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Daniel C.
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Last updated:
July 14, 2024
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Protecting your online privacy by encrypting your traffic is no longer an optional extra, it’s an essential part of browsing online in current times. From keeping hackers at arm’s length to stopping advertisement agencies and ISPs from snooping on your online activities, a VPN service has many benefits.
However, most providers limit the number of simultaneous account connections. If you have a big family or just use various devices connected to the internet yourself, it’s usually more advantageous to install the VPN on a VPN router.
Small homes don’t require the strongest VPN routers on the market, but users still need a fast, reliable, and secure connection for their devices. The Asus AX58U VPN router is priced affordably and is perfect for a network that has between 10 and 20 devices. It comes with four Gigabit LAN ports, and the four external antennas ensure extended Wi-Fi coverage.
The AX58U router also provides enhanced security features due to the Asus AirProtection Pro and advanced parental controls. Moreover, it supports AiMesh technology to extend its coverage with a seamless mesh network by connecting to other compatible Asus devices. The router is also discreet and supports most VPN services, such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark. Due to all this, the router is perfect for people who live in a small house and want a VPN router for general use.
From the same manufacturer, the Asus AX88U PRO Merlin provides wider coverage, sporting four powerful external antennas and ASUS AiRadar beamforming technology. This VPN router is designed to handle high-demanding networks, showcasing a powerful processor, ample memory, and MU-MIMO technology for fast data transfers, multiple device usage, and low-latency connections. The router has a slick design (although we could live without the golden details on the antennas), and its configuration is pretty simple due to the Merlin firmware.
The Asus AX88U PRO Merlin router supports most VPN services, comes with AiProtection Pro and advanced parental controls, and an additional 2.5G port for high-speed wired connections. It’s the perfect solution for households that require coverage for a wide area and have several people accessing the internet simultaneously.
When it comes to gaming, there are two main aspects that you can’t miss out on: high speeds and low latency. After all, lag can be your worst enemy when playing video games online. The TP-Link BE9300 Archer BE550 router comes with cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 standard, six antennas, and Beamforming for maximized Wi-Fi coverage, stable connections, and fast speeds.
The VPN router also has a 2.5G WAN port and four 2.5G LAN ports for peak performance and future-proofing your home network. Regardless of whether you’re firing headshots in CS or tanking dungeons in FF14, you can expect a seamless play session. The VPN router supports all major VPN services on the market, and it’s possible to have the router configured with your VPN so it’s ready to go from the get-go.
ExpressVPN is considered one of the best VPN services on the market, and rightfully so. Although most VPN routers are compatible with this popular service, there is a VPN router that has been designed by the company itself – ExpressVPN Aircove.
The VPN router sports Wi-Fi 6 and allows you to create five different groups of devices. For example, you could add your smart TVs to a customized group where you choose a dedicated server for streaming and use a standard group for all your smart kitchen appliances that only require the connection to be protected. Since the router comes with ExpressVPN built in, it doesn’t work with other VPN services. So, only go for this option if you intend to stick with ExpressVPN for the long run. Plus, an ExpressVPN subscription will still be needed for the router to work properly.
Businesses usually have many devices that connect to the internet, from computers and mobile phones to printers and desk phones (if they use VoIP). So, it’s important to go for a strong VPN router even if the office space isn’t that big. The Roqos SASE appliance provides an excellent connection and, even more importantly, offers advanced business cybersecurity features that are easy to configure. It allows you to set up Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for both local and remote users, instantly pause the internet with the press of a button, and create filter categories.
It also comes with intrusion prevention, a built-in ad blocker, country block, and many other internet security features that allow for a secure connection at all times. Roqos SASE supports NordVPN, Private Internet Access – PIA, ProtonVPN, and Surfshark, and includes one year of Roqos SASE service.
Don’t forget about your online security when traveling. Although you can have a VPN service installed on your devices when accessing the internet via public Wi-Fi, it might be more convenient to have a portable VPN router when you have lots of devices to protect. The GL.iNET Slate-AX is a lightweight yet reliable solution, ideal for protecting between 10 and 20 devices simultaneously.
It’s compatible with over 30 VPN services and supports open source firmware for more advanced users. It comes with Wi-Fi 6 standard, three Gigabit ports, and is pre-installed with OpenWRT. The router is compact, featuring just two antennas, and uses Cloudflare to speed up internet access and defend against DDoS attacks, bots, and malicious activities.
