VPN router that supports WIFI as WAN ??

[KamFlyer]

Hoping someone has been down this road already so I don't have to reinvent the wheel.
We run an AT&T MIFI that is WIFI only; ie can't be hard wired.
Currently we connect it to a WIFI Ranger Spruce using WIFI as WAN. Or in other words, the WIFI Ranger acts like a WIFI repeater allowing both WIFI and wired devices to use the internet.
We just signed up with NordVPN so we can get content from back home which is not normally available in the US. This works great on most of our devices that support the NordVPN app. Unfortunately our Smart TV doesn't support NordVPN nor does the WIFI Ranger so I need to find a VPN Router that can support both NordVPN and WIFI as WAN.
Suggestions?
Thanks -Rob-

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

Hoping someone has been down this road already so I don't have to reinvent the wheel.
We run an AT&T MIFI that is WIFI only; ie can't be hard wired.
Currently we connect it to a WIFI Ranger Spruce using WIFI as WAN. Or in other words, the WIFI Ranger acts like a WIFI repeater allowing both WIFI and wired devices to use the internet.
We just signed up with NordVPN so we can get content from back home which is not normally available in the US. This works great on most of our devices that support the NordVPN app. Unfortunately our Smart TV doesn't support NordVPN nor does the WIFI Ranger so I need to find a VPN Router that can support both NordVPN and WIFI as WAN.
Suggestions?
Thanks -Rob-

pfSense. You will most likely need to roll your own firewall. There are others that are out there that you can do this with. Either that or create one in the cloud (I recommend Digital Ocean because of price), and use that as your proxy server to connect to your VPN.

You are asking a simple question that has a very complex answer.

As a former network engineer, there is no magic box that will perform the services of a proxy or firewall and connect to a VPN. You will have to dive into the world of open source firewalls.

 

[KamFlyer]

I think I found a solution that works. I had forgotten that I had an old GL-iNet Spruce travel router stashed away. They support OpenVPN and it was pretty straight forward to get it configured for NordVPN. I tethered it to the MIFI with the USB cable rather than WIFI as WAN for simplicity and tested it last night. It seems to be working quite well. The basic Spruce is pretty low power CPU wise but it will be pretty much dedicated to the smart TV so hopefully will be sufficient. The rest of our devices still hang off the WIFI Ranger.

 

[Casa_Woody]

Check out the MOFI routers. My 9191 has a NordVPN option. You may be able to put your AT&T sim in the router or plug the MIFI into the MOFI. I have not used the NordVPN option, so not sure how will it will work for you.

 

[MeredithHanson]

Install a VPN on your router? This is the first time I've heard of it. It seems to me that it makes no sense because if you want to keep your privacy on the network you can use other methods, simpler ones. For example, you can install a proxy server on your PC or phone that will mediate between your device and the requested site.

 

[Dana H]

I I had forgotten that I had an old GL-iNet Spruce travel router stashed away.

At the moment I'm using a GL-iNet Slate router that I use as a repeater for my internet connections (meaning I have 2 cells phone plans with 50GB each (free with our plan) and a 5GMiFi 10 GB (with carry over up to 2 months) all with T-Mobile.
So far this typically meets our needs.
I set the Slate as a repeater using one of the sources above.
Besides 2 LAN ports its has WIFI networks 2.4G & 5G plus guess networks.
The Slate also has VPN (with several choices Nord, OpenVPN and such) capability. And this works pretty good for our needs for connectivity.

With that said my son in law is helping us set up up a "tunnel" back to our home using a Raspberry Pi computer as a server along with the VPN that will give us greater connectivity with our internet and TV provider, Cox.
We have also upgraded the original TCL TV to a Samsung smart TV which make several more streaming options.
Our next trip out we will be testing the complete set with VPN & tunnel. Will update on our progress.

 

[uwskier]

I just set up a Gl-Inet Beryl router. $75 on Amazon. I tether using Visible. The Beryl runs OpenWRT, which lets you do interesting things with postrouting using IP tables... IYKYK

I VPN back to my server at home, which is on Gigabit Fiber.

Getting pretty good speeds this way. First true test will be streaming this upcoming weekend.

 

[msutoad]

I am a network engineer… This question as stated above is straight forward, or the ask/need is straight forward. The challenge is complex, tons of options and none really are “easy” or “fast” in the consumer market. Now some of that might not matter. If you are doing a VPN so you can get content from home, there are multiple ways to do that without needing a VPN, and there are multiple VPN types you can use too.
Depending on the performance you need, this will also play a role since most mobile or portable routers do not have the CPU to package each packet on the network with the encryption wrapper and then ship it off to the wire with any type of speed. I have T-Mobile 5G home internet for my RV. I get between 50-200 Megabits down, and 40-50 Megabits up at the places we normally travel to. Those are solid speeds, but when I have to VPN for work, I have an enterprise router (Cisco) that does it without issue, but its way expensive for personal use, so not advise. When I did it with a personal home WIFI router/VPN, I could only get 8Megabits upload, and 50 ish Megabits download, so a far cry worse than what I get without it.

You could consider doing a proxy server at your home, with port forwarding, and you could connect to a dynamic DNS entry which is free and get to your content at home, without the VPN performance hit if you wanted.

If you are happy with the configuration you have today and it is working well for you, no need to change or do anything differently. Sharing for awareness only no agenda or preference on this end .

 

[Elkhunter22]

We have used the MOFI unit for years works great and can be hard wired

 

[hjmichael]

I have a Pepwave Max BR1 pro 5G has vpn available, lan port and wifi as wan 2 sim slots one cell modem, not cheep, but for what we need works very well.
Doug at OnBoardWireless.com will help you 206-486-0116 [email protected]
Very robust router Pepwave has many more than this one, so if you talk to Doug he can help you if you want to go that route.