Executive Summary: The GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) has become the gold standard for digital nomads. Powered by a MediaTek Filogic 820 dual-core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 processor and Wi-Fi 6, this benchmark puts its 2.5G WAN port, OpenWrt throughput, WireGuard cryptographic limits, and thermal cooling through rigorous real-world stress tests.
Hardware Specifications at a Glance
- CPU: MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) Dual-Core @ 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A53
- RAM / Storage: 512 MB DDR4 / 256 MB NAND Flash
- Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) → 574 Mbps (2.4 GHz) + 2402 Mbps (5 GHz)
- Ethernet Ports: 1x 2.5 Gbps WAN + 1x 1.0 Gbps LAN
- Power Input: USB Type-C (5V / 3A, 15W)
- Weight: 196 grams (including folding antennas)
Empirical Benchmark Test Results
| Test Metric | Protocol / Tool | Measured Result | CPU Load (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw NAT Routing (Wired) | iperf3 (TCP, 10 parallel streams) | 942 Mbps (Gigabit line saturation) | 18% (Hardware offload active) |
| WireGuard VPN (Download) | iperf3 over ChaCha20-Poly1305 | 302 Mbps | 92% (Core 0 & Core 1 saturated) |
| OpenVPN (Download) | iperf3 over AES-256-GCM (UDP) | 114 Mbps | 99% (User-space context switch bottleneck) |
| Local Wi-Fi 6 Throughput (5 GHz) | iperf3 to internal NVMe NAS | 812 Mbps @ 2m line-of-sight | 28% |
| Power Draw (Idle / Load) | USB-C Power Meter (5V) | 2.8W Idle / 7.4W Full VPN Load | N/A |
Benchmark Insight: WireGuard delivers nearly 3x the throughput of OpenVPN on the same hardware. The Linux kernel-space implementation of WireGuard requires zero context switching between kernel and user-space memory, allowing the dual-core Cortex-A53 to push beyond 300 Mbps sustained encrypted throughput.
Thermal Analysis and Fan Performance
The Beryl AX features an internal miniature cooling fan located underneath the aluminum heatsink. During our 60-minute sustained 300 Mbps WireGuard burn-in test at 24°C ambient room temperature:
- Peak SoC temperature stabilized at 68°C with the fan operating at low RPM (imperceptible acoustic noise).
- Without fan airflow (enclosed pouch test), temperatures climbed to 82°C after 25 minutes, triggering minor thermal frequency throttling to 1.1 GHz.
- Conclusion: Keep the side air ventilation grilles unobstructed for sustained high-bandwidth performance.
Key Takeaways
- The GL-MT3000 Beryl AX easily sustains 300+ Mbps WireGuard throughput on portable power banks.
- Wi-Fi 6 wireless speeds exceed 800 Mbps locally, making local media streaming effortless.
- Equipped with a 2.5G WAN port, ensuring future-proofing for ultra-fast fiber hotel connections.
- Exceptional power efficiency: runs over 10 hours on a standard 20,000 mAh battery bank.