ExpressVPN Aircove Go Review

Often, when people ask about buying a new device, the first question that pops into mind is, “What problem are you trying to solve?”

The new ExpressVPN Aircove Go router answers more than one problem. I had the chance to test it while away, and it delivers.

The ExpressVPN Aircove Go can help you with quite a few different things. For example:

• You want a router that’s easy to use.
• You have small kids and want to prevent access to adult sites from their devices or at certain times.
• You want to block your devices from connecting to potential malware sites.
• You have a small home or office and need a router that will not take up much space.
• When away, you need to connect multiple devices to your hotel Wi-Fi, such as a laptop, phone and tablet.
• You want to take your streaming device to plug into a TV at the hotel, but these devices can’t connect to hotel Wi-Fi.
• You want your devices to access services that are only available in your country of residence and blocked elsewhere.
• You want to use a Virtual Private Network to encrypt your Wi-Fi because you don’t trust the network or the Wi-Fi is open.

The ExpressVPN Aircove Go is a small form factor device out of the box, measuring 12.5 cm x 8.2 cm x 3.6 cm and weighing only 245g. It's powered over USB-C and comes with a power adapter that includes US, UK, AU, and European adapters, but it works with a good multi-power USB adapter. This is great because you can save space and weight if travelling.

The network name and password are on a label stuck to the unit. Connect to it and log in to the admin page using your browser to manage the router.

If you plan to use the router at a hotel, motel, shared office, or other space, you have two options for connecting it to a network: an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi. If you want to connect using Wi-Fi, the router configuration pages will show networks around you and allow you to connect to the network you want to share between your devices. For Ethernet links, it supports DHCP, static IP and PPPoE configurations.

Once connected, you should have access to the Internet on all your devices connected to the ExpressVPN Aircove Go.

The first time you connect to the router, you are guided through its initial setup, which includes an admin password, network settings, and everything else needed to get it up and running. It will also ask you for an ExpressVPN account key, which is optional but required if you want to use the VPN services.

You can create groups and set the advanced security options using the web-based configuration page for each group. For example, you can create a group that blocks trackers, malware and ads while another group uses the VPN to connect back to your home country. Another group can connect to the fastest VPN (usually local), just so that your Internet traffic is encrypted and unavailable to other network users, and a group for kids’ devices that will block access at certain times. 

There’s also an option for groups with VPN connections to block any traffic if the VPN link is down, preventing unencrypted traffic from passing through.

You can easily drag and drop connected devices between these groups to suit your needs. You can also select one of these as your default group so any new devices connecting to the router will automatically benefit from the group policies in place.

The ExpressVPN Aircove Go is powered by a quad-core 64-bit processor running at 1.2 GHz. It comes with 512 MB RAM and 128 MB storage. The interface is fast and works well on laptop or mobile browsers.

On the back of the router, next to the USB-C port you will find three Ethernet ports in case you want devices to be hard-wired, which is always the best option in terms of performance. For those connecting via Wi-Fi, it supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax) with link connections up to 600 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and up to 1200 Mbps on 5 GHz, covering up to 70 square meters with its two external, foldable antennas.

In terms of real-world speed, it will depend on your network connection. For example, at a hotel I spent the weekend at, the maximum speed test from my laptop to the hotel Wi-Fi was 25 Mbps. Adding the ExpressVPN Aircove Go did not change the speed the laptop could achieve, and turning on the VPN didn’t impact the speed at all. 

It was a different story at home, where I have a 1 Gbps fibre connection. The ExpressVPN Aircove Go wasn’t as fast as my original router, and enabling the VPN also made it a bit slower. Here are some numbers: my desktop connects over Wi-Fi to my current router with a speed test showing 950 Mbps downloads. The same desktop connects to the ExpressVPN Aircove Go over Wi-Fi, and speed tests report 580 Mbps. If I enable the VPN to a local exit node, the speed drops to 150 Mbps.

The ExpressVPN Aircove Go was able to go as fast as possible using the lower speeds at the hotel but hit its processing limits on much higher-speed connections. This makes me think it’s more suitable for up to 100 Mbps and 300 Mbps connections than 1 Gbps. Even bigger and more expensive routers can struggle with 1 Gbps connections.

Lastly, it does not support IPv6, at least not in the current firmware.

The ExpressVPN Aircove Go supports WPA2/3 Wi-Fi encryption, automatic updates and custom DNS settings to keep things secure. There is a port forwarding feature, but if you are security conscious, you should know not to use port forward to anything inside your internal network.

Did the ExpressVPN Aircove Go solve the problems listed earlier in this review? Yes, it did. It comes down to convenience and security, which the ExpressVPN Aircove Go covers quite well. I was surprised at the ease of use, the quality of the web interface, and the resulting speed. I am considering new uses, including as a guest Wi-Fi for visitors and how to use it next on an upcoming overseas trip.