Interview with FlashRouters’ President and Co-Founder Joe Soria

In our series of interviews we usually interview VPN service providers to find out more about their services and the company, people behind them. This time around we got to interview Joe Soria, president and co-founder at FlashRouters.com – a company that flashes routers for usage with a broad range of popular VPN services. FlashRouters sells a wide range of state of the art DD-WRT and Tomato enabled routers, and makes sure that they are fully setup to work with the VPN service provider and protocols that you want to use on it. Their goal is to enable you to create the ultimate free, secure internet experience in your home or business, completely hassle-free.

Because the importance of having a quality, VPN enabled router is often underestimated, we decided to interview Joe to learn more about their VPN routers and how they can further improve our VPN experience.

Can you tell us a bit more about what FlashRouters.com does?

FlashRouters provides customized networking solutions to help customers around the world enhance their home or office network. Major improvements range from increased security, upgraded wireless range, and access to content worldwide through VPN client integration.

Our site allows customers to more easily navigate the sometimes confusing options when choosing the right router, finding the correct firmware, and actually getting it set up the way they desire. Our products include all of those steps in one package, making the entire purchasing process smoother, simpler, and quicker. Add in a team of open-source wireless router specialists to answer any sales questions and to assist with the setup and configuration when you receive your FlashRouter and you can easily see why FlashRouters has become the premier go-to store for customized router solutions.

Why should our visitors buy a VPN router with DD-WRT/Tomato firmware pre-installed?

Open source firmware unlocks the full potential of hardware inside a router. This turns a personal class router into a business level networking hub with enterprise level features to meet the specific needs for as many users as possible.

The most desirable DD-WRT added feature for our customers so far has been VPN client connection options for PPTP, L2TP, and OpenVPN protocols. Other popular DD-WRT features are personal VPN server setup options, advanced controls of wireless transmission power, VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) segmentation for guest networks and WLANs, as well as Wi-Fi Hotspot configuration options using services like NoCatSplash, Chillispot, HotspotSystem, with built in Wireless Distribution Systems (WDS).

Many customers are looking for varied setups with wireless repeaters, client bridges and access points. DD-WRT firmware unlocks many of these wireless extender options that were previously unavailable with a router’s stock firmware. This can extend any existing wired or wireless network into hard to reach areas of your office or home with a wireless bridge or repeater FlashRouter configuration.

This is again a complete setup available from FlashRouters. Simply let us know your existing wireless information and a technician will set your FlashRouter up as an extender to meet your needs. One can also combine some of these popular features for more advanced setups; for example you can use a FlashRouter as a wireless repeater with a dedicated VPN connection from the FlashRouter wired and wireless network- allowing for a dedicated ISP and VPN network in one location.

While stock manufacturer firmware offers some of these options, DD-WRT implements them all as standard.

Is it easy for users based outside of the US to get your VPN routers up and running?

The simple answer is yes.

Additionally, any customer can provide their preferred VPN account information and we can setup the VPN connection before the router is shipped out. This is not required as we understand the desire for privacy and limiting account access, but if you want to request this option, we ask that you put your username, password and preferred server in the comments section of our secure checkout area. Once the router is setup, we delete this information from our system.

FlashRouters has already shipped to over 50 countries around the world with setups for all the popular providers like OverPlay, HideMyAss, IPVanish, PrivateInternetAcess, and StrongVPN among many others.

With the new addition of the International Checkout option on our site, we have made it even easier for international customers to receive expedited shipping without any customs issues and delays. International Checkout provides a level of expertise for International Shipping and allows customers to review and pre-pay customs and duties fees to alleviate prospective customs issues from country to country.

Would you recommend a dual router setup?

Dual router setups are extremely popular amongst our customers as it is ideal for users looking to have a multi-network setup with one local ISP connection and one dedicated VPN connection.

For any VPN subscriber, this is the best way to add in a fully connected VPN network to your home without changing any existing networking setup. In this setup you will have two separate networks always available in your home.

Once setup, it is extremely easy to switch each network device in your home between an encrypted VPN connection and a local ISP connection without additional setup. For any devices that do not require VPN, you can avoid losing speed by connecting to your main network. For devices like video game systems, streaming players, and others without native VPN support, you can connect to the FlashRouter wired or wireless network and instantly have all data anonymized and encrypted through your router VPN connection.

Can the VPN service provider pre-installed on a router easily be changed, switched afterwards?

