GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 (Opal) Secure Travel WiFi Router, AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Ethernet Wireless Network, IPv6 USB 2.0, Repeater Bridge Access Point Mode, Router for Public Use, Easy Setup with Guide

The router performance is about the same as the Tenda AC1200 AC8 it replaced. It does that with MUCH smaller antenna and only two of them compared with 4 antennae of the AC8. Prepare for very small fonts in the start up instructions! I did have an issue and needed to go online to the site for clarification. Possibly due to language differences there was confusion as to which password to enter into the router once it rebooted. Either the new router password or the host password. That was resolved and the router has run smoothly since 12/11/24. It was setup in our house but it will be transferred to an office environment shortly where its host and password will again be changed before it settles into service at that location. Based on its performance we ordered three more.This router was approved for use by our national organization. We also bought the carry cases for them as Amazon offered a case designed for this router. We do need a case to protect the router when not in use. If you use "WISP" mode to connect to the host wirelessly this router does not have one. Its equivalent mode is "Repeater" and it works the same as WISP as it connects to the host and on to the Internet in our case. We have not used the router in any other mode, however we expect that it will meet our expectations. There are two LAN and one WAN port along with a 2.0 USB port. With its small size we may use a switch for allowing access to other devices. A four port switch device is very light and won't interfere with portability this router affords. The color blends in very well with our office surroundings. The AC8 was only offered in black or white colors and with 4 large antennae it did not blend in very well. Packing it for travel or storage was very annoying. This Opal router works well and has side benefits. The antennae design worked well in a TP-Link access point we used several years ago. The Internet speed test we ran did not differ very much from the AC8 design so we expect about the same performance from this smaller unit as compared to the larger Tenda AC8 design. I also bought one for our house. A nice touch was the power supply and cord. Both match the unit color and the plug has a unique design. The cord is a flat design that FOLDS very nice within itself. I am NOT going to purchase round cords any longer. When one coils (folds) this cord just follow the contours that you see when you first look at the unit in the box. You can then fold it back into the same size. I took a photo of it so I could refold it correctly and it DID! A nice small package without using an elastic. Its funny how the little things add up to a nice design. The Gli folks have a nice design throughout the product. Even the box design is very well done. BTW the route unit takes up about 1/2 the box and the cord and power supply take up the other half. The router is in a soft sleeve and one will realize it is only 1/2 of the box size. The plug of the power cord will need a 10 second assembly.It seems to be a universal plug that allows the unit to adapt to US, EU and other electrical systems. The contacts assembly are separate from the remainder of the cord assembly. The instructions indicate how to connect the contacts to assemble it to the cord unit by aligning the contact unit with the cord unit and then clicking the two into place with a slight twist of the wrist. Sounds complicated BUT it is like aligning an aspirin bottle top with the bottle edge and slightly twisting the top on. The U.S. model has a standard U.S. plug contacts. The units going to the EU probably have the EU type contact assembly. Slick!We do not need speed greater than the AC1200 standard right now. However, if we need more speed or more features the GLi company will be the first place we will look. GLi put a lot of thought into their design and it makes me confident that their electronics are designed with the same care and detail.

Specific usage:a. For people that work from homeb. The corporate computer only has Ethernet portc. The corporate computer does not allow installation of driver or apps for personal usage. This means no WiFi USB dongle can be installed. Only way to connect internet is via Ethernet cable.d. The corporate computer is shielded from external network’s IP Address.e. A back up to get to internet when the AT&T fiber is downf. One time set up only, aside from setting Admin password for the admin page of GL-SFT1200 and “trust this device” from Apple iPhone the very first time, no additional set up is needed.g. For each time to connect iPhone with GL-SFT1200, you will have to unplug/plug your corporate computer Ethernet cable to GL-SFT1200. This is the only needed step.What I love about this device is that it is a router, that shields your computer from external network IP (as shown here, it is 172.20.10.x) to your local network 192.168.8.x.The admin page is fixed at 192.168.8.1 whether you are connected to internet or not, this is the most critical difference from TP-Link client mode.The set up does not really require any specific settings as the USB Tethering mode is automatically detected by GL-SFT1200 as soon as the USB cable is connected to Apple iPhone.After initial set up and “Trust this device” with your iphone, there is no need to enter pass code anymore, just plug in the USB cable to iPhone and unplug/plug the Ethernet cable to your computer, the Ethernet connection will come up smoothly.

Backstory: hackers have destroyed my last 4 routers. They were fancy with bells and whistles. All got attacked and overcame by hackers. I wanted a cheap one just to scrape by while I thought about my next move. This has exceeded all expectations. My fave feature: random MacID for the router itself! Genius. Would be nice if it was automated (e.g with every power restart you get a different one), but going into the GUI and changing manually is OK.I would like 2FA for admin login though, sorely lacking here. Amazing feature 2: WPA3 security! Wow. Sure you also get wpa2 but even fancy routers do not all have the wpa3 option yet.Secure feature 3: Ability to download system logs. Necessary when you have hacker troubles. Would be nice if it can be set up to have them auto emailed daily to the system admin email though. Again, manual retrieval.Amazing security feature 4: Ability to control strength of the 2.4GHz signal. 3 options: low power, medium, and high power. 2.4 goes very far so hackers can easily get your data. So a low power option is absolutely amazing.Amazing feature 5: VPN server or client. Whoa.These as well as the ability to make 4 SSIDs. 2 of 2.4GHz, and 2 of 5GHz. Good to keep IoT stuff away from your real important gadgets.For this price these features are beyond amazing. It is like getting a Ferrari for next to nothing.Bad features (same for all router companies, sadly): They advertise the company on the SSID signal.(Why do they all do that!) So anyone with Google and YouTube can get info on how to hack that companies stuff. Although they do allow for stealth SSID so the name you choose itself does not appear.They (like everyone else) puts a sticker on the box with the important hacking info about the router right here on the OUTSIDE of the box! Why do they all do this?!For the price I am in love with this router. It may get hacked, sure, but these features are incredible.