DEAL Unlimited 5G Home & Business Internet $41/mo.

[wardmundy]

If you need native Tailscale support, a better 5G router to consider is probably the GL.iNet GL-X3000.

 

[wardmundy]

There's also a new GL-XE3000 battery model that gets about 7 hours of run-time, but it's not yet available on Amazon.

 

[kenn10]

Those GL's are sweet all-in-one routers if you're in an area with decent cell service. Certainly feature-packed. Nice that it has a 2.5 Gb WAN port if you are using fiber or cable WAN.

 

[wardmundy]

The trick to enable OpenVPN client on GL.iNET routers is to also set "VPN Policy Based on the Target Domain or IP" in VPN Dashboard. Then create a Traffic Rule to Use VPN, Input Mode Manual with an entry of 10.8.0.0/24. In that way, only clients' 10.8.0.x traffic is routed through the VPN tunnel. Other client access flows directly to the destinations bypassing OpenVPN. Without this setting, all client traffic flows through your router's OpenVPN tunnel.

 

[wardmundy]

Found this USB-C cable on Amazon that let's you use the GL-X3000 or GL-XE3000 in your vehicle if you have a decently powered USB-C jack available. I think you can also order it for only $1 with the GL-iNET router when you purchase the GL-XE3000 from them, but I forgot to do it.

 

[islandtech]

For about a week my Calyx/Tmobile sim renews its ip just about every day.
The Gl-x3000 admin page shows a different ip from what curl reports from the router cli.

 

[krzykat]

How does this differ from the home / business internet that T-Mobile provides now with their own router? I've not had it change IP addresses and the price sounds about the same.

 

[wardmundy]

How does this differ from the home / business internet that T-Mobile provides now with their own router? I've not had it change IP addresses and the price sounds about the same.

Only issue with T-Mobile Home Internet is it's not Mobile. So long as you stay in one place primarily, it works great.

 

[wardmundy]

There's also a new GL-XE3000 battery model that gets about 7 hours of run-time, but it's not yet available on Amazon.

Lookin' good in Charleston, SC. Check your cell tower locations here.

 

[wardmundy]

And then there's Asheville, NC...

 

[kenn10]

That's about 100 times better than up here in Highlands NC on T-Mobile. LOL

 

[wardmundy]

That's about 100 times better than up here in Highlands NC on T-Mobile. LOL

There's a T-Mobile 5G tower near Highlands. I'm surprised you're having a problem...

 

[kenn10]

That's almost to the Georgia border and 15 miles away. I'm to the north of town. My signal is from Cashiers. There is also T-Mo on a couple of Verizon towers in town but no 5G.

 

[kenn10]

The nearest tower is on Big Bear Pen Mountain about 2 miles away and it is focused towards the town. I'm pretty much in a cellular dead spot behind smaller mountains.

 

[wardmundy]

The nearest tower is on Big Bear Pen Mountain about 2 miles away and it is focused towards the town. I'm pretty much in a cellular dead spot behind smaller mountains.

View attachment 6130

But that's a 4G LTE tower. This router is smarter about choosing 5G towers than most cellphones. Choose the NR network option just below the one you chose to trace the route to the 5G tower. It's probably the other purple dot which would still be in range on band 71 unless there's a big mountain I can't see.

 

[dhoppy]

Only issue with T-Mobile Home Internet is it's not Mobile. So long as you stay in one place primarily, it works great.

I think I read somewhere that the other benefit of the Calyx sim is that it has prioritized data, unlike T-Mobile Home.

 

[wardmundy]

For world travelers, you might also want to bookmark this page for eSIMs that work with these routers using the $20 EIOTClub eSIM adapter which is plug-and-play.

 

[atsak]

Found this USB-C cable on Amazon that let's you use the GL-X3000 or GL-XE3000 in your vehicle if you have a decently powered USB-C jack available. I think you can also order it for only $1 with the GL-iNET router when you purchase the GL-XE3000 from them, but I forgot to do it.

I found one of these with multiple tips - wondering if it will work for the UOTek router. Guess I'll find out. Also going to test it on one of those Mini PC's that use 12V and connect to power bank.

 

[wardmundy]

Wrapping up our testing with the GL-XE3000. It's an incredibly powerful and versatile platform. Not sure the battery option is worth the extra money. With the cable mentioned above, the non-battery version (GL-X3000) would work just fine in a vehicle as well as anywhere with standard electricity. And it's $60 cheaper. The other drawback is the battery is not replaceable but has to be disabled once the existing battery croaks if you want to continue using the device.

Moving on to our next experiment with the Inseego MiFi X Pro M3000 5G and 4G LTE Hotspot. It's probably not as robust and lacks Tailscale support but it can function as an OpenVPN client. It comes with a replaceable battery, and refurbs are less than 1/2 the price of the GL-iNet GL-X3000. Also not as bulky and has smart battery management so presumably you can leave it plugged in with USB-C cable for long periods.

Stay tuned for results...

 

[wardmundy]

Inseego M3000 was fine but barely lasts an entire workday. Performance was great. OpenVPN with traditional .ovpn config file simply doesn't work. This one would probably be a good fit for travel to a hotel for a weekend, but otherwise it can't hold a candle to the GL-X3000 and GL-XE3000 in feature set. Also worth mentioning that the GL-iNet folks are extremely responsive when you have a suggestion OR a problem. Just wish Calyx had some competition or that we qualified as a 501(c)3 organization to qualify for $120/year Mobile Citizen pricing.

And then there's this new one on KickStarter for only $599... if they ever make it. What a deal.