Let me start by saying this little gadget is a game-changer for remote work and travel. The GL-XE300 effortlessly converts 4G LTE to Wi-Fi, and I was online within minutes of unboxing—no tech degree required! The setup was so intuitive, I actually laughed at how easy it was compared to other routers I’ve wrestled with.

The Good: That 5000mAh battery is a beast. I used it during a weekend camping trip, and it outlasted my phone while powering two laptops. The dual Ethernet ports saved me when my hotel’s Wi-Fi was trash—just plugged in the LAN cable and voilà! OpenVPN pre-installed? Yes, please. I tested it with NordVPN, and streaming felt as secure as Fort Knox.

The Quirks: No 5GHz Wi-Fi is a bummer. My smart home devices caused interference, so speeds dipped occasionally. Also, the first boot took forever (like, ‘is-this-thing-broken?’ forever). Pro tip: Be patient—it’s silently hunting for signals.

Real-World Win: During a train ride, I combined its 4G failover with a café’s spotty Wi-Fi. Seamless Zoom calls while others groaned about dropped connections. Worth every penny for that alone.

Verdict: 4.5/5. Nearly perfect for nomads and IoT tinkerers, but lacks polish in speed and startup time. If you need plug-and-play reliability with room to geek out? This is your jam.