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Gear · Updated October 2026

Best travel routers for VPN 2026: one tunnel for the whole hotel room

RSBy the RankedTrue test team · Specs and VPN client support verified against manufacturer pages
Affiliate disclosure: Affiliated, never sponsored. We earn commissions through links on this page, but commissions don't move rankings — picks with no affiliate program are still mentioned where they're the honest choice. See “How we test” for the protocol behind every score.
Lab status: specs · prices · VPN client support

The short answer

The GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) is the best all-round travel router for VPN use: Wi-Fi 6, pre-installed WireGuard and OpenVPN clients (up to 300 Mbps / 150 Mbps), USB-C powered, and pocketable. Want future-proof? The Slate 7 (GL-BE3600) adds Wi-Fi 7 and a touchscreen. Need raw VPN throughput? The Slate AX (GL-AXT1800) hits 550 Mbps WireGuard. On a budget, the Opal (GL-SFT1200) does the same job slower for much less.

Why a travel router + VPN?

1

Your own private network

The router joins hotel Wi-Fi, a wired jack, or phone tethering once — then all your devices connect to your encrypted network. Captive portals get completed once, on the router.

2

Every device covered

VPN apps don't exist for smart TVs, some streaming sticks, or IoT gear. A VPN client on the router encrypts them all — and burns only one slot of your VPN provider's device limit.

The picks

#1Travel router

GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000)

  • Wi-Fi 6 AX3000: 574 Mbps (2.4 GHz) + 2402 Mbps (5 GHz)
  • WireGuard up to 300 Mbps; OpenVPN up to 150 Mbps (manufacturer-tested, client mode)
  • MediaTek MT7981B dual-core @1.3 GHz; 512MB DDR4 / 256MB flash
  • 1x 2.5G WAN + 1x 1G LAN; USB 3.0 Type-A; USB-C powered (5V/3A)
  • Repeater mode with captive-portal support; WPA3; 196 g

Why it made the list: Best balance of speed, size, and VPN throughput for travelers · Pre-installed WireGuard + OpenVPN clients, 30+ providers supported · USB-C power works with any phone charger or power bank

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#2Travel router

GL.iNet Slate 7 (GL-BE3600)

  • Wi-Fi 7 BE3600: 688 Mbps (2.4 GHz) + 2882 Mbps (5 GHz), MLO + 4K QAM
  • WireGuard up to 490 Mbps; OpenVPN-DCO up to 385 Mbps (manufacturer-published, client mode)
  • Qualcomm quad-core @1.1 GHz; 1GB DDR4 / 512MB flash
  • 2x 2.5G Ethernet (WAN + LAN); USB 3.0; USB-C PD (5V/9V/12V)
  • 2.8-inch touchscreen for network/VPN control; OpenWrt 23.05; 130 x 91 x 34 mm

Why it made the list: Only Wi-Fi 7 travel router in the lineup — most future-proof radios · Touchscreen makes hotel setup and VPN toggling painless · Dual 2.5G ports handle fast wired hotel/cowork connections

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#3Travel router

GL.iNet Slate AX (GL-AXT1800)

  • Wi-Fi 6 AX1800: 600 Mbps (2.4 GHz) + 1200 Mbps (5 GHz)
  • WireGuard up to 550 Mbps; OpenVPN-DCO up to 560 Mbps (manufacturer-tested, client mode)
  • Qualcomm IPQ6000 quad-core @1.2 GHz; 512MB RAM
  • 3x gigabit Ethernet (1 WAN + 2 LAN); USB 3.0; microSD up to 512GB; USB-C (5V/4A)
  • Repeater mode; NAS file sharing (Samba/WebDAV); OpenWrt 23.05

Why it made the list: Fastest VPN throughput of any GL.iNet travel router — never the bottleneck · Three gigabit ports plus NAS storage sharing for remote work · Physical toggle switch for instant VPN on/off

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#4Travel router

GL.iNet Opal (GL-SFT1200)

  • Wi-Fi 5 AC1200: 300 Mbps (2.4 GHz) + 867 Mbps (5 GHz)
  • WireGuard max 65 Mbps; OpenVPN max 12 Mbps (gl-inet.com published, client mode)
  • SF19A28 dual-core @1 GHz; 128MB DDR3 / 128MB flash
  • 1x WAN + 2x LAN gigabit; USB 2.0; USB-C powered (5V/3A); 145 g
  • Repeater mode; physical VPN toggle; Cloudflare DNS-over-TLS

Why it made the list: Cheapest way to get router-level VPN on the road · Same admin panel and 30+ provider support as the bigger models · Featherweight 145 g with retractable antennas

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How we picked these

Researched picks: every spec on these cards was verified against the manufacturer's own pages and 2026 reviews, and review sentiment was aggregated across Amazon and independent router coverage. We have not hands-on tested these units — published VPN speeds are manufacturer's local-network maximums in client mode; real-world hotel speeds depend on the circuit, the VPN server, and configuration. No prices are shown as fixed: check the current price at checkout.

Questions, answered

What is a travel router?

A pocket-sized router you carry with you. It joins the hotel's Wi-Fi (repeater mode), a wired ethernet jack, or your phone's USB tethering, then broadcasts your own private Wi-Fi network. Every device you own connects to your network, not the hotel's — and if the hotel uses a captive portal login page, you complete it once on the router instead of on every device.

Why run a VPN on a travel router instead of on each device?

Three reasons: (1) hotel and airport Wi-Fi is easy to snoop — router-level encryption protects everything before it leaves your room; (2) some devices have no VPN app at all (smart TVs, streaming sticks on restrictive OSes, e-readers, IoT gadgets) — the router covers them; (3) one tunnel for the whole room means one connection against your VPN provider's device limit. Hotel Wi-Fi sees only encrypted traffic to one server.

WireGuard or OpenVPN on a travel router?

WireGuard, in almost every case — it's faster and lighter on the router's small CPU. On the Beryl AX, GL.iNet's published client-mode ceiling is 300 Mbps over WireGuard vs 150 Mbps over OpenVPN; on the Slate 7 it's 490 Mbps vs 385 Mbps (OpenVPN-DCO). Only pick OpenVPN if your VPN provider's router setup requires it, or if you need OpenVPN-DCO features your provider supports.

Will a travel router slow down my hotel Wi-Fi?

VPN encryption always costs some throughput — the router's published VPN ceilings are local-network maximums, and real-world speeds depend on the hotel circuit and the VPN server. But here's the key: on a typical hotel connection (often under 50 Mbps), even the cheapest router here has enough VPN throughput to keep up. The router becomes the bottleneck only on fast wired connections, which is where the Slate 7's dual 2.5G ports and the Slate AX's 550 Mbps WireGuard ceiling earn their money.

Do I still need a VPN subscription?

Yes — this is the most misunderstood part. The travel router is only the VPN client: it replaces the VPN app on your laptop and phone. You still need an active account with a VPN provider (NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN, etc.) and you import their WireGuard or OpenVPN config files into the router's admin panel. Most major providers publish step-by-step router setup guides. No subscription, no tunnel — the router just gives you plain (but still private-to-you) Wi-Fi.

Final verdict

For most travelers, the Beryl AX is the sweet spot: modern Wi-Fi 6, fast-enough WireGuard, and it runs off any USB-C charger. Step up to the Slate 7 only if you'll notice Wi-Fi 7 or want the touchscreen setup; pick the Slate AX if your home or hotel wired connection is faster than ~300 Mbps; grab the Opal if the trip budget is tight and 65 Mbps of WireGuard is all you'll ever need.

Pair any of these with a VPN subscription — see our full 2026 VPN rankings → and our whole-home VPN router picks →