Installing a VPN on your router is a great way to secure all your devices. This helps avoid installing a VPN app on each device and even lets you simultaneously use a single VPN subscription across several devices.
The steps involved in installing a VPN router vary depending on your model and manufacturer. However, the following steps should guide you through the process on most leading routers:
- Subscribe to a leading VPN provider like NordVPN. NordVPN works on a number of routers and is easy to install.
- Get your service credentials and server details from the VPN provider’s website.
- Log on to your router’s firmware by navigating to its IP address in your browser. This is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.
- Access the “Advanced” or “VPN” section on the router’s configuration page.
- Input the service credentials and server details you obtained in Step 2.
- Save the settings and allow the router to reboot.
- You’ve installed a VPN on your router!
If these steps seem too complex, you can purchase a pre-flashed router, which comes with a VPN application installed right out of the box. NordVPN supports some great-pre flashed routers, such as the ASUS RT-AX86U.
Read the rest of the article for more detailed instructions and tips on installing a VPN on your router.
Do you have multiple devices connected to the internet? Installing and maintaining a VPN on each device can be time-consuming. We recommend installing a VPN on your router instead so you can protect all the devices in your household with a single subscription.
Installing a virtual private network on your router encrypts traffic for all devices connected to it, which does away with the need to have a VPN on each device.
This article provides instructions on installing a VPN on your router, plus covers the benefits and drawbacks of doing so. After testing over 70 VPNs, we recommend NordVPN as it’s the best router VPN provider. Not only does it offer market-leading security and speeds, but it also supports several router brands and router firmware.
How to Install a VPN on Your Router: Step-by-Step Guide
You can set up a VPN on your router in several ways. In this article, we cover the three most widely used methods, namely:
- Option 1: Purchase a pre-flashed router
- Option 2: Configure your router’s firmware to work with a VPN
- Option 3: Flash your router with DD-WRT
Regardless of the method you choose, you will require a VPN subscription. We highly recommend NordVPN, as you can get various pre-flashed routers with NordVPN installed. NordVPN also supports numerous router firmware, including Tomato and DD-WRT, giving you a wide selection to choose from.
- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
Note:
While we recommend using NordVPN on your router, note that not all routers are compatible with NordVPN. Always check your router’s compatability with your VPN provider of your choice before purchasing a subscription. Compatability information is usually available on the VPN provider’s website.
Option 1: Purchase a pre-flashed router
Even though installing a VPN on your router isn’t too complex, it can still be daunting for a lot of users. Buying a pre-configured VPN router is your best bet if you’d rather not get caught up in accessing your router’s firmware.
As the name suggests, these VPN routers come with a VPN application pre-installed. In other words, your router has VPN protection enabled right out of the box. All you need to do is set up the device and enter your VPN subscription details.
Several pre-flashed VPN routers that support NordVPN are easily available on websites like FlashRouters. In fact, our highest-rated VPN router model, the ASUS RT-AX86U, comes pre-flashed with NordVPN. It’s an excellent option for users who want a fast, responsive, and secure router with a VPN pre-installed.
Option 2: Configure your router’s firmware to work with a VPN
Several modern routers have firmware that supports VPN use without any other changes. If your router is compatible with VPN use, then setting up NordVPN on your router is an easy process. Below, we’ll explain the steps.
1. Access your router’s firmware configuration webpage
The firmware on most routers can be accessed using a web browser like Chrome or Safari. Simply enter the router’s IP address in your URL bar, and you should see a page with the logo of your router’s manufacturer asking you to log in.
Wondering how to find your router’s IP address? Most routers use IP addresses like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.01. Alternatively, you can find your router’s IP through Command Prompt on Windows or Systems Preferences on the Mac.
- On Windows:
- Open the Start menu and type in “Run” (Or hold the Windows key + R).
- Type “cmd” in the Run dialog box.
- Type “ipconfig” in the Command Prompt box.