A VPN router is similar to a normal router, but it has a VPN installed. Its firmware allows you to manage VPN connections, protecting all the devices connected to it. VPN routers usually also come with Random Access Memory (RAM) to efficiently manage workloads and maintain fast and stable internet connections.
While some VPN routers come with a preinstalled VPN service, others let you choose and install another VPN. However, you do need to check which services the VPN router is compatible with, as not all VPN services work with all VPN routers.
There are several reasons to get a VPN router. In general, VPN routers are better suited for households with several internet-based devices. Here are the main reasons to invest in a VPN router:
VPN routers encrypt the traffic of all the devices connected to them via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. So, instead of installing and managing a VPN service on every single device you own, you can set up everything in just one place, which is far more convenient.
It also makes the cost of using a VPN service cheaper, as you don’t need to have an account (or several) to cover all your devices – the VPN router just counts as one VPN connection.
Most of our devices are connected to the internet nowadays, from game consoles to smart TVs and smart kitchen appliances. Each piece of equipment can be used as an entry point to your network by hackers, but some don’t let you install software on them, making it impossible to protect them from external threats.
Since a VPN router encrypts the data on the router and not on the device, it protects the connection of all the devices connected to it, regardless of whether they have a VPN service installed. This means that devices you wouldn’t be able to protect, such as a robot vacuum that connects to your phone via Wi-Fi, are fully safeguarded.
It’s way more convenient to only set up the VPN connection in one place than doing it on all the devices you own. Plus, everything is fully automated. You don’t need to install separate apps, assign them different passwords, or configure every platform on each device you own.
Moreover, depending on the VPN service you choose, you might be able to unblock geo-restricted apps and content from all over the world on all your devices, including smart TVs and game consoles.
Choosing the best VPN router requires some research, as it depends entirely on your needs. For example, if you regularly play online games, it’s essential that the VPN router provides you with a fast and stable connection with a low latency. When shopping for a VPN router, you should consider the following:
The first thing to keep in mind is the device’s hardware specs. As you would with a normal router, you need to make sure that the VPN router is able to handle all the devices you own, provide a fast connection, and cover your house.
Ensure that the router supports the speeds you’re paying your ISP for – especially if you have high internet speeds. It doesn’t matter if you have a contract for 1Gbps if the router is only able to handle half of that.
There are five Wi-Fi standards to choose from (4, 5, 6, 6E, and 7). Each standard has its own capabilities in terms of speed, range, and capacity. The higher the number, the better, but also the more expensive. So, which one you choose depends on what you usually use the internet for and how many devices you go on simultaneously.
In addition to Wi-Fi standards, the wireless protocol used by the router also impacts the network performance:
The wireless protocol you should opt for depends on what you usually do online, as well as how big your house is, how thick your walls are, and how far away from the router the devices are located.
Usually, we don’t interact with our routers that often. However, a VPN router does make you tweak the device’s settings more frequently. For example, if you want to change the localization of your VPN connection, you’ll have to do so through the VPN router. So, it’s essential that the VPN router has a user-friendly interface – especially if you’re a beginner.
It’s vital to understand which VPNs the router is compatible with, as you want a fast and stable VPN connection with a wide VPN network to choose from. Some VPN routers come with preinstalled VPN services, which means you might not be able to change providers. With this in mind, always make sure that the router will work with the VPN service you want to use.
VPN router prices can go from around $100 to $1,000. That’s a big gap, so it might be difficult to understand which price range you should go for. It all comes down to what you need and the specs you’re going for. It also depends on whether you’re getting a VPN router for a household or business.
Getting your VPN router from Amazon is possible, but we don’t recommend it. Especially if you’re a beginner and are getting your first VPN router, we strongly suggest going for a specialized VPN router shop, such as FlashRouters.
In addition to helping you choose the router that best fits your needs, you can rely on detailed information on all devices, gain useful tips on how to set up the router, and easily discover which VPN services it supports. Plus, you’ll enjoy reliable customer support and speak with people who know their way around a VPN router.
As an extra, companies like FlashRouters constantly provide dedicated discounts on the VPN routers they sell, as well as on VPN services they may have partnerships with. So, in addition to having better support, you can also save money on your VPN router and setup.
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