The GL.iNet Flint 3 (GL-BE9300) is a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router that succeeds the Wi-Fi 6 Flint 2 (GL-MT6000). It has five 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port. Like other GL.iNet routers, it runs a version of OpenWRT, a highly configurable open-source firmware that's based on Linux. It supports a long laundry list of features, including dual-WAN with failover, cellular tethering, VPN connectivity with Tailscale, ZeroTier, OpenVPN, and WireGuard pre-installed so you can route your entire network through a VPN.
Note: We've removed the Wi-Fi coverage tests and are exploring better ways to convey the results that'll be more helpful to users.
Our Verdict
The GL.iNet Flint 3 is a great router for apartments or smaller homes. It offers excellent wired connectivity with five 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port, which you can use to connect external storage, or your mobile phone to use your cell network as a backup. Performance-wise, it delivers impressive speeds and good range that's suitable high-bandwidth activities like streaming HDR video on multiple devices. It supports dynamic frequency selection (DFS), so it can access less congested DFS-only channels to give you better speeds in noisy wireless environments. Additionally, it uses a version of OpenWRT, highly configurable firmware that allows for a much higher degree of customization than more mainstream consumer routers. Unfortunately, it's quite large and has a physical design that may not be to everyone's taste.
Great top speeds suitable for bandwidth intensive tasks.
Good range suitable for single or multi-level homes.
Highly configurable and flexible software with a long list of features.
Ample multi-gigabit Ethernet ports.
Large and unsightly.
The GL.iNet Flint 3 is a very good router for multi-level homes. It has good range and excellent speeds that are suitable for multiple users streaming 4k video, downloading large files, and other high-bandwidth tasks simultaneously. It has great wired connectivity too, with five 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port; the latter lets you connect a storage drive or a cellular adapter (like a mobile phone) to use your cell network for failover or load balancing. Its OpenWRT firmware has a long list of advanced features and configuration options that are considerably more extensive than typical consumer routers. Unfortunately, it's a rather large and bulky machine, so you may have a hard time finding a place for it in your living space.
Great top speeds suitable for bandwidth intensive tasks.
Good range suitable for single or multi-level homes.
Highly configurable and flexible software with a long list of features.
Ample multi-gigabit Ethernet ports.
Large and unsightly.
The GL.iNet Flint 3 delivers excellent wireless speeds that are suitable for an internet connection up to ~2Gbps. It supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), which provides access to more channels for better speeds in congested wireless environments like apartment buildings.
Great top speeds suitable for bandwidth intensive tasks.
The GL.iNet Flint 3 has good range. While it doesn't have native mesh support, you can configure it as a repeater in the software.
Good range suitable for single or multi-level homes.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This router doesn't have any variants. See a photo of our unit's label.
Popular Router Comparisons
The GL.iNet Flint 3 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands, and it's the successor to the Wi-Fi 6 GL.iNet Flint 2. It features five 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port. Like its predecessor and other GL.iNet routers, it uses a version of OpenWRT, an open-source, Linux-based firmware that allows for a high degree of configurability out of the box. Some of its extra features include pre-installed VPN protocols like Tailscale and WireGuard, an adblocker, failover, and load balancing with dual WAN and cellular support, and support for a vast array of plug-ins.
This router delivers excellent speeds and has good range. It performs virtually the same as the TP-Link Archer BE550, another entry-level/lower mid-range Wi-Fi 7 router, making it a great value option if you're looking for a highly configurable router with the latest Wi-Fi certification. That said, it lags behind dedicated mesh systems like the TP-Link Deco BE63 and the ASUS ZenWiFi BT10 in the range department.
For more recommendations, check out the best long-range Wi-Fi routers, the best Wi-Fi routers, or the best routers for streaming.
The GL-iNet Flint 3 and the TP-Link Archer BE550 are entry-level/lower mid-range tri-band Wi-Fi 7 routers. They deliver very similar performance with excellent top speeds and good range. The GL.iNet has a much more robust and configurable featureset thanks to its OpenWRT firmware, but the TP-Link is compatible with EasyMesh routers and range extenders, helpful if you want to expand your wireless network.
The GL.iNet Flint 3 (GL-BE9300) and the GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) are routers from the same manufacturer. The Flint 3 is a full-sized, tri-band Wi-Fi 7 home router, while the Beryl AX is a dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 travel router. The latter is considerably smaller and has low-profile folding antennae, so it's easy to travel with, but it only has two Ethernet ports. Conversely, the Flint 3 has five 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, so it's better suited if you have a lot of wired devices. Performance-wise, the Flint 3 delivers considerably better speeds and range, thanks in part to its 6GHz band. The little Beryl AX still performs admirably, with good top speeds and decent range that's suitable for smaller homes.
The UniFi Dream Router 7 and the GL.iNet Flint 3 are tri-band Wi-Fi 7 routers. They deliver similar wireless performance with excellent top speeds and good range. Both routers have excellent wired connectivity, albeit with slightly different usages in mind. The GL.iNet's five 2.5Gbps ports make it better suited for home users with lots of traditional Ethernet devices. On the other hand, the UniFi has four 2.5Gbps ports and one 10Gbps SFP+ port, making it better suited as a solution for small businesses or homes with a 10Gbps internet connection. Both routers are highly configurable, but take different approaches. The GL.iNet runs OpenWRT, an open-source, Linux-based firmware, while the UniFi can run the company's full suite of proprietary applications.
The ASUS ZenWiFI BT10 and the GL.iNet Flint 3 (GL-BE9300) are tri-band Wi-Fi 7 routers. The ASUS is a mesh router, while the GL.iNet is a standalone unit. Both routers perform well, but the ASUS delivers higher top speeds and better range. The GL.iNet has five 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, while the ASUS has two 10Gbps ports and one 1Gbps port. The ASUS is designed as a plug-and-play solution with ease-of-setup a priority, while the GL.iNet runs OpenWRT, a highly configurable firmware that offers a higher degree of configuration and advanced options.
Test Results
This router supports multi-WAN, meaning you can configure a second WAN port as a failover when the primary WAN connection goes down or to balance the load between the two WAN connections.
This router's USB port is on the front left side.
