5 Best VPNs for Asus Routers (+Setup Guide) in 2024

Whether you are looking to protect your home network from privacy and security threats or access geo-restricted movies and games, using a VPN on your router is a simple way to create a virtual private network on all of your home devices at once.

Asus routers have solid firmware right out of the box, with hardware powerful enough to handle moderate VPN loads, keeping your devices protected. Their easy use means they are compatible with more VPN services than other brands of routers, though they do not work well with all VPN brands.

This article reviews the 5 best VPNs for Asus Routers.

Why You Need a VPN Service for Asus Routers

Using a VPN on your router is the best way to get the benefits of a VPN for all of your home devices at once. It will also cover the devices in your home network that are not compatible with a VPN, like game consoles and many smart TVs.

In an age when such digital threats as identity theft and unauthorized access are common, a good VPN is the best way to protect yourself. Placing a VPN on your router provides privacy and security for your entire home network at once.

A quality VPN can create a virtual location in a country of your choice, so you can access geo-blocked content on websites around the world. That feature allows you to play games on your game console that are only available in another country or may cost less in another country. It also lets you watch geo-restricted TV and movies on popular streaming platforms, like BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.

How to Choose the Best VPN for Asus Routers

Here are the features to look for in a VPN for your router:

 You want a VPN that is compatible with Asus Routers, and that is easy to configure and use.

 The best VPNs for Asus Routers are fast so you can use multiple devices in your home network without difficulties or delays.

 Your VPN should have a large server network in countries around the world to ensure good speed and a backup in case the server you are using goes offline.

 Your Asus router VPN should have excellent security features, including military-grade encryption, leak protection, and a Kill Switch.

 To ensure your privacy protection, your VPN should have a strict no-logs policy.

 Choose a VPN service that can reliably unblock geo-restricted websites so you can access games and movies from around the world.

 All of the best VPNs for Asus come with 24/7 customer support and at least a 30-day trial period.

5 Best VPNs for Asus Routers

Here are the top VPN options for your Asus router:

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has all the features to make it the best VPN for the Asus Router. It can be easily configured with intuitive custom firmware, or you can purchase one of the Asus pre-configured routers.

The speed on ExpressVPN has a reputation for being the fastest VPN in the industry, and its Quick Connect feature will automatically link you to the fastest server available, so you never have to deal with slow or unreliable connections.

Among VPN providers, ExpressVPN is one of the most secure. It uses the highest standard of encryption, military-grade 256-bit encryption. The VPN service also comes with DNS leak protection, obfuscated servers, and an automatic Kill Switch. It uses OpenVPN protocol for security during data transfers and the Perfect Forward Secrecy gives you a new encryption key every time you log on, for an extra layer of security.

ExpressVPN has a no-logs policy and is located in the British Virgin Islands, so it is outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance, ensuring your complete privacy.

There are over 3,000 servers in more than 94 countries in the ExpressVPN server network, supporting fast and easy access to servers around the world.

The split tunneling feature allows you to choose which websites you want to run through your VPN tunnel, and ExpressVPN can even get past the strong geo-blocks used by popular streaming platforms and online games everywhere. It can even get past the impressive Firewall of China.

Live-chat support is knowledgeable, prompt, and available every day, all day. If you aren’t completely satisfied with ExpressVPN, you can cancel within the 30-day trial period for a full refund.

2. NordVPN

NordVPN is easy to set up manually on your router following its tutorial specific to AsusWRT Merlin firmware, a custom firmware; or you can get a prior-configured NordVPN Asus router available through Flash Router Firmware.

Security protocols include leak protection, automatic Kill Switch, AES 256-bit military-grade encryption, Perfect Forward Secrecy, Open VPN with PPTP protocols, and double VPN routers.

NordVPN protects your privacy by maintaining a strict no-log policy and is based in the privacy-friendly country of Panama, outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance.

VPN connection speed on NordVPN is fast, so it works well for watching movies on your favorite streaming services and gaming on your home game console.

NordVPN has a great track record for getting past tough geo-blocks on Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and more. It can even crack the Great Firewall of China.

The customer support on NordVPN is knowledgeable, prompt, and available 24 hours per day, every day of the week; and thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try NordVPN risk-free! If it’s not for you, just cancel within the trial period for a full refund.

 3. Surfshark

Surfshark is an affordable VPN for Asus routers at a fantastic price. Its unlimited connections allowance means you can use it with your home router as well as all your devices that you take with you on the go, for one low cost.

Setup is simple, thanks to the tutorial for setting up the VPN with routers using AsusWRT firmware.

There are over 3,200 VPN servers in more than 95 countries in the network, supporting fast, reliable connections.

