6 of the best VPN routers to keep your browsing secure

A dependable name in the router field, Linksys has delivered an ideal router for the majority of users in the form of the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM. It’s not the cheapest by any means, but it’s reasonably priced compared to competitors and certainly offers plenty of bang for the buck. 
For $249, you get a chunky router with Linksys’s iconic blue and black design making it stand out noticeably amongst your equipment. Four positional antennae mean you can tweak it physically to make it easier to get an accurate signal across your home or office space. Underneath the hood is a 1.8GHz dual-core CPU along with Tri-Stream 160 technology which doubles bandwidth from 80 MHz to 160 MHz and when needed. That generally means a faster connection for you. 
The star though is the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM’s support for open source firmware. You can install either OpenWRT or DD-WRT opening your router up to advanced features such as TOR network browsing and all-important VPN capabilities. It’s also possible to view advanced network traffic and network intrusion reports so you know exactly what’s going on. Remote access to your router via the accompanying smartphone app is also available for those times when you’re not near your home network.
The only issue? Once you start placing walls between the router and your devices, the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM does occasionally suffer from some dramatic speed drops. It’s a router clearly best designed for open plan areas or homes with thin walls, which is something to consider. 
Despite that though, the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM is an easy to use yet powerful router that should serve the needs of anyone looking for a VPN router without getting too bogged down in complexities. 

Asus’s reputation as a game-centric tech manufacturer continues with the Asus RT-AC86U. More distinctive looking than other routers here, the Asus RT-AC86U offers plenty of features that will enhance one’s online gaming time while also being of great benefit to anyone wanting to use a VPN via their router. 
At its simplest, there’s range boosting technology helping out anyone with a larger than average home. There are also plenty of automated gaming acceleration features such as adaptive QoS that promise lag-free gaming or at least as close as you’re going to get to it. 
Its three antennae prove to be pretty powerful with many tests stating it’s great for ensuring a steady signal between walls, no matter what you intend on doing. Dead spots should be a thing of the past here in all but the most extreme of situations.
For VPN users, there are obvious if somewhat slightly convoluted means in which to set up a VPN server or client. There’s also the option to install third party firmware which is recommended if you want to get away from the trickier stock firmware currently out there. 
The looks might be a little divisive but we were impressed by the Asus RT-AC86U’s powerhouse of options and its great performance. 

The second Asus option featured here, the Asus RT-AC5300 is an expensive choice to take but for good reason. It’s a tri-band router that boosts speeds up to 5334Mpbs in certain situations making it perfect for smooth 4K video playback across the network, as well as file-sharing at speed. 
Its tri-band smart connect mode automatically selects the fastest of the three available frequency bands for each device, based on your device’s speed, signal strength, and how busy each band is. That’s a great way of ensuring the best service every time without you worrying about tweaking much. 
Indeed, much of the setup is done automatically so you don’t have to worry too much about not knowing everything there is to know about routers. While you can’t install your own firmware, there are extensive options for VPN servers so you’re good to go for getting set up at router side. 
Is the Asus RT-AC5300 for everyone? Not really. It’s overkill for a basic home setup. However, if you regularly game, stream media content, or simply have a lot of devices connected at one time, it takes a lot of the hard work out of managing what’s going on within your network. 

The TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 is a surprisingly effective VPN router at a low price. TP-Link is well known for its budget routers, and it knows its way around ensuring that performance isn’t compromised. 
A dual-band router, you need to choose to connect to either 2.4GHz or 5GHz unlike other routers which tend to do it automatically. (That’s not hard to do, though.) Similarly, the set up interface is a little basic looking but underneath there are some useful features including the ability to set up a VPN from the router via a feature known as VPN Pass-Through. As the terms suggest, it’s useful to know what each feature means as the interface doesn’t do much to explain matters. However, you’re only ever a Google away from an explanation. 
Where the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 excels is its speed and performance. It hardly ever misses a beat and is speedy despite its low price. Don’t expect any drops or poor signal moments here unless you’re very far away from the router source. Alexa support is a neat bonus too, although you’re probably more likely to use the app or web browser interface to do anything with it.
The TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 can’t quite compare with more expensive VPN routers as it only supports USB 2.0 rather than USB 3.0 (impacting speed), and its features aren’t quite as varied as premium options. However, for the price, it’s a bit of a bargain. If you want a no-frills router that also makes it easy to set up with a VPN, this is a great choice.

The NETGEAR Nighthawk XR700 is as expensive as buying a new PC or laptop, but it offers a ridiculous number of features for those desperate for the absolute best router out there. Like the Asus RT-AC5300, it offers triple wireless standards, including 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 60GHz so that you have a choice of higher speeds or further range depending on what you require at the time. It sounds intimidating to novices but you soon get the hang of it. 
Alongside that is software that’s optimized with gaming in mind. It focuses on ensuring you have all the bandwidth you need with low pings giving you the edge while you game. It’s even optimized specifically with Fortnite, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Overwatch in mind. 
The NETGEAR Nighthawk XR700 allows for six devices to be connected physically as well as an unlimited number via WiFi so it’s important that its algorithms and software is designed in a way that means it manages your network effectively without much input from you. It’ll even filter out distant servers, always connecting you to the best and nearest automatically. 
Crucially for VPN users, there’s a module within the software that allows you to fine tune the traffic types over an OpenVPN compatible service. That way, you can use a VPN to fake a location for gaming while having the rest of your traffic go directly to your ISP. Extensive tracking and logging locally is also possible here for those times you need to see who’s hogging all the bandwidth. 
The NETGEAR Nighthawk XR700 isn’t for everyone given its hefty price, as well as its chunky size (it’s about a foot long), but if you need a powerful router, this one offers everything and more. It’s overkill for many users, but if you can afford the absolute best, it’s a delight to use.