GL.iNet Slate AX 1800 vs Slate 7: Should You Replace Your Router or Update the Firmware?
If your GL.iNet Slate AX 1800 is working perfectly today, should you replace it just because the Slate 7 is newer?
Probably not.
But that's only half the answer.
A lot of the Slate AX routers I've installed over the last several years are still working every day. In fact, roughly 65% of my historical Personal VPN installations happened before the Slate 7 was available.
So there are a lot of Slate AX 1800s still out there.
The more important question for many of those owners isn't whether the router needs replacing.
It's whether the firmware they're running should still be the firmware they're using today.
Those are two completely different decisions.
The Short Answer
If your Slate AX is reliable, gives you the performance you need, and isn't limiting anything you need to do, I would keep the hardware.
If you're still running older firmware such as 4.2.3, I would start thinking about bringing the software forward—but I would treat that as a planned upgrade, not something you do the night before a trip because the router showed you an Update button.
And if I'm buying equipment for a brand-new Personal VPN installation today, I'm starting with the Slate 7.
That's basically my recommendation.
Now let me explain why.
The Slate AX 1800 Is Still a Very Capable VPN Router
The Slate AX, also known as the GL-AXT1800, has been around for more than four years.
That doesn't suddenly make it slow.
It supports Wi-Fi 6, and GL.iNet rates its WireGuard client performance at up to 550 Mbps.
The fastest real-world Personal VPN connection I've personally seen with one of my clients was around 365 Mbps between Barcelona and Atlanta.
That's extremely fast.
And there's another part of this that gets overlooked whenever a newer router comes out.
The router isn't the only thing determining your VPN speed.
Your home internet connection matters. Your travel connection matters. The distance between the two locations matters. The route your traffic takes across the internet matters.
If the home side can't upload data fast enough or your travel connection can't receive it fast enough, buying a faster router doesn't magically remove those bottlenecks.
Most of the people I work with aren't coming close to exhausting what the Slate AX can already do.
So I would not replace a perfectly good Slate AX simply because the Slate 7 has Wi-Fi 7 and newer hardware.
If you're still deciding what role the router plays in the overall setup, I explain that in more detail in GL.iNet Travel Routers for Remote Work: What You Actually Need for a Personal VPN.
In Fact, Don't Assume Slate 7 Means Faster VPN Performance
This is worth pointing out because the model numbers and newer hardware can make this confusing.
The Slate 7 gives you Wi-Fi 7 and dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, which are major hardware upgrades over the Slate AX's Wi-Fi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet.
But GL.iNet's current product pages list client-mode WireGuard performance at up to 490 Mbps for the Slate 7, compared with up to 550 Mbps for the Slate AX.
Those are local-network lab figures, and real-world speeds depend heavily on your network configuration.
So don't make this decision based on the assumption that:
newer router = faster Personal VPN.
There are plenty of other reasons to choose Slate 7 for a new installation, but that isn't necessarily one of them.
Where This Gets More Interesting Is the Firmware
A lot of these Slate AX routers went into service running much older versions of GL.iNet's 4.x firmware.
Many are still running 4.2.3 because it was stable and the system simply kept working.
For years my basic policy with clients has been:
If it's not broken, don't fix it.
That does NOT mean I think you should stay on four-year-old firmware forever.
It means I don't like experimenting with a production VPN system simply because a new version number appeared.
Particularly with a .0 release, I usually prefer to test it myself first.
I'm happy to be your crash dummy.
I want to see what GL.iNet moved, what behaves differently, and whether the changes affect the way I've configured systems for my clients.
Then we can decide whether there is actually a reason for YOU to upgrade.
The question isn't simply:
Is newer firmware available?
The better question is:
Is there something in the newer firmware that I actually need?
Captive Portals Are a Good Example
If you travel regularly, you've probably encountered a captive portal.
That's what happens when you connect to the Wi-Fi at a hotel, airport, Starbucks, cruise ship, or another public network and then have to go through an additional login page before you actually get internet access.
On older GL.iNet firmware, getting a travel router through some captive portals could be a process.
You might have to connect another device, clone a MAC address, reconnect the router and work your way through several steps.
I actually turned the old process into a ten-step guide for my clients.
GL.iNet documents Public Hotspot Login Mode and Camouflage as available in firmware 4.6 and above, making that process easier on newer firmware.
Now we have an actual reason to consider an upgrade.
If you're about to spend three months traveling through hotels and you're still running older firmware where captive portals are a pain, newer firmware can solve a problem you actually have.
That's very different from upgrading just because a new version exists.
The Upgrade Can Also Change the Way Your Router Works
This is where you have to be careful.
Making a bigger jump in firmware can change more than a couple of buttons.
Going from older 4.x firmware into the 4.8 environment changed several important parts of the VPN system.
The interface changed.
VPN policy capabilities changed.
And, most importantly for my clients, the Kill Switch behavior changed.
That's a substantial operational change.
I give my clients certain things to check before they start using their Personal VPN.
If you've followed essentially the same process for three years and then move into a different interface with different VPN controls, I want to make sure you understand where everything went and that the system is still behaving the way we expect.
I don't want you discovering that after you've already left the country.
I'd rather make the firmware transition while we can upgrade it, test it, verify the VPN configuration, and give you some time to use the new interface before you actually need it.
If you want the details on the newer Slate 7 firmware branch, see GL.iNet Slate 7 Firmware 4.9: The New VPN Features That Actually Matter.
Is the Slate AX 1800 Obsolete?
No.
GL.iNet's current firmware table lists the GL-AXT1800 as an Active product on firmware 4.8.3.
That's different from an abandoned or end-of-life device.
