GL.iNet Opal Travel Router Review: You Didn't Know You Needed This!

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  • Опубліковано 23 сер 2023
  • Interested in privacy and data protection while traveling? The GL.iNet Opal travel router may be the tech travel accessory missing in your suitcase. Alex takes a closer look.
    00:15 intro
    00:46 what is a router
    02:14 Ports
    02:39 Size and portability
    03:09 Speeds and bands
    03:55 Setup
    05:12 VPN affiliates
    06:07 Final thoughts
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  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 54

  • @Sypnotix
    @Sypnotix  9 місяців тому +2

    QOTD: Are you worried about your data while traveling? 🧳

  • @rendezvu175
    @rendezvu175 7 місяців тому +30

    For hotel wifi, first log in to hotel wifi with your phone and log in to their captcha. Then connect to your travel router with phone, and use Mac Clone to clone your already registered phone's IP. Now all devices can connect to travel router without registering with hotel wifi.

    • @Plovejoy420
      @Plovejoy420 5 місяців тому

      Does a device like this help with the wifi service in general? I've been looking for a way to improve the wifi at hotels

    • @ChrisM-tn3hx
      @ChrisM-tn3hx 3 місяці тому +2

      Or unplug the Ethernet on either the phone or the television and use a direct connection. VOIP phones are usually given priority on the network to improve call quality, and will have no authentication requirements 99 percent of the time.

    • @JohnWoo
      @JohnWoo 3 місяці тому +4

      I've been using these travel routers for years and never had to mac clone. After you're connected, just open a browser and then enter the captcha once, then all your devices will be connected without having to enter the captcha again. These travel routers are especially useful on cruise ships where they limit you to one or two devices.

    • @extendedp1
      @extendedp1 3 місяці тому +3

      Why would anyone listen to a tech reviewer who confuses megabits per second with megabytes per second?!?

    • @RexClair
      @RexClair 2 місяці тому

      @@Plovejoy420it wouldn’t improve the WiFi functionality overall, it could provide somewhat better coverage. What I use one of these for is to connect my Roku via vpn when I’m traveling out of the country and I can still stream my Amazon prime account.

  • @ChrisM-tn3hx
    @ChrisM-tn3hx 3 місяці тому +4

    I saw a couple of folks ask if it's worth it to run one of these with the VPN on the router rather than their phone. Short answer is ABSOLUTELY. It will often perform better, but more importantly, is more secure.
    Longer answer - when using a VPN on your phone, there are still some aspects of your connection that are not private and are transmitted through the processor in the SIM card. Cell companies will not disclose exacltly what data is included in this but it does include identifiers that could inform an external site of your devices' specific ID.
    This is what's called "split tunneling", which can leave you exposed. Part of your data is taking a different route, and is unprotected by the VPN. This is why just runnig a VPN or TOR client is not completely secure.
    Moving your VPN to a device like this and then using your phone to connect to the Internet through it rather than through your cell isolates your cell so the SIM data is now masked through the router, and you're no longer exposing your activity through split tunneling, as everything on the other side of the router sees only the connectivity and hardware details of that device, not your phone.

  • @cg3356
    @cg3356 5 місяців тому +4

    Can I use this devise for onboard flight wifi when I travel by air?

  • @captaingun
    @captaingun Місяць тому

    Does this extend the wifi range of the original signal?, let's say I am just on the edge of a public wifi signal and then use this, how far will it extend the signal?

  • @JoelFabiani
    @JoelFabiani 7 місяців тому

    I believe you could have covered the button to turn on/off vpn or wire guard. Very handy.

  • @RichHawkins-fq7qw
    @RichHawkins-fq7qw 2 місяці тому

    Will this work on a cruise ship? In particular a Disney cruise ship? I know you mentioned it didn’t work at a Disney resort.

  • @xDirtnutx
    @xDirtnutx 6 місяців тому +1

    Can this connect directly to the router via Ethernet???

  • @peymanpourkermani8650
    @peymanpourkermani8650 8 місяців тому +8

    You mean Gigabit WAN and LAN not Gigabyte :)

  • @mamba6825
    @mamba6825 6 місяців тому

    Currently watching this trying to set up while on a disney world hotel 💔🤦🏻‍♂️ pain haha cabt use my portal

  • @n1kkri
    @n1kkri 29 днів тому

    I go to a Timeshare that has WiFi. You have to log into the Timeshare webpage, enter a code and now you have WiFi. Just that device has WiFi, I am assuming it records your MAC address Does this Travel router let you do that?

