So finally got hold of my Beryl.
One of the ways the Beryl is being marketed is being an “an advanced version of our best-seller, Slate (GL-AR750S)”. So does it replace the Slate? In my mind it’s both “yes” and “no”
There’s a number of ways that the Slate is still relevant and useful especially when used as a travel router.
What’s been improved in the Beryl over the Slate?
AC1300 versus AC750
USB 3 versus USB 2
VPN speeds better 21/91Mbps versus 17/68Mbps (OpenVPN/Wireguard)
USB-C versus USB-Micro
IPV6 Support
Where is Slate “better” for travel over the Beryl
Lighter 86g versus 184g
Smaller 100mm X 68mm X 24mm versus 118 x 85 x 30mm
Only requires 5V/2A versus 5V/3A (better run life when attached to a portable power source (notebook/powerbank) while truly mobile)
Cheaper
So in my head, if you want a truly portable router to take out to the cafe and in your kit bag, then the Slate still holds some advantages over the Beryl. If you’re going to setup in a hotel room for a week or so, the Beryl’s probably a better option (if you can live with the additional size and weight getting there). You need to weigh up the better functions of the Beryl against the larger size as your travel router. That being said for a small apartment or as a repeater/extender, this little discrete unit will work as a “home” router really well and look good.
Just my first quick thoughts and as always YMMV Still another Gl-iNet router that performs well above it’s size and does everything a big router can accomplish in a much smaller form factor. Of course we can’t forget the flexibility offered by it running OpenWRT compared to other commercial routers.
And to finish off a few photos of the Beryl versus the Slate to show the difference in form factor which I’ve never seen but could well be important to those “size and weight weenies” out there: