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-
8.80/10
1.
Premium pick: -
8.80/10
2.
Editors choice:
Synology RT2600ac
-
8.60/10
3.
Best value:
Asus RT-AC86U
-
8.20/10
4.
Asus RT-AC5300
-
8.40/10
5.
Linksys WRT3200ACM
-
5.60/10
6.
D-Link AC5300 DIR-895L/R
-
8.60/10
7.
GL.iNet GL-B1300
Everyone should be using a VPN by now. The news is consistently awash with articles detailing the abject destruction of your privacy. And once gone, it is gone forever. The trouble is that using a single VPN requires you to set up each device in your house.
Luckily, there is an alternative method. There are plenty of reasons to use a VPN. However, instead of painstakingly entering credentials on individual devices, why not upgrade to a VPN router and protect every device all at once?
The Netgear Nighthawk R7800 is a stylish VPN router with a decent spec list. It has a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM, four powerful antennas, and five Gigabit Ethernet ports. There are also two USB 3.0 ports, which double up as eSATA ports.
It also features Netgear’s Dynamic Quality of Service to help boost throughput to your gaming and other media types, as well as Quad-Stream technology, which enables faster and more consistent Wi-Fi connections to more devices simultaneously.
The Nighthawk R7800 has another bonus feature, too: it supports OpenVPN out of the box. That means you can use your regular VPN account with the router (provided it supports OpenVPN) rather than having to flash a custom firmware to the router. If you prefer to flash custom router firmware for the extra functionality it brings, the R7800 supports DD-WRT.
Overall, the R7800 is a powerful router with enough features for any user, with the added bonus of requiring less tinkering than other VPN router options.
- 802.11ac
- Simultaneous Dual-Band
- MU-MIMO
- 1.7GHz dual-core CPU, 512MB RAM
- VPN support
- Brand: Netgear
- Range: Up to 2,500 sq. ft.
- Wi-Fi Bands: Simultaneous Dual-Band
- Ethernet Ports: 5x Gigabit
- USB Ports: 2x USB 3.0/eSATA
- MU-MIMO: Yes
- Mesh Network Compatible: No
- Looks great
- Powerful
- Out of box VPN support
- Not the fastest for 5GHz Wi-Fi
Netgear Nighthawk R7800
amazon
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Synology is a name more closely associated with network-attached storage devices, but the Synology RT2600ac is a great shout for a VPN router. It comes with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and 512MB RAM, along with four powerful antennas. In fact, it looks similar to the stylish Netgear Nighthawk R7800, which is a definite plus point on the aesthetics.
Also, similar to the Netgear model is the out-of-box VPN support. The Synology RT2600ac supports a wide range of VPN protocols without requiring custom firmware, including Synology SSL VPN, PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec.
Another thing you should note is the Synology router management page. Once installed on your computer, you have access to a comprehensive router management tool that appears closer to an operating system than the regular router management app you might encounter. That said, it isn’t difficult to use and allows you to manage your VPN connections, install different extension packages to the router, update the router firmware easily, and more.
So, while the Synology name isn’t generally associated with VPN routers, you should absolutely consider this option.
- 802.11ac
- Dual-band
- MU-MIMO
- 1.7GHz dual-core CPU, 512MB RAM
- Out of box VPN support
- Brand: Synology
- Range: Up to 3,000 sq. ft.
- Wi-Fi Bands: Dual-band
- Ethernet Ports: 4x Gigabit
- USB Ports: 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x SD Card
- MU-MIMO: Yes
- Mesh Network Compatible: Yes
- Supports range of VPN protocols
- Easy to use
- Customizable
- An expensive option
Synology RT2600ac
amazon
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The Asus RT-AC86U is a powerful dual-band VPN router featuring 512MB RAM and a 1.8GHz dual-core processor. It comes with three high-power antennas that broadcast over a vast area, as well as packing in NitroQAM technology to boost your data transmission rates by utilizing extra wireless band capacity.
