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Mobile hotspot with VPN: is GL.iNet the only game in town and is it trustworthy? (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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So I'm on the market for a 4G or 5G mobile hotspot with a build-in VPN client I can carry around in my backpack and connect my cellphone to. I've looked far and wide, and really the only manufacturer that seems to make what I want is GL.iNet.

The two battery-powered models they offer that interest me are the Mudi v2 and the Puli: they only do 4G and I wish they did 5G too, but I can live with that. Other than that, they really tick all the boxes for me.

From what I could read, the GL.iNet company also seems very open and very responsive. That's a plus too.

But I have one giant problem that prevents me from whipping out the credit card: GL.iNet is a Chinese company, and those products are sensitive applications. I know I can flash OpenWRT separately on those devices to ensure they're not doing stuff behind my back, but I don't really want to do that because I'd lose the GL.iNet plugins and custom UI. Not to mention, I have no free time for that. I'm looking for a ready-made solution if possible with this one.

Anybody knows if GL.iNet can be trusted?

Also, has anybody ordered from Europe using their EU store? They say they ship direct from Europe but they give no details.

And finally, what do you think of those two mobile VPN routers if you own one. Do they work well? I read somewhere that they can be buggy with certain VPN providers. Do they work in Europe? I assume they do since they sell EU plugs but maybe there are caveats.

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[–] Imprint9816@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Either you didn't read the github comments or dont understand how vpns work.

If the VPN over hotspot function leaks data outside the tunnel, then your phones data is going to be revealed in the clear.

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

And yet even with that pitfall there is a valid benefit of using a shared VPN over the hotspot. Specifically making your data look like it's coming from the phone so it isn't throttled by the carrier as tethered data. The failure scenario being the data goes slower.

I recognize the problems you list as valid, and yet there is still a beneficial tradeoff decision to be made.

No need to insult me, I both read the GitHub and understand how VPNs work.

[–] Imprint9816@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Sorry my bad, I should of responded in a more professional tone.

Yeah I totally agree there is a valid reason to have the function but its all moot if the function doesn't work correctly.

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Even if it only works sometimes, there is still a use case with a benefit. I.e. speed throttling on tethering