With privacy breaches and restrictions happening in the tech world from various websites in several countries for many reasons, everyone is turning to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to maintain their privacy away from prying eyes and access blocked websites in their geographically restricted areas. If you are facing some confusion in this matter and have multiple devices and haven’t found a VPN service that suits you well, here are some alternative methods. Instead of manually entering credentials on individual devices, why not upgrade to a VPN router and protect all devices at the same time if it is available in your country? This is what we will review in this article.
Firstly, What is a VPN Router?
Before delving into the best VPN router devices, let’s quickly define the difference between VPN on a laptop or smartphone and a VPN router:
VPN Software: Manually downloaded onto your devices to protect data transfer in the system and device, once you sign up and download the software, it will protect the device individually. It provides multiple device protection services under the same subscription, but you need to download the software or application for each device individually.
VPN Router: A VPN router provides security and privacy like its predecessor but covers all devices on the network. All devices in your home can use the VPN and benefit from it at the same time without the need to handle large amounts of login credentials and application downloads. This type was once for security and networking enthusiasts but today, it is one of the options available to everyone.
Also Read: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying a New Router
Different Types of VPN Routers
VPN routers come with various options depending on your requirements. Almost all programs require running custom firmware on the router device such as DD-WRT or Tomato. Custom firmware projects offer much more flexibility than standard OEM configurations.
Support varies from router to router depending on the manufacturer, so you have two options: either buy a router with pre-installed software and settings, which is the most suitable especially if you lack sufficient knowledge in setting up such devices, or buy a router compatible with these features and set it up manually. Now, let’s list the best VPN router devices for this year 2020:
1. Asus RT-AC5300
Priced at around $200
An impressive-looking router in terms of design and performance, it features eight antennas that can extend wireless signals over 5000 square feet, making it ideal for anyone with a large home or office. It is tri-band, using smart connect feature to meet demand, switching between 5GHz bands to ensure no network congestion.
It also comes with a dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, and has eight Ethernet ports for cable connections, using MU-MIMO technology for better speeds with multiple devices. Another bonus is the USB 3.0 port for external storage devices and a USB 2.0 port as well, supporting DD-WRT.
2. Netgear Nighthawk R7000
Priced at around $100
This device is one of the more affordable options in this list. The R7000 features a 1GHz dual-core processor with 256MB RAM, along with four Ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port. It is also dual-band, allowing for smooth switching between bands.
It also has several Quality of Service (QoS) features to enhance data flow and productivity, such as optimizing traffic for video streaming or online gaming. You can also get some NAS features through Netgear’s ReadyShare technology, allowing you to use a large external hard drive.
3. Asus RT-AC86U
Priced at around $125
A powerful dual-band VPN router with 512MB RAM and a dual-core 1.8GHz processor, it comes with three high-power antennas that broadcast over a wide area. It also uses NitroQAM technology to boost your data transfer rates by utilizing the extra wireless bandwidth capacity.
The RT-AC86U device has four Ethernet ports, a USB 3.0 port, and a USB 2.0 port. You can use AiPlayer and AiDisk as media servers and file servers along with an external hard drive. It does not come pre-equipped but is easy to set up with Asuswrt-Merlin custom support from Asus.
4. Linksys WRT3200ACM
Priced at around $200
It boasts a powerful dual-core processor at 1.8GHz with 512MB RAM and uses MU-MIMO technology to maintain high speeds. It also utilizes Tri-Stream 160 technology to enhance Wi-Fi speeds across wireless bands (similar to NitroQAM).
The wireless network is broadcast using four wide-range antennas. You will also find a USB 3.0 port alongside a USB 2.0 port and a built-in eSATA port for connecting peripheral devices. It supports custom firmware for OpenWrt and DD-WRT, and comes with pre-flashed versions for these firmware and tool sets.
Read More: Planning to Buy a New Router? Here Are the Best Router Manufacturers
5. D-Link AC5300 DIR-895L/R
Priced at $350
It comes with a dual-core 1.4GHz processor with 256MB RAM and is broadcasted using eight antennas, utilizing MU-MIMO technology as a tri-band to provide consistently high speeds to each device in your home or office. It also comes with four Ethernet ports along with a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port.
Like most other routers listed in this article, the DIR-985L/R will serve as a simple NAS but is effective if you connect a large external hard drive. It has good support for DD-WRT with some support for other OpenWrt projects like LEDE, making it an ideal device to provide power for a large family with multiple devices (up to 20) or even a small office.
In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that this article is an introduction to users about the existence of such devices and the difference between them and regular routers that technology users are accustomed to, as well as some examples. If available in your country, it is advisable to use them more than regular devices for the advanced features and options they provide, as well as the protection of your data and privacy from network violations.
