GL-iNet GL-BE3600 · Volume 12
GL-iNet GL-BE3600 Volume 12 — Cheatsheet (the Laminate-Ready Field Card)
One-pagers: defaults card, mode-cycle reference, common UCI commands, recovery quick-reference, field flow
Contents
1. About this Volume
The synthesis volume — the one you laminate, fold into the kit bag, and pull out when you don’t have time to grep through eleven volumes. Each section here is a single conceptual page; the field flow on the last page is the most-used.
2. Defaults Card
| Mgmt IP | 192.168.8.1 |
| Recovery IP | 192.168.8.1 (post-flash); 192.168.1.1 (in U-Boot recovery) |
| LAN subnet | 192.168.8.0/24 |
| LAN DHCP range | .100 – .249 |
| LAN DNS | 192.168.8.1 (dnsmasq local) |
| SSH user | root |
| SSH password | (set at first-boot wizard) |
| Admin Panel URL | http://192.168.8.1 |
| LuCI URL | http://192.168.8.1/cgi-bin/luci |
| Recovery URL | http://192.168.1.1 (only after Reset+power-on hold) |
| Default LAN port | white-bezel RJ45 |
| Default WAN port | blue-bezel RJ45 |
| Power | USB-C PD 5/9/12 V |
For this specific unit (beryl):
| Asset tag | (not assigned) |
| Serial | 28948a560fe74fd5 |
| Primary MAC | 94:83:C4:C7:EA:E2 |
| Cloud Device ID | cl7eae2 (cloud disabled) |
| Factory SSID | GL-BE3600-ae2 |
| Current SSID | @TJ55219 |
| Factory key | 7AZS97HE4N (OEM tag — rotate as needed) |
3. Mode-Cycle Reference
Front-panel Mode button cycles through these in order. OLED highlights the active one.
| Icon | Mode | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Ethernet plug | Ethernet | WAN port is upstream; LAN/Wi-Fi is downstream. Default. |
| Wi-Fi waves | Repeater | Router connects to upstream Wi-Fi as client; re-broadcasts kit SSID. |
| Phone | Tethering | USB-attached phone is upstream (RNDIS / NCM auto-detected). |
| Antenna tower | Cellular | USB cellular dongle is upstream (usb-modeswitch + AT commands). |
Switching mode takes 5–15 seconds. OLED blinks during transition.
4. SSH Quick-Reference
ssh [email protected] # connect
# Inspect:
uci show network # all network config
uci show wireless # all wifi config
uci show firewall # all firewall config
ip link show # interfaces
ip route show table all # routes
ip route get 8.8.8.8 # which device for this destination
nft list ruleset # nftables rules
wg show # WireGuard state
mwan3 status # multi-WAN state
df -h /overlay # NAND space remaining
# Edit + apply:
uci set network.lan.ipaddr='192.168.10.1'
uci commit network
/etc/init.d/network restart
wifi reload # for wireless changes
# Kill-switch verify:
ip link set wgclient down # bring VPN down
curl -4 -m 5 ifconfig.me # should fail
ip link set wgclient up
ifup wgclient
# Live capture to laptop:
ssh [email protected] 'tcpdump -i br-lan -U -w -' | wireshark -k -i -
# Backup:
ssh [email protected] 'sysupgrade -b /tmp/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz'
scp [email protected]:/tmp/backup-*.tar.gz ./
# Reboot / factory reset:
reboot # clean reboot
firstboot && reboot now # factory reset (wipes overlay)
5. Common UCI Edits
# Change LAN subnet (avoid clash with venue's network)
uci set network.lan.ipaddr='192.168.20.1'
uci commit network && /etc/init.d/network restart
# Change Wi-Fi SSID
uci set wireless.default_radio0.ssid='@MyTrip'
uci set wireless.default_radio1.ssid='@MyTrip'
uci commit wireless && wifi reload
# Change Wi-Fi password
uci set wireless.default_radio0.key='newpassword'
uci set wireless.default_radio1.key='newpassword'
uci commit wireless && wifi reload
# Set country code (regulatory)
uci set wireless.radio0.country='US'
uci set wireless.radio1.country='US'
uci commit wireless && wifi reload
# Clone WAN MAC (for stubborn captive portals)
uci set network.wan.macaddr='aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff'
uci commit network && /etc/init.d/network restart
# Enable / disable WireGuard tunnel
ifup wgclient # bring up
ifdown wgclient # bring down
# Tighten mwan3 failover speed
uci set mwan3.wan_eth.interval='2'
uci set mwan3.wan_eth.down='2'
uci set mwan3.wan_eth.up='4'
uci commit mwan3 && mwan3 restart
6. Recovery Quick-Reference
6.1 Soft factory reset (overlay wipe)
- Router running, hold Reset ~5 seconds.
