- Feb 5, 2024
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I wasn't sure where to post this, but this seems to be the section with the most relevant content. I just wanted to give a recommendation for GL-iNet who have given me very good customer service and whose products I am very pleased with. All too often we hear about poor customer service here, so I thought it was worth posting something positive for a change! I have no connection with the company other than as a satisfied customer.
In May 24 I bought a Beryl AX3000 travel router for use in the van. I chose this for its advanced capabilities together with its ability to be powered from USB-C rather than needing a mains adapter. I make use of its failover capabilities to connect two internet sources - primarily my Starlink connected to the WAN port when my Starlink service is unpaused and running, and a mobile data connection as a backup. Initially this was a spare phone which tethered to the router over a USB connection, and more recently a mifi, with the current one being an ZTE U50 5G, which also tethers via USB, or can also be connected to the router via its wifi.
Anyway soon after my first Starlink Mini started failing and was replaced FOC by SpaceX, I found the WAN port on the Beryl router stopped working, meaning that it was no use for connecting Starlink. Not sure if the old Starlink damaged it in some way, unlikely I think, and there are a few reports online of the WAN port failing on this model, so maybe it is just coincidence. The router was just past its one year warranty with Amazon so I thought that was just bad luck and bought a couple of the cheap GL-iNet Opal routers to replace it, one to use and one as backup, subsequently replacing one with a Slate GL-AXT1800 router as this and Beryl both have WiFi6 which is a little better than the WiFi 5 used by the Opal devices.
I then wondered if the Beryl router has a 2 year manufacturer's warranty as the Opal routers do, so contacted GL-iNet about it. They responded immediately, confirmed that it did have a 2 year warranty, and took me through a few things to try, most of which I had already tried, and when none of that worked they said they would replace the router. They sent a new one today via Amazon, and even insisted on paying my postage to send the old one to them, even though I had said it was not necessary. Amazingly they were able to refund this via my original Amazon purchase order which I had given them as proof of purchase date.
The support organisation seem to be UK based with an address in Scotland where I returned the old router, and were very responsive via email. Hardware failures can and do happen, so no blame there, but it is how the vendor deals with it that matters, and in this case I could not fault them.
In May 24 I bought a Beryl AX3000 travel router for use in the van. I chose this for its advanced capabilities together with its ability to be powered from USB-C rather than needing a mains adapter. I make use of its failover capabilities to connect two internet sources - primarily my Starlink connected to the WAN port when my Starlink service is unpaused and running, and a mobile data connection as a backup. Initially this was a spare phone which tethered to the router over a USB connection, and more recently a mifi, with the current one being an ZTE U50 5G, which also tethers via USB, or can also be connected to the router via its wifi.
Anyway soon after my first Starlink Mini started failing and was replaced FOC by SpaceX, I found the WAN port on the Beryl router stopped working, meaning that it was no use for connecting Starlink. Not sure if the old Starlink damaged it in some way, unlikely I think, and there are a few reports online of the WAN port failing on this model, so maybe it is just coincidence. The router was just past its one year warranty with Amazon so I thought that was just bad luck and bought a couple of the cheap GL-iNet Opal routers to replace it, one to use and one as backup, subsequently replacing one with a Slate GL-AXT1800 router as this and Beryl both have WiFi6 which is a little better than the WiFi 5 used by the Opal devices.
I then wondered if the Beryl router has a 2 year manufacturer's warranty as the Opal routers do, so contacted GL-iNet about it. They responded immediately, confirmed that it did have a 2 year warranty, and took me through a few things to try, most of which I had already tried, and when none of that worked they said they would replace the router. They sent a new one today via Amazon, and even insisted on paying my postage to send the old one to them, even though I had said it was not necessary. Amazingly they were able to refund this via my original Amazon purchase order which I had given them as proof of purchase date.
The support organisation seem to be UK based with an address in Scotland where I returned the old router, and were very responsive via email. Hardware failures can and do happen, so no blame there, but it is how the vendor deals with it that matters, and in this case I could not fault them.
