Why You Need a Wireguard VPN Travel Router

J Cache

• 1 min read
Why You Need a Wireguard VPN Travel Router
Photo by Jakob Owens / Unsplash

So everyone knows you need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection when traveling but not many people talk about what kind of VPN and how to connect. So I'm here to tell you that you need a Wireguard connection using a compact travel router as the secure gateway. Here is what you need for this setup:

  1. Wireguard VPN Connection: You could set up your own Wireguard server in AWS or DigitalOcean but you actually just need a VPN service that provides you with the raw configuration file (Check out Mullvad VPN here.).
  2. Travel Router: These are basically tiny little wifi repeaters or access points that have the capability of adding your own VPN configuration file. I use this one here.
  3. Internet Connection

Okay so you have your travel router and VPN connection subscription. Next step is to boot up the travel router and enter the IP address mentioned in the setup instructions. For the specific device referenced above it is: http://192.168.8.1. The device I linked to has a great GUI interface so from there find the link to "VPN configuration file" and upload the configuration file provided by your VPN provider.

This setup is great because you insert the travel router armed with the VPN configuration file directly into the LAN connection and use the travel router as your access point rather than the Airbnb or Hotel access point. This way you just need to connect to your own access point and you know you will always have a secure connection. No need to configure a VPN profile on each of your devices. In my experience and from a few friends who travel internationally, the speed and convenience of the connection are incredible. This setup is SUPER cheap too. Mullvad VPN gives you the option to buy service month to month for just $5.