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Wi-Fi Security While Traveling: Why I Use a GL.iNet MT-3000 Travel Router

Wi-Fi Security While Traveling: Why I Use a GL.iNet MT-3000 Travel Router

Traveling is exciting—new cities, new cultures, new coffee shops to work from. But if there’s one thing I never trust when I’m on the road, it’s public Wi-Fi. Airports, hotels, co-working spaces, and cafés all offer "free Wi-Fi," but you never really know who’s on the same network with you—or whether it’s even a legitimate access point.

That’s why I started carrying a GL.iNet MT-3000 (also known as the Beryl AX). It’s a pocket-sized travel router that has completely changed the way I connect while traveling.

In this post, I’ll break down:

  • Why public Wi-Fi is risky
  • How I set up my MT-3000 in under 30 seconds at each new stop
  • Why I run all my traffic through a VPN back to my home network
  • The peace of mind (and convenience) this setup gives me
Source: GL.iNet

Why Public Wi-Fi Is a Security Risk

Free Wi-Fi is everywhere, but it comes with hidden dangers:

  • Evil Twin Networks: Attackers can set up a Wi-Fi network named "Hotel_WiFi" and capture everything you send.
  • Unencrypted Traffic: Even today, not all sites enforce HTTPS properly. Sensitive data can leak.
  • Network Snooping: On shared networks, it’s possible for malicious users to scan for devices and attempt intrusions.
  • Privacy Concerns: Hotels, airports, or even ISPs may log your browsing activity.

In short: the convenience of public Wi-Fi often comes at the cost of security.

My Solution: The GL.iNet MT-3000

The GL.iNet MT-3000 (Beryl AX) is a compact Wi-Fi 6 travel router designed for exactly this scenario. It’s small enough to fit in a pocket, but powerful enough to act as my secure gateway anywhere I go.

Here’s how I use it:

  1. Plug it into power – USB-C powered, so I can run it off a laptop, power bank, or wall adapter.
  2. Connect it to local Wi-Fi – The router scans and joins the hotel, café, or airport network.
  3. All my devices connect to the MT-3000 – My phone(s), laptop, tablet, smartwatch, all use the same familiar SSID. Same for my wife!
  4. VPN back home – The router automatically establishes a secure VPN tunnel to my home network.

The whole process takes less than 30 seconds once you’ve configured it. After that, it’s basically “set it and forget it.”

Why Tunnel Everything Back Home?

Some people use commercial VPN services while traveling. I prefer running my own VPN server at home (WireGuard in my case).

This gives me several advantages:

  • Trust: I know exactly where my data is going—no third-party VPN provider in the middle.
  • Consistency: All my devices behave as if they’re still at home. That means access to my NAS, media server, and smart home dashboards.
  • Geo-location: Services that get fussy about logins from abroad (banking, streaming) just see me as being at home.
  • Unified Security: Instead of setting up VPN clients on each device, the MT-3000 handles it once at the gateway level.

The Travel Experience with a Personal Router

Before I started using the MT-3000, every new place meant juggling logins for each device, typing long hotel Wi-Fi passwords, or getting stuck with device limits. Now, my workflow looks like this:

  • Walk into a new hotel
  • Plug in the router
  • Connect it to hotel Wi-Fi once
  • My devices instantly connect to my own private, encrypted Wi-Fi

No more fiddling with multiple devices or worrying about whether the Wi-Fi is secure.

Additional Information

On top of its main features, the MT-3000 also comes with a few useful extras:

  • You can use Ethernet either as WAN (to connect the router) or as LAN (to share with another device).
  • It supports tethering from a phone — I’ve tested it with an iPhone — for when no Wi-Fi is available.
  • You can share a disk via the USB port, handy if you need quick network storage on the go.

Final Thoughts

Travel routers are one of those gadgets you don’t realize you need until you try one. The GL.iNet MT-3000 gives me:

  • Security: VPN tunnel shields me from sketchy networks
  • Convenience: Same Wi-Fi SSID for all devices, no constant re-login
  • Speed: Wi-Fi 6 support keeps things snappy, even with multiple devices
  • Peace of Mind: My data is encrypted, my traffic is private, and my home network is always just a hop away

If you travel often and care about security (or just want the convenience of bringing your own Wi-Fi everywhere), a travel router like the MT-3000 is worth every penny.

Thomas

Thomas