GL.iNet announced Fortify, identified as model GL-MT6000, on September 16. T3 independently reported that the launch also ends new sales of ExpressVPN’s Aircove and Aircove Go routers, although existing owners will continue to receive support and firmware updates through 2027 and 2028, respectively. For buyers, Fortify is best understood as ExpressVPN’s successor to Aircove running on a much more capable GL.iNet router—and as a co-branded alternative to buying the Flint 2 and a VPN plan separately.
The model number is the important detail the launch material places in plain sight. GL.iNet’s existing Flint 2 is also the GL-MT6000, and its published specifications match Fortify’s headline hardware: AX6000 dual-band Wi‑Fi 6, a quad-core 2.0 GHz processor, 1 GB of DDR4 RAM, 8 GB of eMMC storage, two 2.5GbE ports, four gigabit Ethernet ports, and claimed VPN throughput of up to 900 Mbps over WireGuard.
That means the $30 premium over GL.iNet’s currently listed $169.99 Flint 2 is paying for the ExpressVPN-branded onboarding and a year of Advanced service, rather than faster Wi‑Fi, more Ethernet capacity, or a new processor. That is a reasonable distinction for Windows users deciding whether this is a router upgrade or a bundled subscription purchase.
Fortify moves ExpressVPN onto a stronger hardware base
ExpressVPN’s original Aircove line made router-level VPN routing approachable, particularly for devices that cannot install VPN software themselves: game consoles, smart TVs, streaming sticks, printers, IoT equipment, and work devices managed under restrictive policies. But the newer Fortify platform has a substantially higher stated ceiling for encrypted traffic.
GL.iNet rates the Flint 2 hardware at up to 900 Mbps for WireGuard client connections and up to 880 Mbps for OpenVPN with Data Channel Offload. Fortify carries the same figures. Those are laboratory-style, router-side capability claims rather than a guarantee of 900 Mbps from an ExpressVPN server; GL.iNet explicitly says real-world results vary with the ISP connection, selected VPN endpoint, client device, and network conditions.
Still, the shift matters for homes with gigabit-class broadband. A router VPN that tops out in the low hundreds of megabits per second can turn a fast connection into a bottleneck for downloads, remote desktop sessions, cloud backups, and multiple 4K streams. Fortify will not eliminate the performance cost of encryption or distance to a VPN server, but its underlying hardware is much less likely to be the limiting factor than the outgoing Aircove hardware.
There is a second practical advantage for PC users: Fortify retains the GL.iNet networking feature set surrounding the VPN tunnel. The platform includes multi-WAN failover and load balancing, Smart Queue Management, DNS-based AdGuard Home filtering, guest networking, and two 2.5GbE ports for a faster wired LAN or WAN connection. A Windows desktop connected to 2.5GbE can benefit from that local-network capacity even when its VPN connection is constrained by the internet link or VPN endpoint.
The integration is more than a one-click VPN toggle
ExpressVPN’s support documentation shows Fortify’s software integration goes beyond simply preloading account credentials. The router can create multiple VPN tunnels, assign server-location priority, and choose which traffic uses each tunnel. Administrators can send all clients through ExpressVPN, select particular devices, exclude selected devices, or apply a tunnel to connection types such as a guest network.
That is the feature that makes a router-level VPN useful without becoming disruptive. A work laptop that requires a corporate VPN, a game console sensitive to latency, or a printer that needs local access does not necessarily have to share the same outbound tunnel as a streaming device. Conversely, a household can place smart-home equipment and media boxes behind the VPN without installing a client on each platform.
Fortify also supports a kill switch decision when all configured VPN server profiles fail. ExpressVPN’s documentation says the router can determine whether to revert to the local connection based on that setting. Buyers should configure and test it deliberately. “Stay online” and “never send traffic outside the VPN” are different policies, and a router cannot choose between them safely without an administrator deciding which failure mode is acceptable.