The VPN services include top security protocols, including DNS and IP leak protection, a Kill Switch, double VPN, and military-grade 256-bit encryption; and your privacy is kept safe by the Surfshark no-logs policy. Based in the British Virgin Islands, it is outside the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance.

Surfshark has a great track record for unblocking geo-restricted content on streaming services and gaming platforms. Surfshark has also proven its ability to get past the Great Firewall of China.

Fast and reliable customer support is available 24/7 via its live-chat support. If you aren’t fully satisfied with the Surfshark VPN, you can cancel within the first 30 days and receive a full refund.

4. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is known to be one of the best VPN services for easy setup and use thanks to its clear apps and excellent customer service. You can configure CyberGhost VPN on the ASUS router manually, or get one of the pre-configured ASUS FlashRouter devices.

The VPN app comes with an impressive network of servers, including over 8,900 servers in more than 91 countries worldwide.

The speed on CyberGhost is good and is adequate for all your needs, though it does slow some on long-distance connections, which you should keep in mind if you are a serious gamer.

The security protocols on CyberGhost are excellent and include military-grade AES 256- bit encryption, OpenVPN, leak protection, and a Kill Switch.

CyberGhost protects your privacy by maintaining a strict no-logs policy and is based in Romania, outside the mandated reporting rules of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance.

You can count on CyberGhost to get past geo-blocks on popular streaming sites, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and many more.

Your subscription comes with CyberGhost’s top-notch 24/7 live-chat support as well as a 45-day trial period, so you can try it risk-free.

5. Private Internet Access (PIA)

Another Asus router VPN on which you can rely is Private Internet Access (PIA). It is fully compatible with an Asus router and has established tutorials for easy installation.

PIA offers solid speed and if you find you are experiencing lags, its 24/7 live-chat support will help you connect to a different faster server. With over 29,000 servers in more than 78 countries, finding a quick one isn’t hard to do.

This VPN server is one of the safest around thanks to its military-grade AES 256- bit encryption, OpenVPN, leak protection, and automatic Kill Switch.

There is a strict no-logs policy when you use PIA as your VPN provider. That’s important because PIA is based in the USA, which is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. Since it doesn’t keep any of your private information, it’s not a worry because it maintains nothing in its records to reveal.

PIA can break through most of the geo-blocks on popular streaming, sites but there are some it can’t seem to get past, like Mexican Netflix. It also hasn’t been able to crack the Great Firewall of China.

How to Set Up a VPN on an Asus Routers 

Follow these steps to set up a VPN on your Asus Router:

1. Subscribe to a high-quality VPN, like ExpressVPN.
2. Log into the VPN website.
3. Download VPN configuration files for our location. Most VPNs will have a set-up tutorial showing you how.
4. Create a username and password.
5. Open a new tab in your web browser.
6. Go to the router dashboard, entering 192.160.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in the URL bar.
7. Sign in to the Asus router control panel.
8. Go to VPN >VPN Client > Add Profile.
9. Set protocol to OpenVPN.
10. Enter your Username, Password, and Profile Description.
11. Select Choose File.
12. Add configuration files downloaded previously.
13. Click upload.
14. After the upload is complete, click OK
15. Select Activate.

Can I Use a Free VPN with Asus Routers?

You may find a free VPN that will work with your Asus Router, but there are potential risks to using a free VPN of which to be aware.

Most free VPNs don’t have the support required for them to work with VPN routers. Also, many of the free VPNs have a large number of users and a small number of servers, which leads to slow and unstable connections.

To make a profit, many of the free VPNs will sell your browser history to the highest bidder, putting you at risk of hackers, malware, and phishing attempts. Security features are not as strong when using most free VPNs, including the fact that most do not have leak protection or a no-logs policy.

There have been instances of users having their IPs and bandwidth hijacked to make exit nodes for other users, meaning you could get blamed for someone else’s criminal activity.

Free VPN services are not as reliable at breaking through geo-blocks that are useful for accessing geo-restricted games, movies, and TV programming.

Use a reliable VPN from our list and, while they are not free, they can be used as no-cost VPNs for a period of 30 days (or more when it comes to CyberGhost) with a money-back guarantee.

FAQs

VPN for Asus: Conclusion

An Asus router is one of the most popular routers thanks to its solid firmware upon opening. It has the huge benefit of covering an unlimited number of devices in your home to one app since your VPN router counts as one device.

When looking for a VPN for Asus, keep in mind that it does not work well with every VPN provider. All of the VPNs reviewed in this article are compatible VPN options for Asus, with ExpressVPN as the number one pick.