Should I use a VPN on my router?
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Is your VPN not providing enough hardware in your subscription? Want to use a VPN with a Smart TV? Do you want to prevent your ISP from monitoring what type of IoT devices are in your home? The common solution to all these problems is to configure your router to use a VPN. Although it makes sense in theory, I’ve always felt it was a bigger problem than it was worth.
Now, in fairness, I’ve never tried managing a VPN connected router. However, I consulted some experts who did. Although it solves some issues, it has always been an external use case and has focused on more mainstream topics.
Why should I use a VPN on my router?
The main advantage of configuring your router to use a VPN is that all the devices on your network – from smart fridges to phones – are protected behind a VPN. This is useful, since there are a lot of smart devices in our homes that can’t run software on their own, can’t be configured to use a VPN, or even don’t have screens. By routing all these devices through the VPN from the router, your ISP or any other entity on the web will not be able to see the traffic these devices are generating.
The VPN over router trick also helps you get around hardware limitations from VPN companies. Most VPN companies allow you to connect up to five devices to the VPN at the same time, and some will sell you more slots for more devices. When your router uses a VPN, everything on the network only counts as one device.
Many VPN services provide instructions for configuring your router to use a VPN. This is not as simple as simply installing an app on your desktop computer. This is probably why some VPN companies sell routers that are configured to use their VPN out of the box.
A quick look at the (very comprehensive and helpful) instructions from ExpressVPN gives a sense of the challenge you might face when doing it yourself. This is a lot to claim even from generally knowledgeable individuals, and it is much more than just someone new to using security tools. It’s the kind of challenge that can easily prevent anyone from using a VPN at all.
Although I have never used a router with a VPN, my colleague Chris Stubing is an expert on routers, VPNs, and And Routers that use VPNs. He told me that once the router is configured, it is accessed through the same dashboard similar to the one you use to manage other router settings. This alone is a red flag that a VPN on your router is impractical. I would risk guessing that most people looked at their router board exactly once when setting it up and then never again.
Not every service works with VPNs
One of the problems with putting your entire network through a VPN is that some services won’t work when you try to connect through a VPN. I often get emails about how a bank, Microsoft Office 365, Netflix, and a slew of other sites and services won’t work with a particular VPN. There are two reasons, I think, for this to happen.
The first is that services like Netflix have different streaming agreements depending on which country you are in. If you are using a VPN to move to another country, you will likely be able to access more (or at least different) streaming content. In order to enforce these agreements, Netflix and other streaming services are working hard to prevent VPN use.
The other reason is actually more frustrating: the sites and services try to make sure you’re not a scammer. The bad guys understand the benefits of VPNs just as well as the good guys, and scammers sometimes use VPNs to cover their tracks when carrying out nefarious activity online. Companies such as banks are particularly sensitive to unusual user behavior. If you call from New York one day and the next day you call from Vancouver, the bank may be suspicious. This means more logging challenges are thrown at you – like answering security questions or just plain old Captchas – or you are banned altogether.
It’s annoying when the site you want to access doesn’t work well with your VPN, but the problem remains even more complicated when you have an entire network full of devices trying to talk with different services. For example, if the server that’s supposed to keep your smart fridge software updated doesn’t like the look of your VPN, how do you know that? How long will your refrigerator miss important new features and security updates before you discover them? Adding a VPN to your router is especially useful for getting devices that can’t run software on their own that are protected by a VPN, but I’m afraid it can also cause failures that those same devices can’t connect to.
problem solving
When you find yourself blocked from using a VPN, there is not much you can do. You can try to connect to a different VPN server, preferably one closer to home. This may seem less strange to the site or service and may let you pass. However, sometimes, you will just have to turn off your VPN and hope for the best.
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Turning off a VPN or messing with its settings is all well and good when it’s a handy desktop or mobile app. Although I haven’t used a router with a VPN, I can’t imagine that the process of activating or deactivating a VPN connection could be any easier than it is on a phone or computer. Router interfaces are not known to be user friendly.
Stobing tells me that most people who choose a VPN router option already do so in tandem with another router. One router is for devices that the owner wants behind the VPN, and the other is a normally configured router. If there is a problem with the VPN, Stobing says that you simply connect to the other router. This is technically a simple solution, but requires owning, managing, and using two separate routers. This seems highly impractical to the average user.
Connecting your router to a VPN will have some beneficial effect on network security, but probably not enough to justify the hassle. A VPN will prevent your ISP from monitoring your activities, and make it difficult for online monitors to track your online movements. A VPN will not prevent unauthorized traffic from entering or leaving your network, as a firewall does, nor will it protect you from malware.
Finally, even with a VPN on your router, you’ll still need a VPN on every device that leaves your network. It’s unlikely that your smart bulbs will find themselves connected to Wi-Fi at the airport, but your phone and laptop will certainly do, and that’s when you need a VPN the most.
less than practical
On paper, running a VPN on your router is the solution to many common problems, but it doesn’t really play into the VPN’s strengths. A VPN is at its best when it protects you from people on the same network and your ISP. Sure, running a VPN to cover your home network helps mask your identity somewhat, but whatever benefits it might give seems too limited to be worth the trouble.
One day, I’ll actually try a VPN-protected network, but that’s just because I enjoy testing out weird solutions to simple problems. Heck, I installed a new OS on my phone a few months ago, so this is probably easier. Even after I do that, I highly doubt I’d recommend it as a solution to anyone.
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