I just posted my latest video to my personal YouTube channel all about the GLInet MV1000, aka the Brume. I thought I would use this post to explain the backstory of the video.

A couple months back, I got an email out of the blue from someone representing GLInet. They asked if I wanted their newest device. They hoped I would make a video and asked about a timeline if a video would be made. There was also the understanding that if the product wasn't any good, I could choose to not waste my time and skip the video. I got close to skipping making the video because I just didn't get it.

So a few weeks after the email exchange, a box arrived and I got a chance to open it. What I remember from the initial email, I thought they described it as focused on IoT and just like the other devices I had seen from them. But there was no WiFi. And that seemed super weird to me.

When they reached out a month later and asked how things were going, I mentioned how I thought the product was very strange and it was going to be hard to say anything positive. And then they explained where the product shines. It's a VPN Server. Ahhhh. That makes a lot more sense. It's still a touch weird, but not as screwed up as I thought.

So, what's weird? Well, first its super portable. That's not a bad thing, but the portability implies travel to me and the size makes it difficult to use in a permanent installation. Next, it has no WiFi. Again, not a bad thing, but if the size implies travel, the lack of WiFi says its not for travel. So what is it? Then it has a much faster processor and huge storage. It's got all these features that seem to conflict with each other. For a device that I thought would offer a VPN client on the inside, everything on the outside told me it was poorly designed.

But change the focus to VPN server and more things make sense. The faster processor means it can support more VPN connections. The lack of WiFi is less of a big deal. The size though is still weird.

But for about 130 bucks, this seems like a pretty good deal for a VPN server. It's super easy to configure, supports WireGuard, works with lots of other tools. All in all, a good buy. I just wish it fit on a rack a bit better. That said, I don't miss the noise of a typical rack mounted device.

If interested, you can find it at https://geni.us/brume (Note, this is an Amazon Affiliate link, give me a buck or two if you buy it at no extra cost to you)