Often when people want to use a VPN service to secure their Internet connection, they want to use that service with a smattering of different devices. Smartphones, tablets, PCs, and other types of devices all need the encryption and security benefits of a VPN tunnel, but there’s just one problem. Some VPN services only allow you to connect up to two devices per account, meaning you would have to purchase an entirely new subscription to their service to connect more devices. The alternative solution is disconnecting devices from the service when you want to use the service on an additional computer, but this is tedious and undesirable.
For that reason, we have compiled a list of the best VPNs for simultaneous connections to hand pick providers that will allow you to connect the highest number of devices. Some of these providers allow up to 6 simultaneous connections per account, which is adequate for the majority of users. Most people don’t have more than 6 devices to secure, but in family settings things can get out of hand pretty quickly. Trying to secure everyone’s mobile devices, tablets, and computers can be a real hassle if your VPN provider only allows a couple of connections per account, but there is an easy and attractive solution to secure all of the devices that connect to your home network.
Taking Advantage of Your Router to Secure More Devices
The absolute best way to secure a great number of devices simultaneously is to terminate your VPN connection at your router. When you use a VPN service on your computer or mobile device, the software terminates the VPN tunnel on the device you’re using. However, when you terminate it on networking device like a router, it still only counts as one devices but that router will encrypt all of the data that flows through it – regardless of how many devices are connected to the network. In addition, it will offload some of the hardware requirements such as CPU cycles and memory so your computers and other devices won’t need to do the heavy lifting. While you might consider the performance increase nominal, the gains are magnified on mobile devices that typically don’t have as much memory or processors as fast as they are in desktop and laptop computers.
When you use this technique in combination with a service that allows a high number of simultaneous connections, you will be able to secure most, if not all, of your devices at the same time regardless of whether they are being used at home of on the go. The advantage is that you can bypass ISP throttling and encrypt all devices at once without needing multiple VPN accounts. There are a couple caveats to using this method, though.
Unfortunately, the default firmware on most routers doesn’t allow you terminate a VPN tunnel. All you have to do to remedy this problem, though, is to upgrade your router’s firmware to OpenWRT, DD-WRT or Tomato code. The code can be downloaded completely free of charge, and the install process is so simple that even technically challenged individuals can easily install the code. Your router does have to be supported by the firmware developers, but they do a great job of making sure that the most popular router models are supported. If your router isn’t supported, you can find a supported router for less than $100.00, but the price will increase if you want to buy a router that already has DD-WRT or Tomato installed. You can purchase these types of routers from Flash Routers, and the fee for installing the code typically increases the price of the router by $50.00 but sometimes considerably more. Purchasing a router on Amazon and flashing it yourself is much cheaper.
Additionally, setting up a server on your router can be a bit tedious, in the sense that you can not quickly switch through server locations as you can with a native VPN app. Also, it would usually be much more preferable to run a second router for the VPN connection, this way you can keep an open network with no encryption and speed bogs for daily use. This way, you can have both open and encrypted networks at your disposal, without the need of setting up ways to bypass the VPN connection. With that said, let’s take a look at the best VPNs for simultaneous connections. By using one of these, you won’t need to use a secondary router for VPN.
VPN for Multiple Devices – Top Picks:
PIA – Read Review
Private Internet Access is our first pick for users who want to maximize connections without terminating a VPN tunnel at their router. They actually have more servers than most other providers, too. To date they have about 3,100 servers in 24 countries, and they are constantly improving and expanding their network. Though they do offer a 7-day money back guarantee, most people don’t take advantage of it because their service is extremely reliable and fast, and they cost less than just about any other provider. With an annual subscription, you can purchase their service for only $3.33 per month.
ExpressVPN- Read Review
ExpressVPN is not the absolute best offer when it comes to multiple simultaneous connections. However, what they offer remains a great service for multiple devices. This is how it works; one account allows 1 computer (Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chromebook), 1 mobile device (Android, iOS, or even Kindle Fire readers), 1 wireless network router (DD-WRT, Tomato, Sabai, or ASUS), and finally SmartDNS is included for consoles and AppleTV (XBox, Playstation, Apple TV). So, as you can see, if you need the service for multiple devices on different platforms, it’s perfect, but not so much if you have multiple devices on the same platform. It’s worth noting that a router can handle multiple computers, so that does solve the issue somewhat. Being that ExpressVPN has one of the most reliable, and performing services from the lot, they make a great choice if you can afford the slightly higher rates.
NordVPN – Read Review
NordVPN had to make the list of best VPNs for simultaneous connections since they offer more concurrent VPN sessions per account than all other reputable providers save one. They allow up to 6 simultaneous connections, which is enough to secure the majority of your devices. This also makes them great for families, so that each family member can secure their computer or mobile devices without needing to terminate a VPN tunnel at your router. With servers in 27 countries, a 30-day money back guarantee, and a low price point of only $4.00 per month, they are a fantastic option for users with a lot of devices to secure.
PureVPN – Read Review
PureVPN is our fourth pick for users who want to maximize simultaneous connections. Though one other provider on this list offers one more connection per account, we feel that PureVPN offers the most well-rounded service for their monthly cost. Not only do they allow 5 simultaneous connections per account, but they also have servers in more countries around the world than other providers. Currently they operate in 140 countries, and their service comes with a 7-day money back guarantee. And the best part is that their VPN tunnel is so affordable since you can get it for as little as $4.16 per month.
VPN.ac – Read Review
VPN.ac deserves an honorable mention on the list of best VPNs for simultaneous connections since they, like NordVPN, allow a staggering 6 concurrent connections per account. They use the latest, greatest, and strongest encryption protocols to protect your data and their servers are very reliable. Like other services, they have a 7-day money back guarantee. However, there are two small drawbacks. The largest drawback is that they only have servers in 16 countries, but they locate their servers in the most popular areas so users can unblock content such as Hulu, Netflix, and other gated content (like any other provider). The lesser problem is that they cost a little more per month than NordVPN, but the monthly increase in price is insignificant. In fact, you can get their service for $4.90 per month. That makes the monthly cost per device (when you use the service on 6 devices) a mere $0.82 cents.
TorGuard – Read Review
TorGuard is our last pick for users who want a high number of simultaneous connections, but the advantages of using TorGuard go well past being able to connect up to 5 concurrent devices. Because they are based out of Panama, they aren’t subject to coercion or influence from the US government – making even the most paranoid Internet users feel more secure. In addition, they operate 1200+ servers in 42 countries, so you have plenty of connection options to choose from and you don’t have to worry about burdensome capacity restraints. And last but not least, they only cost $5.00 per month (depending on which plan you choose), making the cost of securing each device only $1.00 per month when you secure all 5 devices.
