DD-WRT has been rising in popularity for some time now, and people are taking advantage of its tremendous benefits to unleash the full power of their home routers. If you haven’t taken advantage of it yet because you don’t know how to install it, don’t worry. Installing DD-WRT is actually a pretty easy process and even technologically challenged people can do it. All you need are extremely basic computer skills and the ability to follow steps in a list. And the best part? With a couple caveats concerning the hardware resources on your router, upgrading to DD-WRT firmware will essentially transform your small office/home office router into a high-end business class router – for free!
One of the reasons that people love the DD-WRT software so much is for VPN use. After you have installed DD-WRT, you can actually make your router the endpoint of your VPN connection instead of your local computer. Not only will this save local computing resources such as CPU cycles and memory, but it will also extend the security and protection you get from your VPN account to all of the users connected to your network instead of only your personal computer.
That way everyone connected to your network can browse the web unrestricted and enjoy the benefits of encryption technologies. Plus, it will save you money. Instead of needing to purchase VPN accounts for multiple users on your network, you will only need to purchase one account. To top it all off, you even have control over which connected clients will have their data routed through the VPN connection. So you can differentiate between physically connected and wirelessly connected devices to fine-tune your VPN performance.
The Best Way to Take Advantage of DD-WRT VPNs
Arguably, the fastest and easiest way to implement a DD-WRT VPN solution is to purchase a router that is already preconfigured. It is becoming increasingly more common for VPN service providers to sell routers that are completely preconfigured so you won’t have to spend time setting things up. Essentially, if you opt for a preconfigured DD-WRT router, all you’ll need to do is plug in the power cable and connect it to your modem. It’s so easy you’ll fight back the urge to shout “presto!” The only downside to preconfigured routers is that shipping can be a little unfavorable if you don’t live near their distribution center. On the other hand, if your VPN service provider doesn’t sell preconfigured routers, many will work with their customers to help configure them before they send it to you. You’ll need to make an effort to talk to them and ask them do this, though. Ask not receive not, as they say.
VPN Support for DD-WRT
If you are worried that you don’t have the technical skills or configuration chops to setup your VPN connection on a DD-WRT router, don’t sweat it. DD-WRT is becoming so popular that most of the VPN service providers will provide detailed instructions on how to setup their service with a DD-WRT enabled router. It honestly isn’t too hard to do yourself, but it’s valuable to have these resources to lean on if you get stuck during the configuration process. However, take into consideration that some VPN service providers only offer guides that walk you through setting up a PPTP connection. Though PPTP is extremely easy to setup, you are better off using another VPN technology because there are stronger algorithms that PPTP. But if worse comes to worse, you can always contact your VPN service provider’s support department if you need help.
ExpressVPN – Full Review
Express VPN supports DD-WRT, and they have a detailed DD-WRT support page to help you with configuration steps. Their guide is so great that it really makes it difficult to botch a configuration, and their screenshots have been edited to highlight the fields where you need to enter your data. Furthermore, Express VPN is a fantastic service due to the wealth of features it provides. With servers scattered around the globe in 78 different countries and the numerous VPN protocols they offer, you would be hard-pressed to find a more flexible DD-WRT compliant VPN.
PureVPN – Full Review
Pure VPN also supports DD-WRT, and their how-to guide provides more than adequate screenshots to aid your configuration. Furthermore, this VPN provider offers so many VPN connections that it doesn’t matter if you are far away from home. You can always configure your DD-WRT VPN to connect to a VPN server in your home country. Think about it, you can configure your router so that your home network is essentially directly connected to your home country’s Internet infrastructure – no matter where you are in the world!
Private Internet Access VPN – Full Review
Not only does Private Internet Access do a fantastic job of providing screenshots and configuration steps on their website, but they also support a variety of operating systems outside the scope of DD-WRT if you want to use your VPN on multiple devices. With rock solid service, multiple operating system support, and detailed how-to guides, Private Internet Access is one of the best VPNs for DD-WRT.
IPVanish – Full Review
IPVanish also does a very good a providing DD-WRT setup instructions for their customers. Their guide is so good that even nontechnical users won’t have any trouble setting things up. If for some reason you do get stuck, though, you can always call their rock star support team. Support is available 24/7, and if you like having someone to talk to directly then you won’t be disappointed. Sometimes it’s nice speaking with a human being who can help you find the issue with your DD-WRT configuration.
VyprVPN – Full Review
Like the other VPN providers, Vypr VPN provides a detailed setup guide for DD-WRT. Because they are one of the top 5 DD-WRT VPN services, they naturally offer great support as well. After you submit a ticket, you will be contacted by one of their support representatives and their service is available 24/7/365 should you have any issues getting your DD-WRT VPN up and running.
In Summary
While you do have the option of using these providers exclusively on your DD-WRT router, understand that you have many other options. For example, what would you do if you left your home network? These 5 VPN providers do a fantastic job of supporting all of the major operating systems – and even some of the less popular ones as well. This will give you flexibility to use your VPN account on several different devices. Consider that if you are on the go, you could easily configure your router for remote management to disable your DD-WRT VPN on the fly. Then you could use that same account on your laptop or mobile device’s operating system. Ideally you would want a couple accounts, but it is possible if you want to save money. If you have a DD-WRT router or you are considering getting one, you would be wasting its power by not enabling a VPN tunnel for your entire network.
