The GL.iNet Spitz AX (model GL-X3000) is one of my favorite little routers for anyone who needs internet that travels with them. I run one in my own RV. It's a $379 5G cellular router that's small, easy to live with, and it pairs really well with a Crosstalk Mobile unlimited SIM. Getting it online takes about ten minutes, and there are a couple of spots where knowing the trick ahead of time saves you a headache. Let me walk you through the whole thing.
If you're still deciding whether this is the right router for you, I compared it head to head against a $999 Peplink in this post. This one picks up after you've bought it and you're staring at the box.
Everything below is in the video too, so use whichever you prefer. The written version is easier to follow along with while you've got the router in front of you.
What you need
Three things. A Crosstalk Mobile SIM, the Spitz AX router, and an antenna if you're mounting this on an RV or in a fixed location where signal matters. The Spitz AX has internal antennas that are fine for casual use, but for a rooftop RV install or anywhere you're chasing a weak tower, an external antenna makes a real difference. The one we pair with it is a low profile rooftop 5G/LTE antenna at $249, built with the exact six leads and connector types the Spitz AX uses, so there are no adapters involved.
If you want all three together, the Spitz AX bundle is the router, that antenna, and an unlimited SIM at a discount over buying the hardware separately.
Step 1: SIM and antenna
Pop the SIM into the tray, connect your antenna leads, and power it on. The Spitz AX has two physical SIM slots plus eSIM support, but only a single 5G modem, so it uses one SIM at a time. That's still useful on the road: keep a second carrier's SIM in the other slot and switch to whichever one has the better signal where you're parked.
One thing that trips people up on the external antenna: a good cellular antenna has four cellular leads, and on most of them all four are just labeled "Cell." That's on purpose. You can plug those four into the router's four cellular ports in any order you want. They're identical, so there's no wrong way to do it.
The Wi-Fi leads are where you want to think about how you're actually using this. In an RV, you're usually broadcasting Wi-Fi to your phones and laptops from inside the coach, not from a box on the roof. So for most RV setups, you mix and match: run the four cellular leads up to the roof antenna, but leave the little Wi-Fi paddle antennas on the Spitz AX itself. That keeps your Wi-Fi signal strong right where your devices are.
The exception is if you're mainly using Wi-Fi as an internet source, pulling in a campground or marina network as a WAN connection. Then you want reach, so connect the antenna's two Wi-Fi leads up to the roof antenna to grab that distant signal, and let the Spitz AX put out your inside network over the cellular link.
Step 2: Get into the router
Connect your phone or laptop to the router's default Wi-Fi network. The name is on the sticker on the bottom of the router, something like GL-X3000-xxx, and the password is the "Key" printed right next to it. Once you're connected, open a browser and go to 192.168.8.1.
The first screen asks you to set an admin password. This is the password for the router's settings, so pick something you'll remember and write it down somewhere. Set it and continue.
Step 3: Name your Wi-Fi
Next it asks you to set up your Wi-Fi network name and password. Here's a tip I give everybody: set the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks to the same name and same password. When you do that, the router hands each device to whichever band works best for it, and everything shows up as one simple network instead of two. Your phone connects to "MyRV" and doesn't make you choose between "MyRV" and "MyRV-5G" every time.
Step 4: Get online
After the Wi-Fi step you land on the main dashboard. If your SIM is active, the router usually connects to cellular on its own. You'll see the carrier name, and next to it a badge showing what you're connected to, like 5G. When that dot turns green and you can load a web page, you're online.
If it shows the carrier but the dot is gray and you're not online yet, tap into the cellular card and use the connect option there to bring your data up. Nine times out of ten the router handles it on its own.
If you have a static IP SIM
Some Crosstalk Mobile lines come with a static IP, which is handy if you want to reach a camera, a NAS, or a VPN back at your RV or job site from anywhere. If that's you, don't rely on the automatic setup for this part. Go to SIM Card Settings on the cellular card and set the APN to iot.cc.static
Type it exactly like that, all lowercase. This one bites people on phones and tablets, because autocorrect loves to capitalize "iot" into "IoT," and the router will happily save the wrong version. Double check it's all lowercase before you hit apply. If you're not sure whether your line has a static IP, call us and we'll tell you.
Step 5: Failover for RV and mobile setups
This is where the Spitz AX earns its keep for RVers and anyone running more than one connection. Say you've got Starlink as your main internet, and you want to fall back to cellular when the dish gets blocked by trees or you're moving. Or you're at a campground with Wi-Fi you want to use when it's decent, with your Crosstalk Mobile SIM as the backup. The Spitz AX handles all of it.
Go to Network and then Multi-WAN. You'll see every connection the router can use, your Ethernet ports for Starlink or a wired handoff, Repeater for campground Wi-Fi, and your cellular SIM. Repeater mode is what other routers call Wi-Fi as WAN, and it's worth knowing the Spitz AX has it, because most consumer routers don't. Pick Failover mode, then drag the connections into the order you want. Whatever sits at the top is your primary, and if it drops, the router automatically slides down to the next one and keeps you online. When your primary comes back, it switches back on its own.
There's also a Load Balance mode if you'd rather use multiple connections at once for more total bandwidth. For most RV and failover setups, Failover is what you want.
A few extras worth knowing
The Spitz AX has a built-in ad blocker called AdGuard Home under the Applications menu that blocks ads and trackers for every device on your network at once. Turn it on and it covers everybody, no per-phone apps needed. One heads-up: when it's on, it takes over DNS for the whole network, which can occasionally trip up a campground Wi-Fi login page. If a captive portal won't load, that's the first thing to toggle off.
On power, mine runs on the included 12 volt, 2.5 amp AC adapter, but the Spitz AX also takes direct DC input anywhere from 9 to 36 volts through a standard barrel jack, under 14 watts. That means you can wire it straight into 12 or 24 volt DC in a camper, van, or truck without putting an inverter in the middle. If you're doing a permanent mobile install, that's the cleaner way to power it.
It's also worth checking for firmware updates when you first set it up, under System and then Upgrade. Leave the "Keep Settings" option on so your configuration carries over. And the cellular modem has its own separate firmware update on that same page, so give both a look.
Why we like this combo
I'm honest about tradeoffs, so here's mine. The Spitz AX is not the most powerful router we sell, and if you're running a busy office with a rack full of gear, you want something bigger. But for one person or a family on the road, or a small remote site, it's a lot of capability in a small, affordable box. Pair it with a truly unlimited Crosstalk Mobile SIM and you've got real internet that goes where you go, with no data caps hanging over your head.
And if you get stuck on any of this, you're not calling a script reader. We're an authorized T-Mobile MVNO, and the people who answer the phone are actual network engineers who set these up every day.
Take a look at the Spitz AX bundle or our unlimited 5G plans, or call or text us at 888-381-7750 and we'll help you get the right setup for how you use it.
