A router is a must for anyone who wants to connect their devices to the internet wirelessly. A solid router for home use costs about $150, but if you plan to install a VPN on your router, a cheap one will not make do. More specifically, you must pick a powerful VPN router that is up for the task.
In this article, we will speak more about the best VPN routers on the market that has native support for OpenVPN, which is one of the most popular and safest VPN protocols. We will also explain what a VPN router is, and why you should use a VPN router.
Key takeaways
- Vilfo is the most powerful VPN router out there.
- Vilfo works with OpenVPN and will receive WireGuard support in 2022
- Vilfo offers a seamless install process that takes minutes. As opposed to hours which is the case for most of the VPN routers that are sold in stores today.
Table of Contents
What is a VPN router?
A VPN router is a router with strong hardware specifications and software that allows you to install a VPN on it. More specifically the router acts as a VPN client, which provides anonymous and automatic internet access to all the devices that connect to it.
3 reasons why you should use a VPN router
- You can protect all your devices without having to install software-based apps on your phone, tablet, or laptop.
- You no longer have the VPN provider’s rules regarding simultaneous connections, as a VPN router always counts as one device.
- You can protect devices that you cannot install a VPN application on, such as your game console or Apple tv device.
4 aspects to think about when choosing a VPN router
- Complexity.
Some routers must be flashed with another operating system for them to work with a VPN. Native support for VPN use is always the best option. Flashing your router with for example DD-WRT is time-consuming and can break your router if done the wrong way. pfSense and OPNsense are popular options but they’re really complex. - Cost.
Mediocre VPN routers cost about $100 to $250, and those will not give you a good VPN experience. When looking for a VPN router, choose one that costs $300 or more. - Speed and performance.
A good VPN router offers a connection speed that exceeds 200 Mbps when you are connected to a VPN. - Features.
A good VPN router must be feature-rich and offer you the ability to use multiple VPN connections on a single router.
3 reasons to use a VPN router with OpenVPN support
- OpenVPN is safe.
It is one of the most, if not the most secure protocol in the VPN niche. - OpenVPN is based on open-source code.
That means that volunteers can update the protocol and make it even safer. It also means that independent experts can review the source code at any time. - OpenVPN is hard to detect by firewalls.
This means that streaming platforms such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer rarely can distinguish OpenVPN traffic from ordinary HTTPS traffic.
The 3 best VPN routers with native support for OpenVPN
- Vilfo: the world’s most powerful and versatile VPN router.
- Synology RT2600AC: A powerful VPN router with full support for OpenVPN.
- Asus RT-AC86U: A mediocre VPN router for consumers with a small budget.
Below we will talk about the routers mentioned above in greater detail
1. Vilfo – the best VPN router ($399)
Vilfo is not the most pleasantly priced router out there. It´s $399, after all. But in the long run, who cares if you will have to dish out an extra hundred dollars or so. Vilfo offers a connection speed of up to 500 Mbps when you are connected to the OpenVPN protocol. No other VPN router even comes close to that.
And by the summer of 2022, the Vilfo team will implement native support for WireGuard, which is as safe as OpenVPN, but even faster. When WireGuard is implemented, you can expect a connection speed that exceeds 1 Gbps.
Vilfo also offers the most user-friendly interface, and the install process takes about three minutes at the most. That´s because the Vilfo team has implemented a quick install process that works with all major VPN providers, including OVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN.
And lastly, no configurations files for OpenVPN or any other VPN protocol are needed. Vilfo is plug-and-play, which is unique.
If you already have a mini pc at home, you don’t even need to purchase the VPN router – you can just subscribe to Vilfo’s software.
2. Synology RT2600AC – a solid VPN router ($300)
Synology RT2600AC offers great hardware specifications, an easy-to-use interface, and native support for OpenVPN. This router also offers decent connection speeds via OpenVPN, but nowhere near the same speeds as the Vilfo router offers.
Synology RT2600AC is a great router, but it is not niched for VPN use. Most of the features that Vilfo offers are nowhere to be found, even though the price tag is almost as steep. The install process is also time-consuming and includes fiddling with install files for OpenVPN.
3. Asus RT-AC86U – a budget VPN router ($130)
Asus RT-AC86U is marketed as a gaming router, and it works fine for gaming. You can also install a VPN on this router, but a manual install with configuration files is needed. The connection speed, when connected via the OpenVPN protocol, is not that great either.
I own an Asus RT-AC86U router, and I have never managed to get a connection speed that exceeds 70 Mbps, even though my internet connection offers a theoretical top speed of 500 Mbps. Asus RT-AC86U works well enough, but it´s simply not powerful enough to provide you with a pleasant VPN experience.
