Those who use the internet on a regular basis ought to know about the benefits of having a VPN or a virtual private network. This helps with encrypting outgoing traffic from your network, thus making it untraceable by your internet provider, and that’s where a VPN router comes in handy.
| Product | Brand | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Linksys | Linksys LRT214 Gigabit VPN Router | Check Price on Amazon |
 | ASUS | Asus AC1900 Dual Band Gigabit WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
 | TP-Link | TP-Link Safestream Multi WAN VPN Router | Check Price on Amazon |
 | Cisco | Cisco Systems Gigabit VPN Router (RV320K9NA) | Check Price on Amazon |
 | TP-Link | TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
 | ASUS | ASUS RT-AC66U B1 AC1750 Dual-Band WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
 | D-Link | D-Link VPN Router, 8 Port Gigabit with Dynamic Web Content Filtering (DSR-250) | Check Price on Amazon |
 | NETGEAR | NETGEAR Insight Instant VPN Business Router (BR500) | Check Price on Amazon |
 | ASUS | Asus RT-AX88U AX6000 Dual-Band WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
 | NETGEAR | NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R6700) - AC1750 Wireless | Check Price on Amazon |
* If you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For more details, please visit our Privacy policy page.
While there are several top-rated VPN apps that you can download, there are wireless routers today that comes with a VPN built-in. Understandably, these are somewhat convenient compared to getting a VPN app for your devices. So which VPN router should you get? Well, there are quite a few to pick from, which can make the choice harder for the customers.
This is why we’ve decided to talk about a few VPN routers to help you make the right choice. So let’s take a look.
Best VPN Router
1. Linksys LRT214
Linksys is a well-known name in the networking industry and it’s thanks largely to the wide portfolio of products that it offers. The LRT214 is a simple looking offering, but it’s the features underneath that makes it an appealing offering. To start with, the company offers four Gigabit Ethernet ports with this router, allowing you to set up wired connections with multiple computers or network devices.
Linksys mentions that this router comes with over 50 IPsec tunnels that help with site to site and client to site VPN. Additionally, the router also comes with 5 OpenVPN channels built-in for an added layer of protection. This router also comes with a 900 Mbps firewall and 110 Mbps IPsec throughputs.
Further adding to its list of features, this VPN router comes with 802.1q VLAN tagging that allows you to route network traffic accordingly. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols that ensure the router is compatible with future networks. This router by Linksys also comes with a neatly designed web interface that allows you to modify its settings or test network capabilities in a familiar environment. This negates the need to have designated IT professionals to modify or change the settings of your router should the need arise.
If you’re looking for a simple to use VPN router without an elaborate setup process, we highly recommend the Linksys LRT214. Be sure to have a closer look.
Buy It Now: Amazon
2. ASUS AC1900 MU-MIMO Router
This dual-band router uses the iconic 3×3 technology that can offer combined network speeds of up to 1900 Mbps. ASUS has also put in work here to make sure efficiency is not impacted. By using a powerful dual-core 1 GHz processor, this ASUS MU-MIMO VPN router offers separate lanes for Wi-Fi and USB data.
Speaking of USB, the router has a USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 port respectively, allowing you to add your storage devices or even 3G/LTE wireless dongles on your network.
The router utilizes the company’s proprietary ASUSWRT web-based interface which makes the setup process pretty effortless. Further, customers can also check or keep a track of their network activity using the dedicated ASUS router app available for all popular mobile platforms as a free download.
This router uses Trend Micro’s high-grade protection standards to make sure your network is always safe and free from vulnerabilities. ASUS mentions that this VPN router is also compatible with AiMesh. This tech can help you connect with multiple compatible ASUS routers in your home to offer a massive wireless network. Moreover, the inclusion of beamforming tech ensures that your wireless range is amplified dramatically, particularly in comparison with standard wireless routers.
Buy It Now: Amazon
3. TP-Link Safestream Multi-WAN VPN Router
TP-Link’s expertise in the router industry is well-known, which is precisely why the company continues to thrive in a highly competitive environment. This particular Multi-WAN router comes with a total of five Ethernet ports including one Gigabit WAN port, one Gigabit LAN port, and three ports that offer both WAN and LAN support. This can be instrumental in setting up a high-speed wired network environment in your home or office.
In terms of VPN protection, the router comes with a total of 20 IPsec tunnels in addition to 16 L2TP VPN tunnels, and 16 PPTP VPN tunnels. TP-Link has also included 4KV lightning protection to make sure your wired network can run without the worry of being struck by lightning.
In addition to keeping your network anonymous, the router also comes with a dedicated SPI firewall and DoS defense to protect your network from DDoS attacks. It also comes with IP-MAC Binding enabled for added protection. Given that this router has minimal controls, it’s one of the easier units to operate, particularly if you’re new to routers. Keeping this in mind, we highly recommend this VPN router.
