How to Setup NordVPN on Router – Complete Guide

NordVPN is definitely one of the most reliable VPN services you can get today. Understanding the increasing demand for security and privacy, the company has launched apps for most platforms as well. However, you sometimes need network-wide protection at home or in the office. In these instances, you might want to setup NordVPN on your router. Are you interested? This complete guide will help you set things up from scratch.

What Is a VPN Router?

Before I tell you the steps to set up and enable NordVPN on your Wi-Fi router, we need to talk about a device called a VPN router. Depending on the context, a VPN router may mean two different things.

• One could be a router that is connected to a VPN to ensure network-wide security and encryption. However, this support for VPN is often an additional feature.
• Two, in the case of a pre-configured VPN router, additional setup is not necessary. Instead, these custom-designed routers offer system-wide protection no matter which network you connect to.

As you can see, both options are great if you would like to protect all devices on your network with anonymity and encryption. However, depending on the VPN service that you rely on, you may have additional benefits as well.

Benefits of Using a VPN Router

Here are some no-nonsense reasons to use a VPN router.

• Comprehensive Coverage: A VPN router ensures that all devices connected to the network enjoy the benefits of privacy, anonymity, and encryption. You don’t have to toggle VPN services on individual devices every time you want to connect.
• Fewer Device Configurations: A router VPN removes the need to configure individual devices on a case-by-case basis. Because the VPN applies to the entire network, you can skip VPN apps on the PC, smartphone, tablet, etc.
• Extending Compatibility: Though smartphones and computers have VPN support, devices like smart TVs and many IoT devices still lack native VPN support. It may prevent you from accessing geo-locked content, for instance. By setting up a network-wide VPN, you get to solve this problem.
• Additional Security: As long as you use VPN services like NordVPN, you get additional security perks as well. These security layers work on top of the firewall/NAT your router comes with. So, if anything, a router VPN makes you less traceable.
• More Devices: Does your VPN service plan have a device limit? Well, with NordVPN, a router will be counted as a single device. That is, you can connect 10 or 30 devices to the router and enjoy access.

So, setting up a VPN at the router level is more advantageous than you may think. Now that you know what awaits you on the other side, we shall explore compatibility.

Most Popular NordVPN-Supported Wi-Fi Routers

First, we need to understand whether you have a Wi-Fi router firmware that works with NordVPN.

It’s easy because NordVPN works with any Wi-Fi router firmware that supports the OpenVPN protocol. We can’t provide you with a full list, but popular routers from the following brands will work fine with NordVPN.

• ASUS
• TP-Link

In my experience, mid-range and high-end routers from ASUS and TP-Link have a separate module for VPN setup that allows you to configure a service using OpenVPN. I will provide the steps for this task later. By the way, it does not mean that all other routers are incompatible with NordVPN at the router level.

Instead, you need to focus on the router firmware. According to NordVPN, you can set up the VPN at the Wi-Fi router level if the device uses one of the following firmware:

• ASUS Merlin
• DD-WRT
• Privacy Hero
• Roqos
• Gl.iNET
• Mikrotik
• NetDUMA
• OPNsense
• OpenWRT
• Padavan
• Sabai
• Tomato
• pfSense
• DrayTek
• EdgeRouter

Some firmware options on the list are from vendors like ASUS, but others are community-made. For instance, Tomato is a popular community-driven router firmware that gives you access to VPN and many additional options.

In short, if you have a Wi-Fi router running one of these firmware options, you can set up and use NordVPN without a hassle.

Routers Not Compatible with NordVPN

At this point, I should also mention routers that are not compatible with NordVPN. Here’s a common idea:

Routers that Internet Service Providers give you as a part of the plan don’t typically support VPN. If you think about it, the decision protects the interest of the ISPs. So, if you have an ISP-provided router from one of the following brands, you are out of luck.

• Arris
• Belkin
• Cisco
• D-Link
• Huawei
• Linksys (except WRT32X/WRT32XB AC3200)
• Nighthawk range routers (except in the case of DumaOS)
• Netgear
• TRENDnet
• Tenda
• TotoLink
• Ubee
• Orbi
• Spectrum
• Xfinity
• Eero
• Verizon
• AT&T
• FRITZ!Box

However, you always have the option of flashing another firmware on one of these routers. However, doing so may void the warranty or cause other issues between you and the ISP. Therefore, I recommend using the ISP-provided routers in bridge mode so that you can hook up a secondary router that you have set up a VPN on before.

VPN on Router vs. VPN on Device

Let’s quickly compare the two situations: VPN on the router and VPN on the device.