- The IP address listed next to Default Gateway is your router’s IP address.
- On Mac:
- Open System Preference.
- Select the Network icon from the sidebar.
- Click on the Wi-Fi option.
- Click on the three dots next to the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to.
- The following dialog box will show your router IP:
2. Log in to your router’s firmware configuration webpage
Once you type in your router’s IP address into your browser’s URL, you should see a dialog box or prompt requiring you to log in. If this is your first time accessing the login in your router settings, use your router’s default username and password.
The default username and password vary from one brand to another. But you can usually find these in the documentation that accompanied your router. If you no longer have your original documents, you can get them from the manufacturer’s website.
3. Subscribe to a VPN provider
As we mentioned earlier, you’ll need an active VPN subscription to install a VPN on your router. Getting a VPN subscription is simple and only requires an email address and a payment method, such as PayPal, credit card, or Bitcoin.
Head over to your preferred VPN provider’s website and click on the “Get VPN” button, typically located in the top right of your browser window.
NordVPN offers several subscription options with different lengths and pricing options. You can check these out below! You can also try NordVPN for free with its 30-day money-back guarantee.
- NordVPN 24 months $2.99mth Deal View offer
- NordVPN 12 months $4.49mth View offer
- NordVPN Monthly $12.99mth View offer
If you have trouble getting a subscription or setting up NordVPN on your router, contact their support team, who are highly knowledgeable and are available 24/7 via live chat. We contacted them to help access the credentials required to set up the VPN on a router, and they provided us with detailed instructions regarding the process.
4. Get VPN service access credentials
Once you have a VPN subscription, you’ll need to get service credentials (typically your username and password), allowing your router to access the VPN service through your account.
You’ll have to go to your VPN provider’s website and log into the management dashboard to get these credentials. For instance, after logging into your NordVPN account, you can scroll down to find the option that says “Get service tokens or an access token.”
After verifying your email address, you can access your service credentials. Make sure to note these down, as we’ll use them while configuring the router.
5. Download server configuration details
Next, we get server configuration details. These will set which server your VPN should connect to. Most premium VPN providers have dedicated pages for configuration files, which you can explore to find the best server.
If you’re unsure about which server to choose, you can use the server utility tool provided by your VPN service to determine the best server for your location.
We used NordVPN’s server utility, and it identified a server in Thailand as the best option for us. After selecting this server, the tool gave us the necessary download links.
6. Configure the router to work with your VPN service provider
Now that we have the required service credentials and server configuration details, let’s head back to the router configuration screen. Look for a “VPN” or “Advanced” option in the configuration screen’s menu.
You should then see an option to add a VPN profile or set up a router as a VPN client. Enter the service credentials that we obtained earlier.
There will also be an option to manually enter server configuration details or upload the configuration file. Once done, confirm your details to add the VPN profile to your router.
Can't find a "VPN" or "Advanced" tab?
This likely means that your router’s firmware doesn’t support VPNs. In this case, you’ll need to flash it with different firmware (which we explain in the next section).
7. Activate and test your profile
Depending on your router, you should see an option to “Enable” or “Activate” the VPN profile you just added. Clicking on this button will fire up a VPN connection to your server of choice.
Use our free online tool to check if your router VPN is appropriately configured. If the location shown by our tool is the same as your real-life location, your VPN is not configured correctly and may require troubleshooting. However, if it shows the location of the server you added, your VPN works!
Option 3: Flash your router with DD-WRT
If your router’s firmware doesn’t support VPN connections natively, you’ll need to replace it with one that does. DD-WRT and Tomato are both popular router firmware, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Both expand the features available on the router and allow a VPN to be installed.
We’ll use DD-WRT for this tutorial, as it supports many devices. Here’s how to flash your router with DD-WRT:
- Check if your router is compatible with DD-WRT firmware by exploring the router database on the DD-WRT website. If your router isn’t listed, it probably isn’t a VPN-compatible router. In this case, you won’t be able to install a VPN on router and must purchase a new one.