If you purchase your FlashRouter for one provider and decide to switch to another provider we would be glad to assist with adapting the setup. We understand that customers have preferences to work with a variety of different VPN providers. We’d recommend visiting our list of supported VPN service providers and protocols for specific provider information. You can always contact us for further information about an unlisted provider and we would be glad to test them out.

Simplicity is what we seek when it comes to the VPN router connection process for any supported VPN provider. Consider us the Switzerland of VPN router support.

Are your routers and other devices, services also suitable for business usage?

Yes they are. DD-WRT adds enterprise features such as RADIUS authentication, the ability to create a constantly running OpenVPN or PPTP server within the router, as well as several Wi-Fi Hotspot options. DD-WRT also has a built in SPI firewall, with advanced security options and protocols.

For those looking to limit router or internet access in a business environment, integration of DNS providers like DDNS and OpenDNS are an option along with setting access restrictions for blocking or whitelisting users or specific websites.

DD-WRT also includes limitation options by date and time, with integration and setup options for VOIP & SIP. We could go on listing advanced features for a while but most users take advantage of one or all of the features already mentioned.

Why is Tomato being preferred over DD-WRT by an increasing number of users?

DD-WRT firmware has been developed to a greater extent than Tomato, with a more robust community and user-base. Tomato development is a bit more forked and spread out. Yet these developers have often taken specific sought after features of DD-WRT and improved the functionality.

One of the primary reasons we have added a line of Tomato firmware routers to the FlashRouters store is because of the enhanced OpenVPN support and compatibility. Many users also prefer the interface and its easier integration for USB connected devices.

With Tomato firmware, we are now able to offer OpenVPN support for OverPlay, StrongVPN, HideMyAss, PrivateInternetAccess, BTGuard, VyprVPN, and more. Until now many of these providers were limited to PPTP and L2TP support for DD-WRT routers only.

Do your routers still come with full manufacturer warranty when they’re being flashed?

The process of flashing a router with alternative firmware voids the manufacturer warranty as well as the associated router support. We include our own 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee and 90 Day Warranty. Additionally, extended support options can be easily added throughout the order process for $25-50.

What can we expect from FlashRouters in the near future?

FlashRouters’ long-term goal is to help usher in a new age of access and integration with the latest internet connected devices. Most people ignore a router until it stops working (at which point they unplug it and plug it back in), but it is quickly becoming one of the most important devices in any home network. Every single home in the world with an internet connection has some sort of functional router device, however few understand how it works or are aware of the features and capabilities. With a few tweaks and open source customization one can greatly increase a router’s performance.

As more and more aspects of our lives depend on our internet connectivity, the stability and power of a router is becoming of the utmost importance. Those that have the best router and are aware of its capabilities will be prepared for all future prospects whether it is higher bandwidth for streaming movies, TV and music sites, or for VOIP services and much more.

Whether you are looking for a simple router upgrade, for a better streaming experience, or for an extra secure VPN router to access the content you desire from anywhere in the world; we are here to educate end users about how a router can truly make their lives better and more productive.

Which growing internet security threats will make us need a fully VPN enabled router in the future?

Confusing internet restrictions country by country are making the complexity of access to content increasingly complex and almost impossible to navigate. Companies are coming to increasingly understand the value of their content and when that happens restrictions come along with, it but our goal is to keep as many options open to you as possible.

The important thing is that if your IP address is in the right location, it is easy to access the content you desire. This is extremely important for those who would like to use popular streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video. Content is king, but with access restrictions constantly in flux, our routers bring consistency and stability to your internet experience, with the ability to perform in any impending environment without restrictions.

Additionally, the increasing amount of private data the average person shares about themselves without even knowing is astounding. Privacy to us is paramount and should be protected as sacrosanct. You should have the control over what you want to share and who you want to share it with, yet reliance on popular websites and services is making this increasingly difficult. Having the option of going anonymous is a necessity for those concerned about their privacy.

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

To us, VPN is the future of providing unrestricted access as people continually move fluidly around the globe for business trips or in retirement as they age. Access is not just a privilege but is quickly becoming a necessity no matter where you are. As connections become increasingly stronger and bandwidth increasingly in demand, having a proper network centerpiece like a router is a must.

We would like to thank Joe and the FlashRouters team for taking the time to do this interview with us. In the near future, we will be adding a VPN router section on our website to help you find the best VPN router for your needs. For now, take a look at this selection of two of the best VPN routers for extra info.