You’re probably not familiar with GL.iNet, but this Hong Kong-based networking hardware developer makes some fantastic products, including travel routers, mobile routers, business networking products, and security gateways. We’re particularly taken with the GL.iNet GL-AXT1800 (Slate AX), a pocket-sized Wi-Fi 6 Gigabit travel router.
It was first announced in 2022 and is now available for buy on amazon and is currently priced at $112.90, down 25% from its normal asking price of $149.
The Slate AX comes with four independent Wi-Fi signal boosters for improved connection stability. Running on the latest version of OpenWrt, it supports massive device connectivity and greatly reduces signal interference.
NAS functionality
The Slate AX is specifically tailored to the needs of SMBs and frequent travelers, offering a number of useful features including automatic encryption of all connected devices via a VPN service, Wi-Fi broadcasting in hotels with limited connections, and data masking for Internet service providers when using public Wi-Fi.
The Slate AX delivers a combined dual-band Wi-Fi speed of 1800 Mbps (600 Mbps for 2.4 GHz and 1200 Mbps for 5 GHz) and promises fast internet and connectivity is maximized with two external antennas and Wi-Fi 6’s BSS Coloring feature to prevent signal interference. The router also includes MU-MIMO and OFDMA technology.
The Slate AX is Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) approved in the US, Europe, and Japan, enabling access to additional channels and reducing network congestion.
Slate AX also meets local file sharing needs. The convenient NAS function supports SAMBA and WebDav protocols and lets you connect a hard drive, SSD, USB flash drive or microSD cards. It also offers a smartphone file manager app for fast transfers between connected devices.