The RT-AC86U features four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB 3.0 port, and a USB 2.0 port. You can use Asus’s AiPlayer and AiDisk as a media server and file server in conjunction with an external hard-drive, doubling up as a NAS of sorts.
But best of all, the Asus RT-AC86U is easy to set up with your own custom VPN router firmware, with support for Asuswrt-Merlin (a customized version of Asus’s existing firmware), Tomato, and DD-WRT variants. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a retail option with a pre-installed VPN provider and custom firmware. However, there are several tutorials online that will guide you through.
- 802.11ac
- Dual-band
- MU-MIMO
- 1.8GHz Dual-Core, 512MB RAM
- Vertical stand router
- Brand: Asus
- Range: 95 feet
- Wi-Fi Bands: Dual-band
- Ethernet Ports: 4x Gigabit
- USB Ports: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0
- MU-MIMO: Yes
- Mesh Network Compatible: Via AiMesh
- Great all-rounder
- Easy to use dashboard
- Integrated Trend Micro AiProtection
- Not many USB ports
- Vertical stand won’t suit everyone
Asus RT-AC86U
amazon
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The Asus RT-AC5300 is a visually impressive router that will make your friends wonder about their inferior router choices. It has eight antennas and can blast wireless signals across 5,000 square feet, making it perfect for anyone with a large home or office.
The RT-AC5300 is a tri-band router that uses Asus’s Smart Connect feature to level out demand. This means the router switches between 5GHz bands to make sure there is no network congestion.
In addition, the router packs a decent 1.4GHz dual-core CPU with a similarly decent 512MB RAM, has eight Gigabit Ethernet ports for cable connections, and uses MU-MIMO for better speeds with multiple devices. Another bonus is the USB 3.0 port for external storage devices and a USB 2.0 port.
This VPN router is an excellent choice for network intensive environments or even just large, bandwidth-hungry families, albeit at a high cost. The RT-AC5300 supports the DD-WRT custom firmware, but not Tomato (another custom firmware).
- 802.11ac
- Tri-band
- MU-MIMO
- 512MB RAM, 1.4GHz Dual-Core processor
- Brand: Asus
- Range: Up 5,000 sq. ft.
- Wi-Fi Bands: Tri-Band
- Ethernet Ports: 4 x Gigabit
- USB Ports: 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0
- MU-MIMO: Yes
- Mesh Network Compatible: Via Asus AiMesh
- Looks like a spider
- Tri-band Wi-FI coverage
- Large Wi-Fi range
- Single USB 3.0 port
- Large footprint
Asus RT-AC5300
amazon
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The Linksys WRT3200ACM consistently features in roundups of the best VPN routers, and for a good reason. Like the RT-AC86U, it features a powerful 1.8GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM.
As well as this, the WRT3200ACM uses MU-MIMO to keep those speeds high. In addition to MU-MIMO, it utilizes the Linksys Tri-Stream 160 technology to boost Wi-Fi speeds across wireless bands (somewhat similar to NitroQAM). The WRT3200ACM broadcasts using four antennas with an extensive range. You’ll also find a USB 3.0 port, along with a combined USB 2.0/eSATA port for plugging in peripherals.
Finally, the router supports OpenWrt and DD-WRT custom firmware, allowing you to customize your VPN router as you see fit. Pre-installed WRT3200ACM VPN routers are available, with the ExpressVPN/OpenWrt combination one of the easiest to use. This VPN router really does have a considerable amount of support, allowing you to fine-tune your setup.
- 802.11ac
- Dual-band
- 1.8GHz dual-core CPU, 512MB RAM
- Brand: Linksys
- Range: 150 sq. ft.
- Wi-Fi Bands: Dual-band
- Ethernet Ports: 4x Gigabit
- USB Ports: 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0/eSATA
- MU-MIMO: Yes
- Mesh Network Compatible: No
- Lots of support
- Customizable
- No mesh network option
Linksys WRT3200ACM
amazon
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The D-Link AC5300 DIR-895L/R comes with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor with 256MB RAM, broadcasting using eight antennas. The router is tri-band, using MU-MIMO to provide consistently high speeds to every device in your household or office, with a total theoretical combined throughput of 5,332Mbps (1,000 Mbps in 2.4GHz, plus 2,166 Mbps in 5GHz and 2,166 Mbps in 5GHz).