- Download the firmware file associated with your router.
- Reset your router by long pressing the “Reset” button located at the back or bottom of your router.
- Navigate to your router configuration page. Open a browser and enter “192.168.1.1” into the address bar. If this doesn’t work, refer to step 1 of the previous section.
- Log into the router configuration page. You can usually find the default username and password in the documents that came with your router.
- Find the menu option that lets you update or flash new firmware. This could be under an option called “Maintenance” or “Update.”
- Upload the firmware file you downloaded from the DD-WRT website earlier. Do not interrupt this process as it could “brick” your router, making it unusable.
- That’s it! You should now have a router with DD-WRT firmware that supports connections using the OpenVPN protocol.
Once you’ve flashed your router with DD-WRT, you can follow the steps mentioned in the previous section to set up a VPN.
Alternatively, you can also flash your router with other firmware instead of DD-WRT, such as Tomato, OpenWRT, or Padavan. NordVPN supports all the mentioned firmware and provides detailed instructions on flashing your router.
Why Install a VPN on Your Router?
A VPN is primarily used to browse the internet safely and anonymously. It encrypts your internet traffic and changes your IP address, ensuring that your ISP or the government can’t follow you online.
However, installing a VPN app on each device you use can be cumbersome. Moreover, most leading VPN providers limit the number of devices that can be used with a single subscription.
Using a router VPN can help resolve these problems by doing the following:
- Protect all devices connected to the router’s network: Your VPN router will protect the internet traffic on all your devices, including your phone, computer, PS5, Android TVs, and more.
- Use one subscription across devices: Save up money by getting only one VPN subscription to protect all the devices connected to your router.
- Seamlessly manage VPN settings across all devices: Forego setting up your VPN one by one on multiple devices by installing the VPN software on the router.
However, there are downsides to using a router VPN as well. For instance, you may experience slower speeds on all your devices, especially if you pick a VPN server far from your location. It also makes changing VPN servers or picking a different encryption protocol more challenging.
Still, we strongly recommend using a VPN on your router as the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. To get started, sign up for a NordVPN subscription using the button below.
Final Thoughts: Installing a VPN on Your Router
If you’d like to secure multiple devices with a single subscription, using a VPN router is something you must consider. It encrypts all connections from your router to the internet, keeping all your devices safe.
The methods for installing a VPN router vary based on the kind of router you have. The steps above should help you navigate the process on most popular brands.
Regardless of your router, a VPN subscription will be required to run a VPN on your router. NordVPN’s our favourite VPN to install on routers since it supports a variety of routers and offers ultra-fast speeds and robust security.
- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
Interested in learning how you can set up a VPN on other devices? Check out the following articles:
We’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions about installing a VPN on your router below! If there’s any other question you’d like answered, let us know in the comments.
Installing a VPN on your router encrypts internet traffic on all connected devices. So, if you want to browse anonymously and securely on all your devices, installing a VPN on your router is a great idea.
When you install a VPN on your router, it encrypts internet activity on all encrypted devices. In other words, all your devices access websites and applications using an encrypted VPN server instead of the one provided by your ISP.
The steps involved in configuring a router for a VPN connection vary from brand to brand. You can generally configure a router for VPN by accessing the VPN’s firmware settings page. This page can be found by entering the router’s IP address (192.168.0.1. or 192.168.1.1.) into your browser.
No, VPNs don’t work on all routers because the router firmware does not support a VPN connection. However, you can flash your router with open-source firmware to use it as a VPN client.
Unfortunately, if your router doesn’t support any open-source firmware, it can’t be used with a VPN client.
While installing a VPN on your router can slow overall download speeds, this is not always the case. Speeds are reduced because your internet traffic passes through an encrypted server, which can be far away from your physical location. By choosing a VPN server located nearby, you can minimize any potential reductions in speed.