Buy It Now: Amazon
4. Cisco Systems Gigabit VPN Router (RV320K9NA)
Cisco is an industry leader for enterprise solutions including multi-office connectivity. Well, the company also has an excellent VPN router that’s worth looking at. The RV320K9NA is designed for small businesses and has excellent capabilities compared to some of the other VPN routers we’ve talked about so far. It comes with two Gigabit Ethernet WAN ports, making this a fairly decent offering for your home or office. There are a total of six ethernet ports here, helping you set up network connectivity in the entire home or office while also helping with load balancing.
What makes this router stand out is the fact that it comes with deep hardware encryption, meaning protection is built-into it and not merely a software feature. This is one of the primary requirements for a robust VPN network, especially if you want to enable it on the network level. Moreover, the router also comes with a Stateful Packet Inspection or SPI firewall that only adds to its security credentials.
Much like some of the VPN routers we’ve talked about so far, this offering also comes with two USB ports that allow you to plug in your network or storage devices. Users can also plug in their 4G LTE dongles to provide quick internet access to connected devices on the network.
Cisco mentions that this router can offer data transfer rates of up to 1 Gbps. It supports 802.11a/b/g/n standards, which is a prerequisite for all modern-day wireless routers.
Buy It Now: Amazon
5. TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router
The Archer A7 by TP-Link is not as elaborate as the one we spoke about above but is certainly better looking. It comes with 4 LAN ports and 1 WAN port. The company mentions that this router supports both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols thus keeping it secure from any future technological changes. It also has a single USB 2.0 port, which can help you plug-in your internet-powered dongle (3G or 4G LTE) to spread connectivity across the network.
With support for wireless standards like IEEE 802.11ac/n/a (5GHz), IEEE 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz), the AC1750 is well covered as far as core router features are concerned. What makes this router really special, however, is the fact that it can work with Amazon Alexa voice commands. This theoretically means you can control some of its features using a connected Alexa device like the Echo. It is also compatible with IFTTT custom commands.
The range is another concern for people who are looking to buy a new router. You will be happy to know that this router by TP-Link supports up to 50 devices at a time without slowing down your network, while it can cover up to 2,500 square feet offering enough range inside the home as well as your back/front yard.
The router has a guest access feature enabled that allows you to provide quick access to the internet without sharing your primary SSID or password. TP-Link also offers a dedicated app known as Tether which makes it easy to control the router and its features even when you’re away from home.
This unit is recommended if you’re planning to stream high-quality 4K content along with gaming. Naturally, users can also prioritize bandwidth to their preferred device. This is a useful feature to have in a crowded network environment.
Buy It Now: Amazon
6. ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band WiFi Router
It’s pretty clear by now that ASUS will feature multiple times on this list, given the company’s expertise in the field. This VPN router comes with a slick design that gives it a distinctive look as compared to other routers that you may come across. The company mentions that this router is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor with 3×3 802.11ac support. This translates to speeds of up to 1750 Mbps.
The company mentions that this router can offer a range of up to 3,000 square feet thanks to its triple antenna array as well as ASUS’ proprietary AiMesh technology. This makes it perfectly suited for multi-storied homes or complexes. Security is this router’s strong suit thanks to the addition of built-in SPI intrusion detection as well as DoS protection.
Much like other top-end ASUS routers, this supports the ASUS Router app which is a free download on app hubs. This app lets you control almost every aspect of the router with the ability to access the router remotely. The manufacturer is providing a USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 port individually, allowing you to connect up to two devices at a time. This can include a 3G/4G LTE dongle or your USB capable printers and other storage devices.
Just like the other ASUS router that we discussed above, this offering also comes with support for Trend Micro’s AiProtection for multi-stage protection against data theft. The company is also including ASUS AiCloud 2.0 which gives you access to your locally stored files from anywhere. This router utilizes the ASUSWRT web interface which takes all the pain out of setting up the router.
Buy It Now: Amazon
7. D-Link VPN Router
D-Link is a reputed manufacturer of networking equipment and serves as an excellent alternative for popular VPN routers available in the industry today. This particular offering bears the model number DSR-250 and comes with a wide range of features including 8 ports that support Gigabit LAN. There’s also a single Gigabit WAN port included with this offering. The company mentions that this router comes with an integrated VPN tunnel to offer secure remote network access.
In total, this router supports five SSL VPN tunnels and 10 Generic Routing Encapsulation or GRE tunnels, making this ideal to encrypt and anonymize your network traffic effectively. Additionally, this router reportedly supports up to 25 IPsec VPN tunnels and 25 PPTP/L2TP tunnels. Also important is the addition of D-Link’s Green Ethernet which allows you to conserve energy and ultimately cut down costs.
Admin control is extensive with this offering. Using Dynamic Web Content Filtering, administrators of the network can block access to specific content or websites. This also serves as an excellent parental control feature especially if there are kids around.
Adding to the already crowded list of features is a single USB 2.0 port for storage, printers or even your portable 4G/3G data dongles. While the web-based user interface is not comparable to the ones offered by ASUS or Cisco, this D-Link VPN router is pretty easy to set up, even for a beginner. What makes the deal even sweeter is the fact that this router is backed by the company’s limited lifetime warranty, speaking volumes about its quality.
