If you have various computers, tablets, or assorted devices connected to your network, and you want them all to be routed through a secure VPN service, it may be beneficial to set-up a VPN connection on your actual router. The advantage of this is there is no requirement to configure your multiple devices separately, as your VPN router will automatically connect all devices to the VPN services. This is particularly useful for devices wishing to connect that have no built-in VPN support system.
Why Should I Use a VPN router?
1. Use Your VPN on All Your Devices
To extend the advantages of your VPN to all your devices, a router is a necessity to ensure this can be extended to all devices, especially those which can't be configured individually to receive a wireless VPN. A VPN router is a necessity for delivering a VPN to consoles such as the Xbox 360, PS3/4, and the Wii, WiiU, any Netflix-ready device, most set-top boxes, and Apple TV. Using a VPN router will ensure that all your devices are connected with each other and you can have access to them all the time whether on you’re on your laptop, gaming console, smartphone or tablet.
2. Great Network Stability
The principal advantage of a VPN is accessing the functionality and the stability that a private network provides in all environments. A VPN router copper-fastens these advantages with one piece of hardware.
3. Ease of Use
There's no configuration required across devices, and no need to remember what's on the VPN and what isn't. Once your devices are connected to the VPN router, they will simply always be secured by your personal VPN service. A VPN router has it all in one place, in case you forget. There's no turning it on or off your devices, there's no worrying if you get a new laptop or console, the VPN is there the whole time for your household or business.
A VPN router is the very best option for home and small business usage, as it is manageable and localized. VPN servers are only really suitable for enterprises, as they need a far more detailed understanding of issues relating to networking security, and care needs to be taken in their configuration and installation, ensuring the right amount of protection on the Internet, which is of course a public network.
How Does a VPN Router Work?
A VPN router works by using a security protocol to protect and isolate your local network, allowing the same protection and location information to be used within your home or small business.
The protocols that your VPN can work by will depend mainly on your routing firmware. The secure VPN protocol that is utilized the most is IPsec. Customers accessing from a remote location prefer SSL gateways for high-security VPNs. L2TP run through IPsec has far smaller usage numbers, but is still utilised significantly. The secure VPN's market divides between two differing MPLS-based protocols. Companies doing their own routing tend to utilise layer 2 VPNs; companies outsourcing their routing are more likely to use layer 3 VPNs.
The different VPN protocols are defined by a large volume of standards and recommendations put together by the IETF (the Internet Engineering Task Force). There are many differing types of IETF standards, recommendations, common practice standards, and similar. A number of the protocols utilised by IPsec are complete IETF standards. However, there are different other standards that are usually adequetely stable and useful enough to be treated as standard by those who write IPsec software. None of the most trusted VPN technologies are verified IETF standards up to now, even though there is a large amount of work going in to ensuring they become standards.
VPN Routers need to be flashed in order to install either DD-WRT or Tomato firmware, when setting up a VPN-ready router.
DD-WRT vs Tomato
DD-WRT and Tomato are open-source firmware designed to replace the initial firmware on some wireless routers. Most designers differ on the most stable firmware, although Tomato seems to have the edge in this battle. What is clear is that DD-WRT has an extremely wide set of features, whereas Tomato's benefits are it's well-designed interface and usability.
Ready-to-Use VPN Routers with VPN Service Integrated
For homes or small-business users, the easiest thing is to buy a ready-to-use VPN router that has a VPN service integrated within it. FlashRouters.com is a specialized provider of VPN routers with the open-source firmware and VPN service of your choice pre-integrated on the router. Through their site you can easily find a VPN router by renowned brands including Asus, Cisco Linksys and others with all the features you require.
You can specify which VPN service you would like them to install on the router, so that your VPN router is ready-to-use out of the box. FlashRouters makes it much easier to install, set-up, and operate for you and your family or small business team, saving you time and expense in the process.
You can get ahold of other FlashRouters discount codes here.
Our VPN router reviews cover some of the best DD-WRT and Tomato routers sold by FlashRouters and other quality network solution providers. You can easily compare the features of these top-choice routers using our VPN router comparison chart.