I finally decided to replace my old Linksys router and buy a new gigabit router with a built-in VPN – that's what most retailers call the feature, without specifying whether they mean a VPN client or a VPN server.
But in the device settings, these are fundamentally different functions: with a client, you can connect the router to an existing VPN, while a server is needed if you want to create such a VPN on the router itself. I'm interested in the first option, as I'll be setting up the router to connect to my own VPN, created on a virtual server following these instructions.
After some searching, I managed to find only one major seller – the orange one with three letters – whose website has advanced filtering for routers by VPN parameters, such as protocol and operating mode (client/server).
My selection criteria:
A VPN client is required, but a VPN server function is a plus
Support for the Wireguard protocol as the least resource-intensive; OpenVPN is also considered
High data transfer speed over VPN for a reasonable price
While there were no problems with the first two points and I immediately got a list of candidates for purchase, the third one turned into a whole quest. Router prices are available everywhere, but finding real information about speeds is extremely difficult.
In theory, if there are no bottlenecks in the communication channels, the speed of a router with an active VPN depends on its hardware and the protocol used:
the more powerful the router, and especially its processor, the higher the speed will be
on less resource-intensive protocols (Wireguard), the speed is higher
Trying to find any synthetic speed tests or at least real reviews, my list of several dozen devices shrank to just three models. One of them had a manufacturer's lab test, but even from that, it's hard to conclude how good these numbers are:
In short, there is very little data, so I decided to ask the Habr community for help to try to fill this gap. I'll start with what I already have.
Router speed tests when connected to a VPN
Router | WireGuard | OpenVPN | Note |
Keenetic Peak (KN-2710) | 450 Mbit/s1 | 200 Mbit/s1 | |
Asus GT-AX11000 | 548 Mbit/s, download | 164 Mbit/s, download | |
TP-Link ER707-M2 | 300 Mbit/s3 | 57 Mbit/s4 | For business, no built-in Wi-Fi |
Sources
1. https://help.keenetic.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005342025-VPN-types-in-Keenetic-routers
2. https://oasis-io.com/blog-video-router-vpn-comparison/
3. https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/658630
4. https://community.tp-link.com/en/business/forum/topic/622330?sortDir=ASC&page=3
Post your router model, its speed on Wireguard and/or OpenVPN, and the firmware name (stock, OpenWRT, DD-WRT, etc.) in the comments. The list will be updated as your reviews and other sources of information become available.
Important instructions:
How to set up a VPN on a router
To set up your own VPN server and connect a router to it, use these instructions.
How to test router speed
Option 1. Ideally, on a local network of at least one gigabit, you should set up a "Computer 1 – Router (VPN client) – Computer 2 (VPN server)" connection, and then test the data transfer speed between "Computer 1" and "Computer 2" using the Iperf3.
Option 2. Any other testing methods are also welcome (for example, the same Speedtest), but keep in mind that the results can be affected by your internet channel's bandwidth, the load on backbone provider networks, as well as the distance, channel, and load of the VPN server. If there is reason to believe that the router's speed is being bottlenecked by one of these factors, try (if possible) to perform the test using option 1.
Option 3. If you have performed similar tests before and can say what your router is roughly capable of, please share that as well.
How to support the idea
know any websites, forums, or social media groups with reliable data on the topic? Drop a link, and I'll aggregate it.
think the idea is important and useful, but don't use a VPN on your router? Send a link to this post to friends or acquaintances who are 'in the know'.