Virtual Private Network - who uses one?

[Geezer]

I am looking into installing a VPN on my wifi router at home. I don't think my old ASUS 1900 router supports a VPN, so I'll probably need to replace the router. So, for those of you who understand this stuff I am looking for recommendations for a router and VPN for home use. 

 

[blchandl2]

I use Ghost VPN. I can have it on up 6? devices. 

 

[mcatrophy]

[deleted as irrelevant]

 

[ice_station_zebra]

I am looking into installing a VPN on my wifi router at home. I don't think my old ASUS 1900 router supports a VPN, so I'll probably need to replace the router. So, for those of you who understand this stuff I am looking for recommendations for a router and VPN for home use. 

I have PIA (Private Internet Access) installed on my main desktop which is connected by wifi to my router (LAN). Works very well and I am able if I wanted to, to connect to servers all over the world. We go thru England so I can access the BBC entertainment channels. My desktop has bluetooth so I can play whatever I'm streaming directly to my smart TV in the main family room. The PIA people can tell you what kind of router you need, but I would suspect anything newer in the last coupe of years would do the trick. The vpn service is an annual subscription, paid in January and its very cheap. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Geezer]

I use Ghost VPN. I can have it on up 6? devices. 

Ghost VPN is one of the ones I am looking at. ExpressVPN and NORDvpn also get good reviews. 

Do you have GhostVPN on the individual devices or on the router? I want to install the VPN on my router so I can protect all of the devices on my networl I currently have about 10 devices including laptops, Smart TVs, tablets, phones and a printer. 

 

[Geezer]

I have PIA (Private Internet Access) installed on my main desktop which is connected by wifi to my router (LAN). Works very well and I am able if I wanted to, to connect to servers all over the world. We go thru England so I can access the BBC entertainment channels. My desktop has bluetooth so I can play whatever I'm streaming directly to my smart TV in the main family room. The PIA people can tell you what kind of router you need, but I would suspect anything newer in the last coupe of years would do the trick. The vpn service is an annual subscription, paid in January and its very cheap. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Does having PIA on your desktop also protect the rest of your wifi network or just the individual device? I want to protect all devices on my network including the tablets and phones from people who are visiting. 

 

[Bounce]

Look for a VPN host that does NOT keep logs. If you're using a VPN, you want it all secure; even their records (and no logging is the only way).

https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/best-no-log-vpns/

 

[Geezer]

Thank you all for your advice. So far I have determined:

 1) I need a router that has flash memory in order to 'flash' the VPN application on it. Not all routers have flash and my older one does not. 

 2) The VPN needs to be one that does not keep logs nor sell any user information. Do not trust the 'free' ones.

 3) Some of the VPN providers offer pre-configured routers. Not sure I want to go that route because the selection is limited.

 4) ExpressVPN seems to be the most expensive per month and provides the fastest speeds. 

 5) If I choose a less expensive VPN I can exclude specific devices, like the smart TV, so the speed of streaming won't be affected. 

I'm not in a hurry right now so I'll keep poking around and make a decision eventually. In the mean time, if anyone has recommendations to add please let me know. 

 

[blchandl2]

Ghost VPN is one of the ones I am looking at. ExpressVPN and NORDvpn also get good reviews. 

Do you have GhostVPN on the individual devices or on the router? I want to install the VPN on my router so I can protect all of the devices on my networl I currently have about 10 devices including laptops, Smart TVs, tablets, phones and a printer. 

I currently just have it on individual devices. I just got a seperate wireless router and have not installed it on the router yet. Comcast won't let you install stuff on devices connected to their system. Until now I had a cable modem with built in wireless router so I was not able to go that route. Once we move I will look into installing on my wireless router.

 

[Geezer]

Starting with the link that Bounce provided I followed a couple more links and was able to find a firmware load that is supposed to work with my existing router to allow me to install a VPN. I have to do a bunch more reading before I am ready to try that. It looks like it will leave me with no wifi if I screw it up and can't recover. Once I do that I can pick a VPN to run on it. 

A local golf course is opening this week, with restrictions, so I plan to be playing tomorrow. I'll get back to this in a couple of days. 

Thanks for the help to date.

 

[BanjoBoy]

Bean using IPVanish fer 'bout 6 years. Ya gotta pay for it, ($78 annually) but they (Allegedly) don't keep logs, gotta a bunch of different servers you can connect to in a bunch of different countries. It was the shiznit  back when I signed up, dunno if it's still one of the top VPNs anymore, but it always seems to work good.

And yes, you can load this on yer router, but if you do so, a lotta stuff will be a PITA. (I have Comcast w/ ASUS modem, and Google mesh network.) Google searches come up in different languages, local searches are different countries..... I just use it on individual nodes as needed.

 

[Geezer]

I hadn't thought about the fact that a VPN routes you through other countries and some applications, like search, use the location of the country the VPN happens to use for that particular instance of your access to the site you are looking for. I assume there is some randomness involved. I wonder if that's an issue with all of the VPNs . 

