I have written a lot already about my search for the perfect 5G router. It’s time for a new update, as I think I have finally found a great solution.

The last state was that I used the ZTE MC801A as a modem for the GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000). That was the setup for a few months, and it worked fine, even though I was unable to use 5G Standalone, which was enabled by my provider last year. And the use of two separate devices was also not that optimal. Especially since the MC801A had some quirks:

In the last few months, it randomly decided to disconnect twice, but I wasn’t able to reconnect it without being in my second flat. This was anything else than optimal for a router in a remote location.

So this month, I decided to buy the GL.iNet 5G module board (GL-M2) including the Quectel modem (RM520N-GL) directly out of China. A few days later, the FedEx package arrived, and now I was finally able to connect it.

And it works perfectly (so far)!

Just one extended router instead of using another router as the modem. I can finally decide which network mode to use (LTE, 5G NSA or 5G SA). I can directly configure the modem from the Beryl AX interface. And it’s a lot cheaper (as long as I can sell the MC801A again) than the Spitz AX, which packages both into one enclosure.

Let’s hope this setup turns out to be stable in the future. 😄

Should I find a cheap place to 3D print, I might print a case for the module board. But that’s just aesthetics, it’s the inner values that count the most.