Private Internet Access (PIA) can be used with a router. However, router-based VPN connections may result in reduced performance due to hardware limitations. If you require a router-based setup, a device with AES hardware acceleration is recommended for better performance.
In most cases (excluding mesh network devices and modem-router combination devices), VPN tunnels can be configured on supported routers. To use the available setup guides, your router must support custom firmware installation.
Popular compatible firmware options include:
- DD-WRT
- ASUSWRT-Merlin
- OpenWRT
- pfSense
DD-WRT is an open-source router firmware that can connect to PIA. pfSense can also be used on gateway devices for VPN configuration. DD-WRT supports OpenVPN, which is the protocol we recommend whenever possible. Once the VPN is configured on a router, all devices on the network can use the VPN tunnel.
Before proceeding, check your router model against the supported device lists for each firmware:
- DD-WRT: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices
- ASUSWRT-Merlin: https://github.com/RMerl/asuswrt-merlin/wiki/Supported-Devices
- pfSense: https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/What_hardware_is_supported
- OpenWRT: https://openwrt.org/toh/views/toh_fwdownload
None of these firmware options is created or supported by PIA. We are not responsible for any issues that may occur when flashing router firmware. Use these options at your own discretion.
Setup guides are available for the following configurations:
- DD-WRT v44715 (OpenVPN Setup)
- LEDE 21.02.3 (OpenVPN Setup from Config File)
- ASUS-WRT (OpenVPN Setup from Config File)
- ASUS-WRT-Merlin 384.16 (OpenVPN Setup from Config File)
- pfSense 2.6.0 (OpenVPN Setup)
If you experience issues during setup, please contact support and include your router model, the issue encountered, and a screenshot of your configuration.