This is the cheapest Wi-Fi 7 BE9300 VPN-aware router I could find and, thanks to four 2.5GbE LAN ports, it is probably also the best value out there

8 hours ago 7

(Image credit: GL.iNet)

GL.iNet Flint 3 is a powerful Wi-Fi 7 router with 2.5GbE ports at a bargain early bird price
Supports OpenWrt, VPNs, and mesh with wide plugin compatibility
It's the follow-up to the Slate 7, the world's first mobile Wi-Fi 7 router

The GL.iNet Flint 3 (GL-BE9300) may be the cheapest Wi-Fi 7 BE9300 router currently available, and with four 2.5GbE LAN ports plus VPN support, it could be a no-brainer for buyers looking to take advantage of Wi-Fi 7 speeds on a budget.

The tri-band router, designed for home users and small offices, is available for pre-order now. Super early bird buyers had the chance to grab it for just $119, but that tier quickly sold out. Early bird pricing is set at $139, while the standard pre-order price is $159. The MSRP is listed at $229.90, with orders expected to ship in mid-July 2025.

The Flint 3 builds on GL.iNet’s more compact, travel-oriented Slate 7, which the company launched a few months ago priced from $120.

Solid VPN performance

The Flint 3 is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, probably the IPQ5332, and paired with 1GB of DDR4 RAM and 8GB of eMMC storage.

It runs a customized version of OpenWrt 23.05 (Linux 5.4.213) and includes GL.iNet’s Admin Panel v4.7. The OS supports over 5,000 plug-ins, with built-in tools for privacy, tunneling, and ad blocking.

On the networking side, the Flint 3 is fitted with five 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, one for WAN, one WAN/LAN, and three dedicated LAN ports. These support up to 10Gbps link aggregation.

It supports WiFi 7 across the 2.4GHz (688Mbps), 5GHz (2882Mbps), and 6GHz (5765Mbps) bands, and includes four foldable external antennas. A USB 3.0 port allows for smartphone tethering or use with a cellular dongle.

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The router’s VPN performance is rated up to 680Mbps on both WireGuard and OpenVPN-DCO. This is slightly below the 900Mbps seen on the older Flint 2, but still solid for encrypted traffic.

It also includes features like AdGuard Home, failover support, load balancing, and mesh networking. Power is provided via a 12V/4A DC input, and power draw is listed as under 25W under normal load.

Compared to more expensive BE9300 routers on the market, Flint 3’s early pricing and hardware mix make it a standout. Competing with similarly priced routers like the TP-Link Archer BE550 may be tough at full MSRP, but right now, it’s among the best WiFi 7 deals available.

Via CNX Software

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Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.

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