So when I say that somebody running 4.2.3 should start thinking about updating, I'm NOT saying:
"Throw away your Slate AX."
The hardware and firmware questions are separate.
That same firmware table lists the BE3600 Slate 7 as Active on firmware 4.10.1.
That's one of the reasons I choose Slate 7 when I'm doing a brand-new installation today.
I'm starting a new system on the current hardware and software platform.
That's very different from telling somebody who already owns a perfectly good Slate AX that they need to replace it.
So When Would I Update My Slate AX?
If your Slate AX works perfectly, you haven't had support issues and you don't need a newer feature, I don't consider this an emergency.
Keep using it.
But I would take a closer look at the firmware if you're in one of these situations:
You're preparing for extended travel.
The router has been sitting unused and you're getting ready to put it back into service.
You've had recurring support issues while running much older firmware.
You need a feature available in newer firmware.
You want to bring an older configuration up to my current Personal VPN best practices.
There's one qualification I want to make here.
I've seen support issues on systems running older firmware, and that's one of the reasons I've started tracking these problems more closely.
I have not established that every one of those problems was caused by the firmware.
Seeing a pattern gives me a reason to investigate.
It doesn't give me a reason to claim something I haven't proven.
When Would I Replace the Slate AX With a Slate 7?
There are a few situations where I would move from refreshing the existing router to replacing it.
You're Building a New System
For a new Personal VPN installation today, I'm buying Slate 7.
It gives you Wi-Fi 7, dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, a touchscreen, newer hardware and access to GL.iNet's current firmware platform.
If you're deciding between the current Slate models, I also have a separate comparison: GL.iNet Slate 7 vs Slate 7 Pro: Which Travel Router Should Remote Workers Buy?.
You Need Something the Newer Platform Does Better
If a newer Slate 7 firmware capability solves a specific problem you actually have, that's a legitimate reason to move.
Again, the feature should drive the upgrade—not the model number.
Your Existing Router Is Becoming Unreliable
I've personally had two Slate AX routers damaged after power-related events.
One of mine was affected during a lightning event. It would run for around 20 minutes and then stop.
I've also had clients experience power-related failures with older 1800s in different parts of the world.
I have seen a Slate 7 power supply damaged by a power event as well, although the router itself survived.
I'm not saying that proves there's a design problem with the Slate AX.
I can't say that.
The older routers have simply been deployed longer and have had more years of exposure to power problems.
But if your four-year-old router has already started behaving unreliably after a power event, I'm probably not going to spend a bunch of time trying to extend its life.
That's when replacement makes more sense.
And regardless of which router you're using, I recommend appropriate surge protection for both your home and travel equipment.
Slate AX Still Has a Couple of Advantages
Newer does not mean better at absolutely everything.
The Slate AX gives you:
one WAN port and two LAN ports;
a microSD card slot;
USB 3.0;
and support for local network storage.
The Slate 7 gives you:
Wi-Fi 7;
one 2.5 Gigabit WAN port;
one 2.5 Gigabit LAN port;
USB 3.0;
and the touchscreen interface.
GL.iNet's current product specifications confirm the Slate AX has three Gigabit Ethernet ports and a microSD slot, while the Slate 7 specifications list two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports and USB 3.0.
If that second LAN port or the microSD slot matters to the way you're using the router, that's something to consider before replacing it.
My Recommendation
If your Slate AX 1800 is working reliably, the hardware is still perfectly serviceable.
Don't replace it simply because Slate 7 exists.
If you're still running very old firmware, start thinking about when it makes sense to bring the system forward—but do it as a planned transition.
If you're getting ready to travel, haven't used the system in a while, have been experiencing support issues, or need a feature that newer firmware provides, that's when I would seriously look at upgrading.
For existing MexitPlans Personal VPN clients, that's exactly what the 45-minute Router Refresh session is for.
It's not just me logging into the router and pressing Update.
We upgrade it, check the configuration, make sure the Personal VPN is operating the way it's supposed to operate, review the current best practices, and make sure you understand the newer interface before you depend on it again.
The Router Refresh is currently available for a limited time.
If you're not already a Personal VPN client and you're still trying to figure out which equipment to buy or what setup makes sense for you, that's what my Tech Q&A session is for.
And if your VPN has already stopped working, that's a different problem. Start with VPN Connected but No Internet? How to Diagnose a Travel Router VPN That Stopped Working before you start randomly changing things.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I replace my GL.iNet Slate AX 1800 with a Slate 7?
Not simply because Slate 7 is newer. If your Slate AX is reliable and meets your performance and feature requirements, the existing hardware may still be perfectly serviceable.
Is the GL.iNet Slate AX 1800 obsolete?
No. GL.iNet currently classifies the GL-AXT1800 as an Active product and lists firmware 4.8.3 as its latest released firmware.
Should I update my Slate AX from firmware 4.2.3?
I would evaluate the upgrade rather than blindly installing it. Newer firmware includes useful capabilities, but a major jump can also change the interface, VPN policies and Kill Switch behavior.
Is Slate 7 faster than Slate AX for WireGuard?
Not according to GL.iNet's current published client-mode lab numbers. GL.iNet lists up to 550 Mbps for Slate AX and up to 490 Mbps for Slate 7. Real-world speeds depend heavily on the rest of your network.
When should I upgrade to Slate 7?
I would choose Slate 7 for a new installation, when its newer capabilities solve something you actually need, or when an older Slate AX is becoming unreliable.
Should I update my router immediately before traveling?
I wouldn't. A major firmware change should leave you enough time to verify the VPN configuration, learn any interface changes and make sure everything works before you leave.
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