Good VPN Router Recommendation

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MSwitch

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Topic # 242358 24-Oct-2018 09:23

I'm looking for a recommendation on a medium-high performing router that I can run a VPN on that isn't too expensive. I considered a Flashrouter for ease of use but after looking at prices after conversion, shipping and duty it was just too much. Are there any reasonably medium-high performing routers that I can easily setup with DD-WRT to run NordVPN through for around the $200-$300 mark or am I going to have to go higher?

Apologies if this should go in the Best Routers mega thread and please remove if this breaches the rules, however I did post something similar with no suggestions so was hoping I'd have more luck by posting in my own thread.

Resnick

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Reply # 2113149 24-Oct-2018 10:45

For that price you could try the ASUS ac68u. I used one for a year or so with good results. Instead of dd-wrt I would recommend Merlin's firmware; All the benefits of stock with a few performance tweaks and policy based routing for your OpenVPN client which is easy to setup. I can't advise on vpn throughput as I was on adsl at the time.

If you want to spend a bit more and have a play, a pfsense box would be another option. VPN throughput would be dependent on your choice of cpu (and provider) and it is rock solid stable.

Good luck.

michaelmurfy

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Reply # 2113151 24-Oct-2018 10:53

I'd recommend getting out of the space of consumer routers and just grab the Edgerouter X - is cheap, works well performance wise and will do everything (and more).

Just bare in mind - since OpenVPN is not offloaded on any routers I know of you will always run into performance limitations. If you purchase an access point with VLAN support (like a UniFi AC-Lite for example) you can put NordVPN onto its own VPN and have 2 SSID's (eg - Internet and Internet VPN) so you can still get the full speed of your connection.

NordVPN also have instructions on configuring the Edgerouter here: https://nordvpn.com/tutorials/edgerouter/openvpn/

You'll get better performance out of an Edgerouter + a UniFi AC-Lite than a consumer grade router. EdgeOS is far more powerful than OpenWRT or DD-WRT also.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
A quick guide to picking the right ISP | The Router Guide | Community UniFi Cloud Controller | Ubiquiti Edgerouter Tutorial

stinger

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Reply # 2113153 24-Oct-2018 10:57

I use a Raspberry Pi, and it works well.

Resnick

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Reply # 2113155 24-Oct-2018 11:00

@michaelmurfy, what sort of OpenVPN throughput are you getting on the Edgerouter X per encryption?

michaelmurfy

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Reply # 2113157 24-Oct-2018 11:11

Resnick:

@michaelmurfy, what sort of OpenVPN throughput are you getting on the Edgerouter X per encryption?

When I tested it I got around 80Mbit. Not fantastic, but works well. I don't normally use VPN's at home and instead use them when I'm out and about. The Edgerouter supports IPSEC which is fully offloaded meaning you can get around 300Mbit (after encryption) on it which I use for a few site-to-site VPN's. Not bad for a ~$120 router. You get quite a bit more with the Edgerouter 4 which has a beefy CPU but as OpenVPN is only single threaded you'll never max out lets say a Gigabit connection. Otherwise, the Edgerouter X is fully capable of routing internet on a Gigabit connection.

Not to mention the Edgerouter has an incredibly nice interface, is rock solid stable and has more features than you'll ever need. The underlaying OS is actually Debian Linux and there is plenty of active development on EdgeOS as a whole.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
A quick guide to picking the right ISP | The Router Guide | Community UniFi Cloud Controller | Ubiquiti Edgerouter Tutorial

chevrolux

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Reply # 2113159 24-Oct-2018 11:17

Mikrotik RB750Gr3 or RB3011 - they are just cooler than Ubiquiti ;-)

But seriously, both will crank out decent throughput with encryption. Only use IPsec personally and can fully utilise a 200Mbps fibre circuit doing backups site-to-site with the CPU only sitting around that 60-70% mark.

MSwitch

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Reply # 2113166 24-Oct-2018 11:33

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, so it sounds like an Edgerouter + Ubiquiti Unifi combo or Pfsense box would be the best approach.

Considering my knowledge is pretty limited here, which would be the more 'beginner-friendly' setup, assuming I can find guides online to get these both setup.

In regards to a PFSense box, I just read that any old hardware can do potentially do this. I've got an VAIO old laptop (6~ years old) lying around, would that be suitable or would I need something more like this if I went the PFsense route.

https://zbest.com/products/linux-pfsense-4-lan-ports-router-2955u-dual-core-1-4ghz-firewall-server?variant=13148429811773&currency=NZD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjbveBRDVARIsAKxH7vlUdg4SABoizbuJFciwP6XshSs_zGhjpTDg-q7Sck5VDkZtaTGQPRIaAt2fEALw_wcB

michaelmurfy

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Reply # 2113184 24-Oct-2018 12:10

@MSwitch I've got a guide to get you started with the Edgerouter. It is a little complex but there is a tonne of good documentation for it.

Both will be a learning curve but the Edgerouter X can be bought for less than $120 and works incredibly well (also, is tiny).

Edgerouter X - https://gowifi.co.nz/routers/er-x.html

For access points take a look at my post here: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=66&topicid=197871 - either the UniFi or the Grandstream options will suit.

Another router with good OpenVPN support is the Grandstream GWN7600 (https://gowifi.co.nz/routers/gwn7000.html) however I don't have any experience setting this up. It does however seem quite simple and the WebUI is actually quite simple also: https://www.grandstream.com/sites/default/files/Resources/GWN7000_VPN_Guide.pdf

Both are great options regardless. While NordVPN doesn't have a guide to set up the GWN7000 I'd say this combined with a GWN7610 access point will be a good combo if you're willing to work out getting the VPN running which is supported.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
A quick guide to picking the right ISP | The Router Guide | Community UniFi Cloud Controller | Ubiquiti Edgerouter Tutorial

MSwitch

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Reply # 2113189 24-Oct-2018 12:52

@michaelmurphy

I think if I go with the router then I'll go with Ubiquiti. I was thinking of running both my Huawei 659b for my normal "internet" SSID and the edgerouter as my "internet vpn" SSID.

If I went with that approach, would I still need the Access Point? Without the access point, do you think I would still get strong enough speeds for streaming/downloading on the vpn? On VDSL and currently at about 60mbps with regular internet.

michaelmurfy

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Reply # 2113195 24-Oct-2018 13:13

@MSwitch Put your HG659 into bridge mode (pretty straight forward to do - here) and configure the Edgerouter with PPPoE, no VLAN with any username / password as long as it isn't blank. With the Edgerouter + the UniFi Access Point you can configure a separate VLAN and even LAN port on the Edgerouter for the VPN. From here, the HG659 is only acting as a bridge and the Edgerouter is doing the heavy lifting.

You'll get better performance this way also. There are plenty of example of this like so: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/4mdaqp/routing_all_vlan_traffic_thru_vpn_tunnel/

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
A quick guide to picking the right ISP | The Router Guide | Community UniFi Cloud Controller | Ubiquiti Edgerouter Tutorial