How to install OpenVPN on your router?

Privacy basics

Do you want all your devices at home to be protected with a VPN? Then it is a good idea to install the VPN on your router. However, you first need to install DD-WRT on your router and your VPN provider has to offer a OpenVPN protocol for this to work. Hopefully, the guide above has helped you with installing a VPN on your router. Remember you can also buy pre-flashed routers which will save you a lot of trouble.

Why Would you Install a VPN on Your Router?

By installing a VPN on your router you protect all connected devices in one go.

A VPN protects all of your internet traffic by routing it through encrypted tunnels. Third parties aren’t able to see anything you do online when you use a VPN.

Moreover, you take on the IP address of your VPN servers, ensuring that your own IP address is hidden to the world. Your IP address allows websites you visit to recognize you and even track you if they wanted to. With a VPN this won’t be possible and you will be completely anonymous.

Finally, a VPN offers great freedom. Because a VPN allows you to connect to servers in many different countries, you can change your virtual location. You can pretend to access the internet from somewhere else. This way, you can bypass any geographical restrictions, whether it are restrictions on your favorite streaming site, or blatant censorship by your government.

Normally, you install a VPN on the device you want to use to access the internet. However, nowadays we use many different devices. To protect all your devices at home or work in one go, you can install the VPN on your router
Install a VPN on the DD-WRT

You have now flashed DD-WRT on your router and it will now be able to host a VPN connection. Congrats, the hardest part is done! Now, to install the VPN on the DD-WRT:

1. Login on your router (as you have done before, find the IP address and enter it into the address bar in your browser).

2. Go to “Setup” and then “Basic Setup”.

3. Go to the part that says “Network Address Server Setting” (DHCP) and fill in the DNS server addresses of your VPN provider and save these settings.

4. Turn off IPv6 (The use of IPv6 sometimes shows IP leaks).

5. Go to the section that says “Services” and click on the tab “VPN”. Turn on the OpenVPN client by clicking on enable for the part that says “Start OpenVPN Client”.

6. Now fill in the data of your VPN provider (e.g. NordVPN: Login, password, server address and VPN protocol type).

7. Copy the content of the certificate and the key file in the appropriate box.

8. As soon as you save the data with “Apply Settings” a connection will be made with the VPN server. All internet traffic now travels via the VPN server. To check if everything is done go to the tab “status” and the section “OpenVPN”.