Let’s start with a question, “Why the hell do I need a VPN on my router?” Since it’s most certainly a matter of personal preference, let’s weigh the pros and cons first.
PROS:
- Time-saving VPN installation
- Secures all home devices at all times
- Offers uninterrupted & private streaming
- Protects all your guest devices
- Covers devices that don’t support a VPN
CONS:
- Complicated settings management
- Depends on the router’s VPN compatibility
- Unsecured device-to-router connection
- Complex installation process
First things first, if you think setting up a VPN on a router is for you, you have to ensure your router is VPN-compatible. How? Check the router’s manual or search for it online.
PRO TIP: Check if your router has OpenVPN or WireGuard® client options, just don’t mix it up with an OpenVPN server, as this is an entirely different thing.
ISP-provided routers might not support VPNs, whereas store-bought ones usually do, requiring some configuration. Custom firmware routers are also more likely to have VPN availability.
If you’re ready to set up your router with Surfshark, our Help Center offers many setup guides for different VPN protocols.
Once you have a VPN installed on your router, how can you get the most out of it?
- Choose the closest VPN server for better speed
- Don’t have a VPN running on both your router and your device to prevent speed drops
- Save your router’s IP address for quick access to settings
Do you have a VPN on your router? If not, why?
“Do you have a VPN on your router? If not, why?”
Although my router is capable, I prefer it separately on my gear, phones, PC’s, NAS, etc, mainly to easily switch to selective countries, faster servers and/or bypass Apps. IoT devices, guests are all routed to a different VLAN.
Yeah…
And then solve captcha for every google search or when visiting common websites in all devices
that’s definitely a good tip to route IoT and guest to different VLAN! I don’t see this being mentioned often
Hey, CAPTCHA prompts appear when Google detects larger than usual traffic from a single IP address. If you are trying to access a website while connected to a server that has a high load at the time, it detects the traffic as potentially malicious and sends you prompts to prove you are not a bot. Usually, simply connecting to a different server, or using Dedicated IP will completely resolve this issue.
In most routers you can setup a VLAN (as an example). A managed switch can do that too, but is usually limited to wired connections. Also more info here
I have only one nearby server with decent latency and speed. So I am getting captchas everywhere to prove i am not a bot.
You guys need to restrict same user making multiple attempts using bots. Else provide a separate servers for normal users and separate for bot users.
Ooor stop using Google? Every VPN has this issue
Not only google, many cloudfare based websites ask for captcha verification.
All VPN have the issue does not mean i cannot provide my feedback to have separate servers for bots.
By your logic one has to stop using websites asking for captcha which could mean 80-90%% of websites for common users. They can stop using internet itself going by your logic.
Beware of your stupidity.