  • @nancyrogers8635
    @nancyrogers8635 6 місяців тому

    Please forgive my ignorance, but can I use this while on a train or driving on my trip for data? Or do I still need a global SIM card for my phone for data? I'm trying to figure all this out! Please help!

    • @chrishewlet5471
      @chrishewlet5471 6 місяців тому +1

      This model does not support SIM cards. There are travel wifi access points that have the option to use a SIM card to setup a Wifi network but the travel router in this video is mostly meant to turn a public wifi signal into a private wifi network so you can for instance connect a chromecast to it without other hotel guests being able to discover the chromecast or control it. And of course you can use it to connect to a VPN.

  • @GoaWay4Sanity
    @GoaWay4Sanity 3 місяці тому +1

    *if I wanted to power this through a power bank what would be a good (mah) voltage: 20,00mah; 18,000mah?*

    • @CMDR_John_Crichton
      @CMDR_John_Crichton 2 місяці тому

      Voltage will be the same between those two. 20,000 will simply last longer.

  • @sublimesamoyed
    @sublimesamoyed 9 місяців тому +5

    How does this compare to using you a VPN instead on your phone? I thought that was supposed to prevent hacking in airports etc..?

    • @KnightSkyentist
      @KnightSkyentist 8 місяців тому +4

      Travel routers allow multiple devices to connect simultaneously, ensuring consistent security across all connected gadgets. They can transform wired hotel connections to secure wireless ones. Running a VPN on a travel router instead of a mobile device can save device battery life since it offloads the energy-intensive VPN operations from the phone. This dedicated hardware often offers a more stable VPN connection too.

    • @miggu
      @miggu 7 місяців тому

      good question: I have been travelling for 3 years and it's one wifi setup with vpn for all devices, you create a network with vpn , no need to individually go on every device to set up vpn. your tablet, phone, sonos speaker, laptop, boom they will connect to the same network everywhere you go (you just need to do the set up for local wifi and router )

    • @MrPir84free
      @MrPir84free 5 місяців тому +2

      Using VPN on many phones is going to be faster. Using VPN on this particular device is hampered by the CPU & memory in the device itself. So far, looking at 3 different models, you can reasonably expect very close to the rated speeds using OpenVPN or Wireguard. Wireguard is typically faster on any of these devices. However, for most use cases, even the slower VPN speeds is going to be sufficient for most use cases, like browsing the web, or media streaming. Mind you, many streaming services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc actively look for signs of a vpn connection, and flat out stop working on a VPN. Won't even start playing.
      GL.inet suggests that the opal will get about 12 Mbps on Openvpn and 65 on Wireguard. The Beryl AX is about $90 when on sale, and supposed to get 150 Mbps on Openvpn, and 300 Mbps on Wireguard; my testing was about 1/3rd less than rated. Everyone's mileage will vary. The Slate AX is rated for 120 Mbps on OpenVPn and 550 Mbps on Wireguard; I managed 122 Mbps on OpenVpn and 608 Mbps on Wireguard. So, reasonably close.
      The thing is that you can set up all of your wifi devices to point at this and get all connected quickly, by just connecting 1. The other thing is that these devices have larger external antenna's than your device. I tested this at a gym where I could barely get signal, and stream Amazon Prime, outside in the parking log. At least 75 feet further away, sometimes further, I still managed to stream Amazon Prime without playback issues; no vpn however.
      What Arrow564 stated about VPN draining phone batteries much quicker is ABSOLUTELY true, especially if you leave it on overnight.

  • @mystiparker3935
    @mystiparker3935 4 місяці тому

    Can this create a 2.4GHz network to connect to smart devices in a community WiFi setting that only has 5GHz?

    • @WanderlustThamur
      @WanderlustThamur 2 місяці тому +1

      The description in amazon says this
      AC1200 Dual-band Wireless Router】Simultaneous dual-band with wireless speed up to 300 Mbps (2.4GHz) + 867 Mbps (5GHz).
      So I guess it will let you have both things

  • @eprohoda
    @eprohoda 9 місяців тому

    Yo~amazing ,take it easy. ;))

  • @krystalbattle8117
    @krystalbattle8117 5 місяців тому

    Can I use this onboard a cruise ship?

