KotoVPN

Glossary

Router VPN

What is Router VPN?

Router VPN is running the VPN client on your router so every device on the network is covered without individual installation. It covers devices that cannot run a VPN client at all — smart TVs, consoles, IoT hardware — and uses only one connection slot.

Why it matters

It covers devices that cannot run a VPN client at all — smart TVs, consoles, IoT hardware — and uses only one connection slot.

What most explanations leave out

Consumer router hardware is usually too slow to encrypt at line speed, so throughput drops sharply. Stock ISP firmware is also all-or-nothing, though that is a firmware limit rather than a law of routers: Asuswrt-Merlin, OpenWrt and pfSense all support policy-based routing that sends chosen devices or destinations through the tunnel and the rest direct. Most people are still better served by running clients on devices and using the router only for what cannot.

Related terms

Split tunnelling

Routing some applications or destinations through the VPN while leaving others on your ordinary connection.

Referenced from

Questions

What is Router VPN?
Running the VPN client on your router so every device on the network is covered without individual installation.
Why does Router VPN matter when choosing a VPN?
It covers devices that cannot run a VPN client at all — smart TVs, consoles, IoT hardware — and uses only one connection slot.
What do most explanations of Router VPN leave out?
Consumer router hardware is usually too slow to encrypt at line speed, so throughput drops sharply. Stock ISP firmware is also all-or-nothing, though that is a firmware limit rather than a law of routers: Asuswrt-Merlin, OpenWrt and pfSense all support policy-based routing that sends chosen devices or destinations through the tunnel and the rest direct. Most people are still better served by running clients on devices and using the router only for what cannot.

Terms are defined here because they appear in our scoring rubric or in provider reviews, not to fill a glossary.