How To Setup A VPN On Router?

Installing a VPN app on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or web browser is super easy, but it definitely helps you improve your online privacy and security.

However, what to do if you want to protect your whole internet network, including all the connected devices that do not support VPN functionality? If that’s the case, installing a VPN on your router is the solution.

So, how to setup a VPN on router? You will find the instructions for installing a VPN on your router; simply read along to learn the details now. But first, let’s spend a few minutes figuring out what a VPN router is as well as its major pros and cons.

What is a VPN router?

First of all, it’s crucial to note that not all routers support a VPN. Thus, before setting up VPN access on your home router, please make sure that you have a supported router compatible with a VPN.

When it comes to a VPN router, as you can guess, it works exactly the same as a normal VPN. To be more specific, the router itself will connect to a VPN server and route all the traffic from your network through this encrypted connection.

If your router supports a VPN client or its firmware can be upgraded to work with a VPN client, it can, of course, work with VPNs. Once again, please note that not all routers are compatible with using a VPN.

How to setup a VPN on router

Now, it’s time to learn how to setup a VPN on router. As compared to installing or setting up a VPN app on your devices like computers and smartphones, doing so on a router is much more complicated and takes more time and effort.

Before setting up a VPN on your router

Before jumping into details on how to setup a VPN on router, there are a few things you need to verify first:

• Does your router support VPN functionality?

Simply check the manufacturer’s official website, look through the configuration interface, or do a Google search to find out if your router works with a VPN.

That’s great if your router supports acting as a VPN client or can be upgraded with third-party firmware to install a VPN. However, if it neither works with any VPNs natively nor supports other firmware, then you may need to purchase a new one.

• Does your VPN service support routers?

Not all VPN services support routers. So, make sure that the one you are using supports routers so you can use it on your device.

• Do your router and VPN provider support the same protocols?

If your home router just speaks OpenVPN protocol but your VPN provider doesn’t have that option, for example, then you know that they aren’t compatible.

• Is your VPN data enough to support all the connected devices?

If there’s any limitation in your VPN data allowance each month, please make sure that it’s high enough to support all of your internet-capable devices.

As you know, an entire home network is likely to consume lots of gigabytes of data each month, especially if you or someone in your household often engages in high-bandwidth activities like video streaming, downloading large files, or others. If that’s the case, it’s a great idea to opt for a VPN server that offers unlimited data.

• Do you need VPN protection applied for all devices?

If you really want to apply VPN protection to all devices in your house, then it’s great to put a VPN on your router. But if you just want to have a VPN on certain devices, you can simply install dedicated VPN apps on them.

How to setup a VPN on router?

Whenever you are ready, it’s time to install a VPN on your router.

However, once again, it’s important to note that setting up a VPN on a router is not as simple and easy as doing so on other devices.
Besides, because the firmware for every router is not the same, the detailed steps for installing and setting up a VPN on different routers really vary. The following instructions are about to just give you the basics; let’s see.

Basically, you’ll need to go through three steps to install a VPN on your router, including:

• Log into your router. Enter your router’s IP address and password into a web browser so you can log in to the admin panel.
• Configure your router.
• Test to see if your VPN connection works.

Here are more detailed instructions and explanations:

Step 1. Log in to your router.

First of all, you need to log into your router before being able to make any changes to install a VPN on this device. Of course, in order to gain access, you will have to use the product manual or service provider.

And for a large portion of routers out there, we can start by entering their IP address into the search bar of a web browser and then logging in.
If you don’t know your router’s IP address, you can find it by following the below steps:

     - For macOS users:

From your Apple menu, open "System Preferences" and then click on the "Network" option.

Next, select "Wi-Fi," then choose "Advanced…" and then select "TCP/IP."

Your router’s IP address should appear next to "Router."

     - For Windows 10 users:

Open the "Start" menu on the bottom left of your screen, type "Command Prompt" in the search area, and then select "Command Prompt."

Now, you will see a console window. Simply type "ipconfig" and then press "Enter" on your keyboard.

Your router’s IP address should be displayed on the "Default Gateway" line.

After you have your router’s IP address, enter it into your browser’s search bar. Next, enter your router’s login credentials (username and password), and you will immediately open its configuration interface.

Step 2. Configure your router.

The steps to configure your router will totally depend on its firmware. For routers that already have built-in VPN functionality, you can set up the VPN connection quite easily.

To do so, after successfully entering your router’s login credentials, select "Advanced setup," "Advanced," or a similar option, and then find and simply enable the VPN option there. Again, it’s worth noting that the workflow is likely to differ depending on what router model and brand you are using.

For routers that don’t have integrated VPN functionality, you will need to reconfigure their settings in order to redirect their traffic to a VPN server. Of course, once again, the instructions on how to do that are significantly different depending on your router’s brand and model. And the best place to learn the detailed instructions for your own router is your manufacturer’s manual or official website. Besides, you can also look for precise instructions on how to set up a VPN on router on your VPN provider’s website.

For example, if you want to know how to set up NordVPN on router or ExpressVPN router setup, simply check out ExpressVPN’s Setup Tutorials or NordVPN’s tutorials on how to set up NordVPN on your router. From here, you can easily find detailed setup tutorials for different routers and firmware, such as those from Asus, TP-Link, and more.

Step 3. Test to see if your VPN connection works.

Once you have completed configuring your router, you need to test it to find out whether your VPN connection works or not.

To do this, simply search "What's my IP" in Google. If the result shows a different IP address than your actual one, you know that your connection is now VPN-protected. If not, you should check out the instructions on your VPN provider’s website or the router manufacturer’s manual again.

That’s how to setup a VPN on router!

Do you still find it really difficult to install a VPN on a router?

If you are encountering any issues while setting up a VPN on your router or you simply find it hard to install it yourself, you should contact your VPN provider’s customer support and let them know your issues.

RELATED: Why Use A VPN: 6 Strong Reasons To Use VPNs

Pros and cons of installing a VPN on your router

Putting a VPN on your router has both pros and cons.

Pros

     - Having a VPN on your router means that your whole connection network is secured and protected, including devices that do not support VPN functionality. In other words, all devices connected to your network can use the VPN.

     - Also, you do not have to set up a VPN on all your individual devices to have VPN access. Simply connect to the VPN-protected network, and you can enjoy your secure and private connection.

     - Connect more devices at once. Many VPN providers only allow a certain number of devices to use the service simultaneously. By having a VPN installed on your router, which is technically counted as one device, more of your devices can be VPN-protected at the same time.

Cons

     - Setting up a VPN on a router is more complicated than doing so on other devices via dedicated apps.

     - Managing VPN settings on a router is harder. This is simple because routers do not have a user interface. Turning on or off your VPN tunnel or changing the VPN server you want to connect to is much less convenient than doing so on dedicated VPN apps.

     - Your VPN data cap can be used up faster since more devices use the same VPN connection.

     - Not all routers support a VPN. Besides, configuration and encryption power of a VPN highly depends on your router.

     - Latency-sensitive online activities like multiplayer gaming can be affect significantly.

RELATED: Best Gaming VPN 2023: What Is Your Best Option?

Wrapping up

Now that you know how to setup a VPN on router. Honestly speaking, it’s not easy to put a VPN on a router. Plus, not all routers support VPNs. However, if you want all of your internet-capable devices, including ones incompatible with a VPN, to be protected by a VPN connection, then it’s a great idea to put a VPN on your home router.