Router that can reliably utilise VPN at 200Mbit/s

Bluecube · 21 Sep 2017 at 14:02

I’ll be moving to Virgin within a couple of months, probably to one of their 200Mbit packages. I’m well aware of Virgin's limitations so no need to inform me further

I want to use a router based VPN for privacy reasons, probably an OpenVPN link to a NordVPN server. Obviously I’d like to utilise the (theoretical) full bandwidth available to me but it seems that most consumer level routers aren’t powerful enough to do so. So the question is, what can? I’m aware of Mikrotik and also Edgerouters but can’t determine if they will do what I want of them. Ideally I’d like an all in one wifi capable router with around four Gigabit network ports.

BigT · 21 Sep 2017 at 14:20

I think probably all consumer level routers won't do this.

I've no experience of Mikrotik but a few on here whose advice I'd follow recommend them so could be a great choice.

Personally I think I'd probably be using a pfSense box myself and if you want something up to the job and all in one then it'd need to be the Netgate SG-2440 with a wifi card added on to act as the WAP. If you can forgo all in one then an SG-2220, a gigabit switch and a Ubiquiti access point will probably give better all round wireless performance and greater flexibility at a lower cost. Or build your own box for less than the cost of the SG-2220. It'll need an AES-NI compatible CPU for future proofing.

Avalon · 21 Sep 2017 at 14:51

If you have anything capable of running a docker/VM that's likely to give decent speeds then consider it. I don't generally advocate things like pfsense in a VM as it's not good practice, but with vt-d it can function at near line speed, depending on how seriously you take privacy a simple docker with VPN and proxy set-up may work for you without having to worry about passing hardware through directly or buying something that supports hardware acceleration etc.

Failing that the Mikrotik is probably the cheapest device for the job that can meet your requirements.

Bluecube · 21 Sep 2017 at 16:12

Thanks both for your advice. A VM is certainly something I’ll consider.

Avalon - is there a particular MikroTik Routers that you’d recommend. The range is vast and it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between routers and switches.

Avalon · 21 Sep 2017 at 17:48

RB750GR3 Hex is the weapon of choice at present. If you're expecting a nice cute UI and refined management then be warned the learning curve is a little steeper than consumer products and it's not as easy to work with as consumer grade hardware, but every review I've seen and everyone I know who's got one has been very happy with the VPN side of things.

In my case I have a 80/20 line profile so my requirements are lower, i'm running a Sab/Privoxy/VPN docker and a Deluge/Privoxy/VPN, each has a different end point (NL and US). I connect other devices via proxy and just change the port number to alter the end point. No leakage, near lime speed and flexible without requiring additional hardware.

DIABLO · 22 Sep 2017 at 15:31

A pfsense box is about the only thing that would do it reliably I think.

Steveocee · 22 Sep 2017 at 15:49

Mikrotik RB750 but make sure it’s the newer Gr3 version. They can do 450Mb encrypted throughput.

Narj · 27 Sep 2017 at 22:54

You'll be lucky to get consistent throughout that good on many subscriber services.

I use a Linode VPS which has something like 3TB allowance per month but it really depends on what you want the VPN for...

Avalon · 28 Sep 2017 at 11:16

Narj said:
You'll be lucky to get consistent throughout that good on many subscriber services.

I use a Linode VPS which has something like 3TB allowance per month but it really depends on what you want the VPN for...

While true of some cheaper VPS based providers, if you look at the support discussions for most of the better VPN providers who usually use dedicated hardware, you’ll often see people getting a lot more than 200mbit. It requires some form of hardware acceleration (historically pfsense with a suitable CPU), but it’s perfectly possible.