What is a virtual router, and why should you care?

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What is a virtual router, and why should you care?

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Using the best VPN can bring endless benefits – but what if you want to use a VPN on a device that doesn't natively support them?

The quick answer to that is to fix up a virtual router. However, this little-known bit of tech might audio intimidating, so here we'll be answering the question of what is a virtual router, and running downwardly why yous might want to set i upward, what you lot tin can use it for, and what you demand to do it. Let's become correct into it.

What is a virtual router?

We all know what a router is – in layman's terms it'due south a device that allows any device with a networking adequacy to connect to the Internet. A virtual router is the term for when you turn your desktop or laptop PC into a router itself.

Past doing this, other devices can connect to your PC, much like a mobile hotspot on your smartphone. The biggest bonus is that by setting your PC up as a virtual router, you can share VPN connections with devices that can't have VPN software installed directly – which includes game consoles, Roku, some Smart TVs, Apple Television set, and other older devices that you've still got in activeness.

This is done past firing upwardly a VPN on your PC, and then connecting your other device to the network your PC is sending out rather than to your normal router. Your PC acts as a become-between, layering on VPN protection for devices down the chain to do good from.

To find out exactly how to set one up, bank check out our guide on how to set up a virtual router and follow the steps.

Why do I demand a virtual router?

The principal reason for using a virtual router with streaming devices like Roku is to access geo-blocked content. With a streaming VPN this is super simple to do on more avant-garde devices similar smartphones and PCs, only for more basic products a virtual router is essential.

By setting your Netflix VPN-enabled virtual router to a certain location – let's say the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland when you're really in the US – you lot can access different media on sites like Netflix, and as well access totally blocked sites like BBC iPlayer when you're out of their service expanse.

This hugely enhances the usefulness of dedicated streaming devices, and can make your streaming subscriptions become a lot further with very little endeavor.

It's worth noting that setting up a router VPN can exercise a like chore – and doesn't crave you to use a PC as a go-between – simply it's a lot harder to change location, setup can be intensive, and you may need to buy a new router. A virtual router allows you to change location at a moment'southward observe, in the aforementioned mode y'all ordinarily would when using a VPN on your PC.

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What exercise I demand to fix upward a virtual router?

All y'all need is a VPN subscription (we commonly recommend ExpressVPN for this kind of use as in our testing it's proven to be the most reliable for content unblocking), a PC, and the device y'all want to share your connection with. And, of course, nearly ten minutes of your time.

What tin can I utilise a virtual router for?

As we previously mentioned, the most popular reason for using a virtual router is to let VPN connections to be used past devices that don't support VPN natively. That might be for unblocking regional Netflix content, only that's non the only reason.

Many people apply devices similar their PlayStation every bit their chief Cyberspace browsing device. While yous tin utilize something chosen Smart DNS to admission different content on PS4 and PS5, that doesn't provide the anonymity a true VPN does. All the same, connect your game panel to a virtual router with a VPN active, and you lot'll have all the anonymity and security benefits a VPN can provide equally well.

What is a virtual router – in a nutshell

Setting up a virtual router on your PC allows your estimator to become a router itself. This is the easiest mode to share VPN connections to devices that don't back up VPN natively, and allows you to access geo-blocked content on whatsoever device you lot own. It can besides enhance the security of these devices, and is much simpler than setting up a VPN directly on your router.

Which VPN do we recommend?

• Stay protected on iOS with the all-time iPhone VPN

Mo is VPN Editor at Tom's Guide. Twenty-four hour period-to-twenty-four hour period he oversees VPN, privacy, and cybersecurity content, and also undertakes contained testing of VPN services to ensure his recommendations are accurate and up to date. When he's not getting stuck into the nitty-gritty settings of a VPN y'all've never heard of, you'll find him working on his Peugeot 205 GTi or watching Peep Show instead of finally putting up those shelves.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/features/what-is-a-virtual-router

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