The DIR-985L/R also comes with four gigabit Ethernet ports, along with a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port. Like most of the other listed routers, the DIR-985L/R will function as a simple-but-effective NAS if you attach an external hard drive of sufficient size.
The AC5300 DIR-895L/R has extensive support for DD-WRT, with some support for other OpenWrt projects such as LEDE. This is a well-rounded VPN router that provides ample power for a large household with multiple devices (up to 20) or even a small office.
- 802.11ac
- Tri-band
- MU-MIMO
- Brand: D-Link
- Wi-Fi Bands: Tri-band
- Ethernet Ports: 4x Gigabit
- USB Ports: 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
- MU-MIMO: Yes
- Mesh Network Compatible: No
- Extensive custom firmware support
- Good bandwidth throughput
- Discontinued (but still supported)
- Design won’t appeal to everyone
D-Link AC5300 DIR-895L/R
amazon
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The difficulty with upgrading from your ISP router to anything else is the cost. Purchasing a VPN router can seem like a large outlay. However, the excellent GL.iNet GL-B1300 router could change your mind.
The GL.iNet GL-B1300 stands out for a couple of reasons. First, it is small, especially compared to some of the massive VPN routers on this list. Its small footprint means it will fit into any house or office without taking up space.
The GL-B1300 isn’t as powerful as the other VPN routers on this list. You’ll find a quad-core 717MHz ARM CPU with 256MB RAM, providing dual-band Wi-Fi coverage under the hood. There are three Gigabit Ethernet ports and a single USB 3.0 port.
The GL-B1300 is reasonably well equipped in terms of extras, with MU-MIMO and support for mesh networking. It also comes with the custom OpenWRT router firmware preinstalled, with support for OpenVPN and Wireguard out of the box. In that, it is a good option if you don’t want to mess around with flashing custom firmware.
- 802.11ac
- Dual-band
- MU-MIMO
- Brand: GL.iNet
- Range: Up to 2,500 sq. ft.
- Wi-Fi Bands: Dual-band
- Ethernet Ports: 3x Gigabit Ethernet
- USB Ports: 1x USB 3.0
- MU-MIMO: Yes
- Mesh Network Compatible: No
- Tiny footprint
- Mesh network support
- Underpowered
GL.iNet GL-B1300
amazon
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FAQ
Q: What Is a VPN Router?
Unsure about the difference between the VPN on your laptop or smartphone and a VPN router?
- VPN client: A VPN client on your computer protects data transmissions for that system alone. Once you sign-up and download a client, the VPN protects the individual device. Many services offer protection for multiple devices under the same subscription, but you have to download the software/app for each device.
- VPN router: A VPN router provides the security and privacy of a regular VPN but covers every device on the network. All of the devices in your home can simultaneously use and benefit from a VPN without fiddling around with masses of login credentials and app downloads. The tradeoff, however, is having to set up a VPN router.
VPN routers were once the sole reserve of security and network buffs. But as internet users seek to improve their privacy and security, VPN routers have become more accessible.
Q: Are There Different Types of VPN Router?
For a long time, if you want to use a VPN router, you would have to flash custom router firmware, such as DD-WRT or Tomato. This is still the case for many older routers, but it does deliver far greater customization than a standard OEM setup.
In recent years, the situation has changed as VPN use becomes widespread. You’ll now find many routers offering out-of-box VPN support. Check your router specs before purchasing to confirm VPN protocol support, as well as how easy it is to set up.
Q: Do All Routers Support VPNs?
You can install a VPN on your computer, and it will protect your internet connection on that device. But routers are different. Not all routers support the installation of a VPN service on their hardware.
In some cases, you can flash a custom firmware to your router, which allows you to then install a VPN or use VPN protocols. However, support is not uniform, and it even varies significantly between models manufactured by the same brand.