VPNs are great privacy tools, and connecting to one on your router means that your whole network is protected without any extra steps. However, doing so comes with a number of drawbacks that may make you think twice before setting it up.
Upsides of Using a VPN Router
To understand the pros and cons of using one, it’s probably best to go over what a VPN router is, namely a WiFi router with VPN software installed on it. It’s that simple. Instead of having to connect each device on a network to the VPN separately, you just install it on the router, and every device that connects to the router will automatically use the VPN connection.
This is great for a number of reasons. One of the most important is that it gets around the restrictions most VPNs place on the number of devices that can be active at the same time per account, called simultaneous connections. For example, ExpressVPN only lets you have five simultaneous connections, and NordVPN sets the limit at six.
Note that this is about active devices. You can have VPN clients installed on as many devices as you wish—you can just only have the VPN switched on a set number of times, hence the “simultaneous” part.
Running your VPN on the router, though, counts as just one connection. This means you can get past the restrictions on simultaneous connections, which is great if you’re going to have more devices using the VPN than your provider allows. Think of families where everybody owns both a smartphone and a laptop—or even offices that want to keep their traffic protected.
Running your VPN on the router, though, counts as just one connection. This means you can get past the restrictions on simultaneous connections, which is great if you’re going to have more devices using the VPN than your provider allows. Think of families where everybody owns both a smartphone and a laptop—or even offices that want to keep their traffic protected.
Use a VPN On Any Device
VPN routers are also great because using one means you can have any device use a VPN. Some devices, like most smart TVs and streaming boxes, for example, can’t install VPN software or are limited in which VPN providers support them. (Amazon’s Fire TV does support VPN software.) Routing all traffic through a VPN router means you get past these restrictions, so even the most exotic of your devices can access the internet securely.
Always On, Always Protected
Another big reason to use a VPN router is that they’re always on. If you use a client or app on your devices, you either need to switch it on manually every time or set it to launch automatically when the device starts.
You won’t need to do any of that with a VPN router, it’s always running. It’s great for people who are forgetful or who worry about whether the other people on the network remember to use the VPN when browsing. In these cases, VPN routers are about peace of mind as much as anything else.co
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