAN Port Speed
2.5 Gbps
LAN Port Count
1
10 Gbps Ports
0
2.5 Gbps Ports
1
1 Gbps Ports
1
10 Gbps Ports (SFP+)
0
Design
USB Ports
USB-A 3.0 Ports
1
USB-A 2.0 Ports
0
USB-C Ports
0
USB-C Speed
N/A

The USB-C port is only for power and doesn't support data transfer.

Design
In The Box

  • Ethernet cable
  • Power adapter
  • Travel adapter (Europe)
  • Travel adapter (UK)
  • User documentation

0
Design
Wall/Ceiling Mount
Mount Type
None
Wi-Fi
7.4
Wi-Fi
Interior Long Range
See details on graph tool
Lowest Speed
193 Mbps
Average 5GHz Speed
305 Mbps
Average 6GHz Speed
N/A
Test Configuration
Standalone
7.8
Wi-Fi
Interior Short Range
See details on graph tool
Highest Speed
660 Mbps
Average 5GHz Speed
555 Mbps
Average 6GHz Speed
N/A
Test Configuration
Standalone
7.5
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Specifications
DFS Channels
Yes
Multi Band
Dual Band (2.4 / 5)
6GHz Band
No
Wi-Fi Version
Wi-Fi 6 (ax)

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