The WireGuard detail deserves attention as well. At launch, the built-in ExpressVPN integration uses WireGuard. That helps explain the router’s relatively high advertised encrypted-throughput figure, but it also means the integrated experience is tied to the protocol and server profiles ExpressVPN exposes through its own service. The announcement does not establish that Fortify unlocks any unique network-management function unavailable on the standard Flint 2 for users willing to configure a VPN provider manually.
The bundle has a clock attached to it
Every Fortify includes 12 months of ExpressVPN Advanced for new and returning customers. ExpressVPN confirms that an existing subscriber can use the router with their current subscription, but the broader bundle should not be evaluated as free hardware or perpetual VPN service.
The company’s current U.S. pricing page lists Advanced renewal at $119.95 per year after promotional terms. Pricing and offers can change, but that published renewal figure is the number prospective buyers should account for before treating the included year as a simple discount. A Fortify buyer who does not want to keep paying for ExpressVPN after the first year should confirm what router functions remain useful to them with another provider or without any VPN service.
GL.iNet’s own Flint 2 documentation says that router supports VPN client configuration and advertises compatibility with more than 30 commercial VPN providers. Its product page also lists the same 900 Mbps WireGuard and 880 Mbps OpenVPN DCO hardware ratings. For a buyer who already subscribes to another VPN provider—or intends to use a self-hosted WireGuard endpoint—the standard Flint 2 remains the more direct comparison.
Fortify therefore has a specific target customer: someone who wants ExpressVPN, wants whole-network coverage, and does not want to manage a manual VPN profile from a general-purpose router interface. For that buyer, the additional $30 over the currently listed Flint 2 price is small beside the included subscription. For an administrator who already has a preferred VPN, uses a corporate tunnel, or prefers an OpenWrt-oriented setup with fewer vendor integrations, Fortify offers less new hardware value than its launch branding suggests.
Aircove owners do not need to rush
The most consequential part of the release for existing ExpressVPN hardware owners is not the new router’s speed rating. It is that Fortify replaces the Aircove products in ExpressVPN’s retail lineup.
ExpressVPN’s Aircove support guidance says the full-size Aircove will continue receiving firmware updates and customer support through 2027, while Aircove Go support runs through 2028. Owners can keep using the products after those dates if they retain an active ExpressVPN subscription, but the company has set those years as the end of its update-and-support commitment. Existing Aircove and Aircove Go owners are also being offered a 20% Fortify discount through ExpressVPN support.
That does not make Fortify an urgent security replacement in September 2026. It does create a planning date for households that depend on Aircove’s router-managed VPN policies. A router is a long-lived internet-facing device; when a vendor gives a support end date, owners should treat that date as the point by which they need a replacement, a firmware migration plan, or a move to a separately managed firewall and access-point setup.
Wi‑Fi 6 is the compromise behind the price
Fortify arrives as a Wi‑Fi 6 product rather than a Wi‑Fi 6E or Wi‑Fi 7 router. That is not an error in the specification sheet—the Flint 2 platform was already designed around Wi‑Fi 6—but it limits how future-facing the package is for buyers upgrading a recent Windows 11 laptop with Wi‑Fi 7 hardware.
For most homes, Wi‑Fi 6 plus 4×4 MU‑MIMO and 2.5GbE backhaul remains plenty capable, especially where the goal is stable VPN coverage rather than peak wireless benchmark numbers. But Fortify cannot provide the 6 GHz spectrum of Wi‑Fi 6E or the newer multi-link capabilities associated with Wi‑Fi 7 clients. The company is selling encryption performance and simplified policy routing, not the newest wireless standard.
Fortify is available through GL.iNet’s online store now, with Amazon availability expected later. Its strongest case is clear: it gives ExpressVPN a faster replacement for Aircove and gives nontechnical households a way to apply VPN routing per device without running a VPN client on every Windows PC, TV, console, and smart device. Its weakest case is equally clear: buyers should not mistake the Fortify name for a new router architecture when the GL-MT6000 hardware, core throughput figures, and many of the underlying network features were already available in the Flint 2.