    • @JohnWoo
      @JohnWoo 3 місяці тому

      I bought their older travel router (AR750) a few years ago just for the purpose of going a cruise. Pair it with a power bank and you're good to go. All the devices connected through the router count as 1 device only. You might need a 3 amp power bank for this router though, as that's what they recommend. The older AR750 only needed 1.5 amp to operate.

  • @Mi_Fa_Volare
    @Mi_Fa_Volare 2 місяці тому +5

    Did you live most of your life in an igloo that you don't find accessing a web-interface easy and simple?

  • @sbkpilot1
    @sbkpilot1 5 місяців тому

    If you're traveling a lot you don't need to update your wifi settings on each device everytime which can get annoying

  • @vevenaneathna
    @vevenaneathna 4 місяці тому

    cant find anyone who's mentioned the cost saving benefit of this. my roommate set up my internet with a big name ISP here and they sent us their dumb modem and router. im guessing that because their router also hosts a bunch of different access points which they sell the wifi on, its super inefficient. looked at their power brick and it supplies 12v at 3 amps continuous. noticed this when looking around my apartment with a thermal camera, the router and modem were warming up the room in a big area around them. considering I pay about 20$/month for internet but their garbage router uses 8$ worth of electricity per month to pollute the wifi around me, switching to one of these would easily pay for itself after 3 months (theyre really cheap from china). also because its USB-C it makes it pretty straight forward to wire in a lithium battery as a battery backup. i guess it makes more sense too since we have gas heating and its mostly a cool climate here.

  • @mick2d2
    @mick2d2 17 днів тому

    Anybody tried tethering this to a phone for Internet? Thanks!

  • @Rubyfire76
    @Rubyfire76 2 місяці тому

    Why didn’t you say anything about working as a hotspot from your phone’s wifi?

  • @jonathandiaz4997
    @jonathandiaz4997 Місяць тому +1

    7 months ago 😮

  • @avidwriter2882
    @avidwriter2882 2 місяці тому

    Get the router page and bookmark it and it'll be easier the next time.

  • @princeaddo4856
    @princeaddo4856 4 місяці тому +1

    There is an app to use on your smartphone.

  • @extendedp1
    @extendedp1 3 місяці тому +3

    This guy is a real pro, he doesn’t know the difference between megabits and megabytes.

  • @p.c.h.6721
    @p.c.h.6721 Місяць тому

    I don't understand, can't you use your phone's wi-fi to connect other devices? Why use a router, I'm confused.

  • @risingromeo
    @risingromeo 8 місяців тому +1

    Can this tether

    • @MrPir84free
      @MrPir84free 5 місяців тому

      I believe it does. However, this device is on "life support" at best; I'd suggest ponying up for a newer model like the Beryl AX or Slate AX; buy once, cry once.

    • @ajv7835
      @ajv7835 5 місяців тому

      What do you mean "on life support at best"??? Please expound...

    • @b5a5m5
      @b5a5m5 4 місяці тому +1

      @jav7835 He means the hardware in it is a bit outdated, but it still will work perfectly fine. In fact I just bought one for $36, much less than the $100+ price tag of the new ones.
      I should add that the newer ones have much better speed if you route all traffic through the VPN functionality.

    • @ajv7835
      @ajv7835 4 місяці тому

      thanks for the response! appreciated & noted! i recently purchased 1 too, & no complaints so far (especially after updating firmware)!

  • @goodvibesvr2739
    @goodvibesvr2739 7 місяців тому +1

    its time to plan my great escape im going ghost

  • @igbatious
    @igbatious 5 місяців тому +3

    Megabits
    Not megabytes

  • @joelevi
    @joelevi 6 місяців тому +3

    2:25 *gigaBIT, not gigaBYTE... Bytes are 8 times bigger than Bits...

  • @Mi_Fa_Volare
    @Mi_Fa_Volare 2 місяці тому +1

    4:24 That is an easy and simple way to do it. Taht is also a normall way of configuration access. That is standard and simple. What is wrong with you? Struggling with a web-interface. Are you also the type of guy who trips over a wlan cable? It is way past 2010 and you find something as simple as that struggling?

    • @pinkcash578
      @pinkcash578 2 місяці тому

      He’s a “ tech guy” 😂