Buy It Now: Amazon
8. NETGEAR Insight Instant VPN Router
Netgear has been around for quite some time and has been providing excellent networking and VPN routers for quite some time. The Netgear Insight is no different from its older models, although the feature set has greatly improved. To start with, this is one of the few routers that’s available in a White option while most routers are offered in Black variants.
As for the router’s VPN capabilities, the company mentions that this offers remote or site-to-site secure VPN access in addition to a one-step VPN protection plan that is suitable for businesses. Further, the router also supports VLAN in VLAN that brings an extra layer of anonymity and security.
Much like other routers in this class, the Netgear Insight comes with a dedicated app known as Insight. This can be downloaded for free for Android or iOS devices. The inclusion of IPsec support ensures protected site-to-site VPN connectivity. Netgear also offers a paid premium Insight subscription to customers, although it also comes with a 30-day free trial for unregistered users. In addition to offering better VPN protection, this subscription will also give you extensive control over router configurations.
But with that being said, this router works perfectly even without a paid subscription. This VPN router comes with four LAN Ethernet ports and 1 WAN Ethernet port to bring wired high-speed connectivity to your devices. Despite packing almost every feature that a user could ask for, the Netgear Insight lacks a USB 2.0 port, which is a bit of a letdown. But if that’s not much of a dealbreaker for you, we cannot recommend this VPN router highly enough.
Buy It Now: Amazon
9. ASUS RT-AX88U Dual-Band WiFi Router
The ASUS RT-AX88U is certainly one of the best VPN routers we’ve come across, and with good reason. It’s certainly not the cheapest VPN router out there, but as customers would know, premium products always tend to have a premium price tag.
Well, the router is packed with a total of eight Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connectivity with a wide range of devices. This also makes it ideally suited for a LAN gaming session at home with your friends and family. The inclusion of Adaptive QoS also aids with lag-free high-performance online gaming thanks to a reduction of game ping times.
This also comes with support for AiMesh which means it can cover your entire home with internet connectivity. The company also mentions the inclusion of AiProtection Pro powered by Trend Micro to ensure your data remains anonymous.
The company mentions that this router can offer a combined maximum WiFi speed of up to 6,000 Mbps (1148 Mbps on 2.4GHz band and 4804 Mbps on 5GHz band) which puts this offering in a league of its own, particularly when compared with its rivals. This router is said to be backward compatible with 802.11ac/n/g/b/a WiFi devices as well, making this ideally suited for any home or office.
Buy It Now: Amazon
10. NETGEAR Nighthawk R6700
While this router isn’t as powerful as the other routers that we’ve discussed in this article, it does have its strengths. The Netgear Nighthawk comes with four Gigabit Ethernet ports, allowing you to set up an elaborate LAN connection at home or office. In addition to the three amplified antennas, the router is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor to make it tick through strenuous networking tasks.
This also ensures there’s no lag or delay when you stream video content online or during multiplayer gaming. The company has been wise enough to offer a single USB 3.0 port under the hood which allows you to connect a data dongle or a compatible printer for seamless wired internet connectivity.
The router also has DoS protection as well as a built-in VPN for data traffic anonymity. Moreover, the inclusion of Netgear Armor protects users from internet threats, acting as its own anti-virus software for your network. However, this is a paid subscription with a 30-day free trial offered by Netgear. Lastly, the company also provides extensive parental controls that allow you to block certain websites or pause the internet connectivity remotely.
Buy It Now: Amazon
| Product | Brand | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linksys | Linksys LRT214 Gigabit VPN Router | Check Price on Amazon |
| ASUS | Asus AC1900 Dual Band Gigabit WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
| TP-Link | TP-Link Safestream Multi WAN VPN Router | Check Price on Amazon |
| Cisco | Cisco Systems Gigabit VPN Router (RV320K9NA) | Check Price on Amazon |
| TP-Link | TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
| ASUS | ASUS RT-AC66U B1 AC1750 Dual-Band WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
| D-Link | D-Link VPN Router, 8 Port Gigabit with Dynamic Web Content Filtering (DSR-250) | Check Price on Amazon |
| NETGEAR | NETGEAR Insight Instant VPN Business Router (BR500) | Check Price on Amazon |
| ASUS | Asus RT-AX88U AX6000 Dual-Band WiFi Router | Check Price on Amazon |
| NETGEAR | NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R6700) - AC1750 Wireless | Check Price on Amazon |
* If you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For more details, please visit our Privacy policy page.
FAQ
- Do routers have built-in VPN?
No, not all routers have VPN by default. This is why it's important to pick the right one.
- Can I put a VPN on my router?
Yes, you can install VPN manually on older routers. However, given that continuous access to secure tunnels requires some horsepower, it always makes sense to invest in newer hardware.
- Which is the best VPN router?
This question is particularly hard to answer. If you're confused with the number of brands available today, we recommend checking out VPN routers from the likes of ASUS, Netgear, as well as TP-Link.
