Take a moment to think about how much of your day-to-day life is spent online. You might find it’s more than you expect. Aside from sleeping, there are few hours that don’t involve an internet connection. Whether it’s sending and receiving information for work or messaging your friends and family, there are plenty of private conversations, important numbers and sensitive information, like passwords and bank account numbers flying around on the world wide web.
For this reason, it’s more important than ever to keep your personal information safe from prying eyes.
By using a virtual private network, or VPN, you can go about your normal business knowing the data passing to and from your computer and other devices is encrypted and passing through a secure connection, safe from prying eyes. The most popular form of a VPN can be added to your devices individually, usually through apps or desktop software.
And while a single-device VPN does have its upsides, setting up a VPN router in your house provides numerous benefits itself, including the ability to protect several devices at once. In addition, you won’t need to connect each device to a VPN each time you want to use it, and you’ll gain VPN protection on devices that can’t install VPN apps directly, like game consoles and smart TVs. Finally, a VPN router gives you the ability to live your online life based in a country of your choosing, allowing you to shop, watch programs and enjoy all the news media you’re looking for from afar.
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Below you’ll find five different VPN-capable routers for home installation. After connecting one of these routers to a VPN provider, you can surf the web without worry of having your data stolen, webpage visits watched or your media location restricted.
1. TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router
BEST OVERALL
The is a well-endowed, VPN-compatible option. It’s also well-reviewed by Amazon users. With its high speed and impressive range, this is a solid choice for both family households and online gamers. It can deal with up to 50 different devices, meaning your smartphones, laptops, tablets and more can be connected without worry. In addition, the device is also compatible with Alexa and IFTTT and comes with the intuitive Tether app, which makes setting up your device fast and simple.
2. GL.iNET GL-MT300N-V2 Mini Travel Router
MOST PORTABLE
If you travel often and are looking for a router to take with you, the fits the bill. It turns public networks into private ones, and the compact and lightweight design makes it easy to pack in your luggage. You can power the router with any laptop or power bank, and it also comes with OpenVPN client pre-installed with support for over 20 service providers, too. The device offers a maximum of 300 Mbps and includes two Ethernet ports and a USB port for a range of connectivity options.
3. NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router
BEST REVIEWED
With over 14,000 five-star reviews from users, there’s plenty of evidence to show the will do the job you need it to do. Providing speeds of up to 1,750 Mbps, it’s more than capable of delivering high-quality HD streaming and online gaming. It’s also able to connect up to 25 different devices, allowing every family member to have at least two devices. In short, this smart router can manage most households with ease. You’ll also find the accompanying apps provide an easy way to set up your device and put in place parental security to prevent your children from surfing where they shouldn’t.
4. GRYPHON Advance Security Router
BEST FOR FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS
The makes it easy to manage your family’s online capabilities with its network firewall. It comes with an intelligent app, which puts you in control of every device connected to your network, and in turn, lets you manage and see their connectivity, too. The GRYPHON router gives you all the power you could want and even lets you create profiles limiting an individual’s use of the internet. If said user wants to surf outside of your prescribed hours, they’ll need to submit a “bedtime extension request.” Finally, it’s important to note that this VPN router delivers speeds up to 3,000 Mbps and creates a signal over 3,000 square feet.
5. ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Tri-Band Router
BEST FOR ONLINE GAMING
The is made for users who are serious about their internet speed and searching for a top of the range router. It has over 4,000 five-star reviews from users and is capable of delivering WiFi speeds of up to 11,000 Mbps. This ASUS router also sports four Ethernet ports if your prefer a physical connection and is an ideal choice for large homes and passionate online gamers. In addition, while some VPN-running networks may cause running speeds to drop, this router allows a VPN and an ordinary connection to run simultaneously, preventing drag and maintaining its impressive performance.