Using a security software and a VPN is the best way to protect yourself on the Internet. The number of internet users have increased exponentially over the years. The use of smartphones itself has increased tenfold.
Furthermore, wireless internet has become an important part of our lives. Hence, increased internet usage has made it a dangerous platform.
Hackers and Crackers regularly find and exploit bugs to access user information. As a result, information security has become a huge concern worldwide.
A VPN helps to protect you from the cybercriminals and keep your data secure. Thus, setting up a VPN on your router is the best thing to do to protect your sensitive data. Apart from that, there are a lot of other pros and cons of VPN as we will see in this write-up.
What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
A VPN is a secure network that encrypts the internet traffic of a user. As an example, you can imagine this as a tunnel. All your internet and browsing activities will be redirected through this tunnel.
It helps to make the users anonymous on the internet and hide their IP addresses. You can also make it look like you’re browsing from another country.
Consequently, you can bypass censoring, online restrictions and filters. Thus, you can enjoy complete security and anonymity.
There are hundreds of VPNs available in the market. You can install and run a VPN on desktops, laptops, and smartphones.
Did you know that you can use a VPN on your router as well? Read down further to know more about this.
Why set up a VPN on your Router?
Incidentally, you can use a VPN on an individual device. While that device of yours will become secure, the rest of your devices will remain vulnerable.
Setting up a VPN service on your router can provide security to all the connected devices in the network. However, you need a paid VPN service to enjoy all the benefits.
A free VPN is never a good idea as it can collect and sell your information. They keep all the logs of your internet activity.
Generally, it is considered highly beneficial to set up a VPN on your router. Let us discuss the Pros and Cons below.
Pro’s & Con’s of Connecting a VPN with Router
Connecting a VPN with your router may sound unconventional but is widely used for many purposes.
There are various advantages and disadvantages of using a VPN on your router which you can find below.
Pros
Here, we have listed out all the benefits you can avail by connecting a VPN to your router.
1) Connect all Devices at Once
A VPN has to be installed in a device to use its services. This can be tiresome if you have a lot of devices in your home. This can be easily combated by setting up a VPN on your router.
As a result, the whole Wi-Fi network will get filtered with the VPN. The virtual network will automatically secure the connected device.
2) Bypass Restrictions
The best advantage of using a VPN on a router is that you can bypass several restrictions on the internet. Some websites often block their content for a particular country.
Therefore, you can access this content with the help of a VPN. Most people use this benefit to watch movies on applications like Netflix.
A VPN helps to provide unrestricted access to various websites and applications.
3) One Time Connection
You have to manually turn on a VPN on a smartphone, laptop or desktop. This has to be done every time you wish to connect to a VPN.
However, you can get rid of this problem by simply setting up your router with a VPN. It is a one time process. Afterward, you don’t have to turn it on every time as it will be constantly active.
4) Multiplatform
Another benefit of setting up a VPN on your router is that any kind of device can connect to it. It supports multiple platforms and runs across various devices.
A PC running Windows and an iPhone device will enjoy equal security by the VPN. You don’t have to worry about its installation at all.
5) Network-Wide Security
The whole Wi-Fi network will get secured with the help of a VPN. As long as the devices are connected, you can enjoy all its benefits.
New devices will get secured as well. Hence, a VPN will be able to provide security to the whole wireless network.
Cons
Now let us discuss the drawbacks of setting up a VPN on your router.
1) Costly
Yes, setting up a VPN can be costly. While it’s a one-time setup, the subscription cost of a VPN is an added expenditure. You should always avoid using a free VPN service.
Therefore, you need to buy a subscription plan to use a premium VPN service. You can easily research the best VPNs online and choose the most affordable ones.
Do not forget to read about their logging policies and their limited features.
2) Speed and Bandwidth
Currently, no VPN service has succeeded in retaining the original speed and bandwidth of the ISP. Some VPN services claim to be the fastest but they may not be faster than your local internet speed.
VPNs can reduce the speed and bandwidth of your internet connection by up to 30%. This speed will further decrease as more devices are connected to the network.
3) Select Restrictions
VPN services are widely used across the Internet. As a result, websites and applications can now detect VPN users.
Thus, you may still not get access to some content on the Internet. This can be easily avoided by carefully choosing the right VPN service that can bypass the VPN restriction.
4) Local Services
A VPN service’s sole purpose is to mask your identity on the internet. As a result, you may not be able to use local apps and services. These include programs like Google Maps and food ordering apps.
Both your IP address and the location is masked with the help of a VPN. Therefore, you may find it difficult to use local services.
Additionally, some local services can also ignore the VPN entirely. This means that your actual location may still be shared by sites on the Internet.
5) Free VPN
Here, we will discuss the disadvantages of getting a Free VPN. Firstly, your browsing activity will not be wholly secure. They may also sell your browsing activity to gain profit.
Some free VPN services can easily infect your computer with malware. These can further corrupt your system files and render your computer unusable. Other devices on the network can get affected as well.
Conclusion
Naturally, you can see that the advantages of setting up a VPN on your router are more than its disadvantages. You should never try to use a free VPN service for your router as it is not entirely safe.
Nowadays, you can find VPN routers in the mrket. These already have an in-built VPN embedded in its settings. This will save you the trouble of having to set up your own router with a VPN.
