Virtual private networks, or VPNs, are an essential tool in any internet privacy toolbox. They mask your public IP address, encrypt your traffic by routing it through secure servers and can make it appear as if you’re connecting from another location.
To use a regular VPN, you have to log in on each device that you want it to be activated, and you’re typically limited to a certain number of active sessions at any given time.
You can also install a VPN directly onto your Wi-Fi router to protect all the devices that connect to it. That's really a question of convenience, according to David Barger, a network consultant at Crosstalk Solutions.
“When you use a separate application you have to remember to turn it on every time you want that extra peace of mind," Barger said. "If you are using a VPN router, with the VPN configured properly, you know you are protected when you connect to it.”
I test and review routers for CNET, but I’ve never tried one with a VPN installed. I decided to test it out with my home router. I learned that for that extra layer of low-maintenance security, you will have to do a little bit of upfront legwork. Fortunately, it’s pretty light legwork -- think power walk, not deadlift.
I’ll take you through my experience and everything else you need to know to get a VPN installed on your router as simply as possible.
Which routers let you install VPNs?
If you’ve purchased a router in the past few years, there’s a good chance it will allow you to install a VPN. (Routers issued by internet service providers are the exception, as these will never let you install a VPN directly.)
That said, some routers only work with specific VPN services. Below is a quick list of instructions from popular router manufacturers, along with links to their models that accept VPNs. A few of these models are also CNET’s best tested Wi-Fi routers, including the ASUS (best overall) and TP-Link (best budget), both of which also earned Editors' Choice accolades.
The only router companies I found that don’t let you install a VPN are Eero and Google Nest. Eero does offer VPN service through Guardian when you subscribe to its Eero Plus service ($10 a month or $100 a year), but you’d have to add a non-Google router to install a VPN directly.
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