GL.inet Brume 2 is an OpenWrt router, or rather a “security gateway” as the company calls it, powered by a MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) dual-core Cortex-A53 processor, and equipped with a 2.5GbE WAN port and a Gigabit Ethernet LAN port.
The device also comes with a USB 3.0 port for storage and a USB Type-C port for power. It is offered with either a plastic enclosure (GL-MT2500 model) or an aluminum allow case (GL-MT2500A model), and with WireGuard and OpenVPN, is suitable to host a VPN server and “monitor, manage, and configure SD-WAN settings”.
Brume 2 (GL-MT2500/GL-MT2500A) specifications:
- SoC – MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) dual-core processor @ 1.3 GHz
- System Memory – 1GB DDR4
- Storage – 8GB eMMC flash
- Networking
- 1x 2.5 Gbps Ethernet WAN port
- 1x Gigabit Ethernet LAN port
- USB – 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port, 1x USB Type-C port for power
- Misc – Reset button, Power and status LEDs
- Power Supply – 5V/2A via USB Type-C port
- Power Consumption – <2.6W
- Temperature Range – Operating: 0 ~ 40°C; storage: -20 ~ 70°C
- Dimensions – 70 x 70 x 22 mm
- Weight
- GL-MT2500: 60 grams (ABS plastic enclosure)
- GL-MT2500A: 157 grams (aluminum alloy enclosure)
The Brume 2 runs OpenWrt 21.02 operating system with support for OpenVPN (tested up to 150 Mbps) and WireGuard (tested up to 355 Mbps), AdGuard Home, Tor Anonymity, and SD-WAN features.
Some specific use cases and highlights include:
- SD-WAN as a Service with GoodCloud S2S (Site-to-Site)
- VPN Cascading – Since both OpenVPN and WireGuard, both VPN server and client can run at the same time to enable remote access to local network resources like Wi-Fi printers or local web servers, and access the public internet as a VPN client at the same time.
- Remote Device Management through GoodCloud remote device management platform for remote monitoring client device data usage, accessing the device’s terminal, batch update, view analytics, and more.
- WPA3 security protocol since the feature was added to OpenWrt 21.02
- Support for Cloudflare DNS over TLS security protocol
Documentation to get started on the Brume 2 and other GL.iNet routers can be found on the documentation website. GL.iNet also has a GitHub account, but there aren’t any references to the “Brume 2” or “MT7981B” at the time of writing. Having said that, there’s already some source code for the MediaTek MT7981A/B (Filogic 820) processor as GainStrong has an OpwnWrt repository for their upcoming Oolite-MT7981 system-on-module and router based on the processor.
GL.iNet has just started taking pre-orders for the Brume 2 security gateway starting at $49 for the GL-MT2500 and $59 for the GL-MT2500A. Note those are quantity and time-limited offers, after which the prices will be $69 and $89 respectively. Deliveries are scheduled to start in December 2022, and I will probably get one for review. You’ll find more details and the purchase links on the product page.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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