 

[Bounce]

While TOR routers have been compromised by state-level agencies (they can trace the exit node IP and work from there) you can still use them (in conjunction with a good VPN) to make it appear as if you are coming from a different location so that geo-fenced content (BBC does this a lot) can be accessed.

 

[BanjoBoy]

Purdie much with any VPN you'll get that, but you can also pick a server in a location near you. Google searches, uses your IP address to find what yer looking for near you. I'm in (The real) Northern Kalifornia, and could use a server down in San Jose, which is ( 'bout 250 miles away) but I usually use a server in Canada or Mexico. Now say I check my email, (Gmail.) Google will block the request think'in it's someone in a foreign country trying to hack my account. These are things to consider before you start VPNing. It all depends on what yer do'in, or why yer VPNing? You should probably try a free one to see how it works for you?

 

[Geezer]

The reason I want to use a VPN is to prevent intruders from access to my personal data, especially financial data, and to protect my devices from attacks. 

I have used the TOR browser but it is not convenient because it doesn't save bookmarks. I realize that is part of the reason it works as it does, but I want to protect my home network while using normal full function browsers. I have a firewall up and WIndows defender running on the windows machines, but that doesn't help with other devices like a Kindle Fire or a smart TV. 

 

[BanjoBoy]

The interwebz is a dangerous place my friend. It's always gonna be a trade off between convenience and security. Since you already have a wireless router, that's a good hardware firewall. A VPN will make you safer, but if you get viruses/malware on any of your devices, a VPN won't help you. Hopefully yer using windows 10, keep it and all your devices up to date with all their safety updates. I'd recommend using Malwarebytes to clean out any undesirable spyware/malware/viruses. I just use the free version on my computer, but looks like you can load this on all kinds of devices.

 

[Geezer]

The interwebz is a dangerous place my friend. It's always gonna be a trade off between convenience and security. Since you already have a wireless router, that's a good hardware firewall. A VPN will make you safer, but if you get viruses/malware on any of your devices, a VPN won't help you. Hopefully yer using windows 10, keep it and all your devices up to date with all their safety updates. I'd recommend using Malwarebytes to clean out any undesirable spyware/malware/viruses. I just use the free version on my computer, but looks like you can load this on all kinds of devices.

Yes, all of our PCs are running Win10. We all have Lenovo laptops because I bought them with an employee discount. Thank you for the pointer to Malwarebytes. I will try the free version on my laptop.. The annual fee for the paid version is pretty steep, especially if I want o install it on multiple devices. 

 

[mcatrophy]

The reason I want to use a VPN is to prevent intruders from access to my personal data, especially financial data, and to protect my devices from attacks. 

Above, I put in a post describing my system, I deleted it as others were describing answers for a different requirement, I thought I'd got the wrong end of the stick. So I will describe it here, because it does seem to do what you appear to require. It also connects to my web server, not relevant to you, but that is part of my system.

My internet connection is via my phone line, this is connected to an ADSL router supplied by my internet provider. This has four Ethernet ports and built-in WiFi. I don't use the ADSL router's WiFi (other than for testing).

An Ethernet port from the ADSL router is connected to what I call an intelligent router. This is then connected by other Ethernet ports to my web server, another to my Mac, and two more ports to two separate WiFi routers (each serving different areas of the house). Logically, the server port is on its own network, the other ports are logically all on the same house intranet network.

The intelligent router is programmed so that external requests can only go to my server, but not to the intranet ports, but any device on the intranet can make any external access request. No device on my intranet needs a firewall, the intelligent router takes care of that (though anti-virus software is still necessary, of course).

However, I will point out that this is a fairly expensive system (all that "extra" hardware), and programming the intelligent router took my IT-savvy son two or three hours (and many mugs of tea). But it works perfectly, doesn't slow any external access, and currently I have two desktop Macs, one Mac laptop, television, my phone, an iPad, and (until Covid-19) several visitors' devices. The only way anyone could conceivably access my intranet is if they guessed the password to WiFi that (obviously) leaks out of the house.

For completeness of this description, the intelligent router can steer requests directly from my intranet to my web server, so I can access it for updates or whatever with no external "leakage". There are other "clevernesses" associated with the server, but irrelevant here. 

Hope that's understandable, whether or not it's of any help ...

 

[Geezer]

Above, I put in a post describing my system, I deleted it as others were describing answers for a different requirement, I thought I'd got the wrong end of the stick. So I will describe it here, because it does seem to do what you appear to require. It also connects to my web server, not relevant to you, but that is part of my system.

(snip)

I snipped your response so I wouldn't repeat all of it.  Thank you for all of that information. I worked in technology most of my life, but never did much with networking so I am learning a lot as I research this stuff.  

I have never heard of an intelligent router. Can you tell me exactly what you have, make and model,  so I can research it a little bit to see if I like the idea?