When you use the VPN on the router, you get to protect all devices connected to the wireless network. For instance, if you have set up a Germany-based server for the router VPN, all devices connected to the Wi-Fi network will have a Germany-based IP address. So, while this method offers convenience, you may not have custom control options on individual devices. Depending on the router firmware, enabling VPN options may be cumbersome, too.

When you use the VPN on the device, you have better control over how things work. The VPN will encrypt only the traffic from your computer or smartphone, leaving the rest of the network alone. You also get a few additional options, like split tunneling. The problem here is that your VPN service may have an upper limit of simultaneous devices you can connect. If you have a lot more devices, you might go past that threshold a lot faster.

How to Set Up NordVPN on Your Router

Now that you know what you are up against, I will tell you the steps to set up NordVPN on your router.

Preparation Steps

In this stage, you should confirm whether you have everything you need to proceed with.

Checking router compatibility with NordVPN

You can use the information below and the official NordVPN website to check whether your router can work with NordVPN. Though I said TP-Link and ASUS are mostly compatible, not all router models work with VPNs. It means you should check the model page. Essentially, search for words like OpenVPN.

Updating router firmware to the latest version

Once you confirm that your router indeed supports NordVPN, you must update the router firmware to the latest version. Router manufacturers constantly improve their firmware for security and performance. Both are essential when you set up a VPN on the router.

Obtaining NordVPN account credentials

Now that your router is ready for setup, you can obtain the NordVPN account credentials. The steps for this process may vary based on your server preferences. To set up,

• Log in to your Nord account and choose NordVPN from the sidebar.
• Scroll down until you find a link named Set up NordVPN manually under Advanced Settings.
• Go to the Server Recommendation tab and choose the server of your choice.
• After making this selection, head to the OpenVPN Configuration Files tab.

• On the next page, download UDP or TCP configuration files for NordVPN.

Keep these configuration files in an accessible location.

Setting Up NordVPN on a Compatible Router

At this point, you have all the files you need to set up NordVPN on your router. Here are the steps you need to follow at this point. I have provided the steps for TP-Link routers, and the process might vary based on the router model.

Accessing the router’s admin panel

First, you need to open the router’s admin panel. You first need to connect to the network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi and open the default router IP address. In most cases, the IP address would be 192.168.1.1. But make sure you check the router panel/packaging label for the correct credentials.

Once you log in, go to the VPN section on the sidebar menu. Alternatively, you can find this option under the Advanced menu.

Entering NordVPN configuration details.

Now, you have to enter the NordVPN configuration details to proceed. To start, click the Add button.

On the pop-up menu, enter all the necessary information. You can choose any name for the VPN but keep it identifiable for later reference. You should also provide the NordVPN username and password to proceed. Make sure you choose OpenVPN as the type of VPN.

After you have entered the details, click the Browse button and choose the configuration files you saved in the previous step.

Saving settings and establishing a VPN connection.

You can now press the Save button to proceed with the configuration process.

In this step, you can choose which devices will have access to the VPN. You might want to keep your essential devices out of this list. However, this list is always modifiable. So, if you change your mind, you can add new devices or remove existing ones.

Now that you have set everything up, you can press the Toggle button to give VPN access to the device.

From now on, all devices on that list will have access to NordVPN’s VPN service as long as the router is up. It also means you need to access the VPN page of the router dashboard to monitor and manage all your VPN connections.

Alternative Method: Using a Pre-Configured VPN Router

If you think the process is too complicated, you have an easy option: a pre-configured VPN router.

The Privacy Hero 2 VPN was created by NordVPN and NordLynx. It works with your NordVPN account out of the box, and the setup process does not take more than a few minutes. These routers also offer additional features like default ad-blocker and parental controls.

So, by paying almost double what you would for a typical Wi-Fi router, you get a lot of convenience.

Tips for Using a VPN Router

Here are some tips that can help you get the most out of a VPN router.

• You should pay more attention to server selection based on the system. If you are looking for an extra layer of privacy for your home or office, a server in your area is enough. However, if you want access to geo-locked content, you may want to choose something better.
• When you are using a VPN on the router, do not set up a VPN on the device. Of course, you may get an additional security layer, but you should also expect terrible speeds. This is not something you’d want to do while gaming.
• Sometimes, using a VPN-enabled connection might stop you from accessing some websites/features. So, I always recommend keeping two routers: one with VPN and another one without.

With these steps, you can continue using NordVPN on your Wi-Fi router without any hassle.

Conclusion

I have made this guide as comprehensive as possible, but I could not add all the steps for different firmware. However, the core steps will help you set up both TP-Link and ASUS routers, which offer built-in support for the OpenVPN protocol. Rest assured, the process is safe as long as you use a reliable option like NordVPN. It may not be a good idea to give unknown VPN apps access to your Wi-Fi network.