- Status LED flashes; release.
- ~60 seconds → router back at
192.168.8.1with factory defaults.
6.2 U-Boot recovery (firmware re-flash)
- Power off (unplug USB-C).
- Hold Reset.
- Plug USB-C in while still holding Reset.
- Wait ~10 seconds for status LED’s recovery blink pattern.
- Release Reset.
- Connect laptop to a LAN port, set IP to DHCP or static
192.168.1.10/24. - Browse to
http://192.168.1.1. - Upload firmware
.img(GL-iNet release or OpenWrt sysupgrade.bin). - Wait for flash to complete; reboot is automatic.
6.3 TFTP serial recovery (when U-Boot recovery doesn’t trigger)
Only needed when recovery (§6.2) doesn’t respond. Requires:
- USB-to-TTL serial adapter (3.3 V — CP2102 or FTDI232)
- Soldering to test pads inside the case
- TFTP server on the laptop
factory.binfor the BE3600
See Vol 4 §6 for the procedure. Don’t open the case unless §6.2 has failed.
7. The Field Flow
The page that earns its laminate. The travel sequence end-to-end.
ARRIVAL AT VENUE
│
├─ 1. Power up router (USB-C PD, status LED solid green)
│
├─ 2. Connect input
│ ├─ Wired Ethernet → plug into WAN
│ ├─ Wi-Fi only → Mode button → Repeater → scan → connect
│ └─ Phone tether → plug phone in USB → Mode → Tethering
│
├─ 3. Captive portal? (browser shows redirect)
│ ├─ Yes → Admin Panel helper, OR open laptop browser, click T&Cs
│ └─ No → Continue
│
├─ 4. Verify internet WITHOUT VPN
│ └─ Laptop browser to any HTTPS site — should load
│
├─ 5. Bring up VPN
│ └─ Admin Panel → VPN → WireGuard → Connect
│
├─ 6. Verify VPN
│ └─ curl -4 ifconfig.me — should show provider IP, not venue
│
├─ 7. Verify kill-switch
│ ├─ ip link set wgclient down
│ ├─ curl -4 -m 5 ifconfig.me — should FAIL
│ └─ ip link set wgclient up; ifup wgclient
│
├─ 8. Verify DNS doesn't leak
│ ├─ tcpdump -i wan port 53 (in another terminal)
│ └─ Trigger DNS query; expect ZERO traffic on wan port 53
│
└─ 9. Devices join kit SSID
└─ Laptop · Phone · Flipper · etc.
DEPARTURE FROM VENUE
│
├─ 1. Disconnect input (unplug Ethernet, leave Wi-Fi range)
│
├─ 2. Verify failover
│ └─ mwan3 status should show next member up
│
└─ 3. Power down router if done with venue connectivity
└─ Save the next venue some startup time
8. The Diagnostic Triple
When something is wrong, run these three commands. The output usually tells you what’s wrong.
ip route get 8.8.8.8 # Is the destination going through the tunnel?
wg show # Is WireGuard's last handshake recent?
mwan3 status # Which WAN member is up; which policy is active?
If ip route get 8.8.8.8 shows the wrong device → routing problem (kill-switch misconfigured, mwan3 misbehaving, VPN routes not added).
If wg show shows old handshake → tunnel is dead despite the interface being “up”.
If mwan3 status shows unexpected member → tracker is wrong about something.
9. Final Word
The router exists to make travel networking boring. The first trip with a new BE3600 setup is exciting; by the third trip, the bring-up sequence should be muscle memory and the device should be functionally invisible. If the kit ever feels like a tax instead of an enabler, something’s misconfigured — work the decision tree in Vol 11 §5 and tighten what’s loose.
Then update Vol 11 §3 with whatever you learned, and the next trip is one step easier.