Best VPN Router for Small Business (DD-WRT or Tomato)

Security and anonymity gain somewhat increased importance when it comes to businesses and offices, don’t they? That’s the reason we thought it best to present you this list of the best VPN router for small business.

We’ve already covered other lists on best DD-WRT routers and cheapest DD-WRT routers. But this list is specifically dedicated to getting you the best VPN router for small business.

We’ve kept “security” the priority here while choosing these routers, but in no way is the range, or speed compromised. In other words, these are the best routers in the industry overall, with a special tint for small businesses.

Also, all of these routers are provided from Flashrouters, considering how security is a priority, you need upgraded protocols, which block all stock-firmware loopholes, that’s what a custom firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato provide. Not to mention the access to advanced and better features.

Best VPN router for Small Business

Considering you’re a small business owner, and a breach in your security or network would mean a fatal crisis for you; we wouldn’t expect you to compromise on the budget.

So, even though these routers aren’t exactly the cheapest routers, the difference between these and the cheapest ones isn’t ground-breaking either.

On the other hand, for just around $100 extra, the difference between the security and other features on these routers is extensive.

1. Netgear Nighthawk R9000 X10 AD7200 DD-WRT FlashRouter.

This is one of the latest VPN routers that support a custom firmware, DD-WRT to be specific, and it’s the most advanced router when it comes to custom firmware, icon-clad security and features.

Specs:

• Perfect for 20+ devices.
• Latest 802.11AD WiFi Standards.
• Processor: 1.7Ghz Quad Core
• 4 External antennas.
• 7 Ethernet Ports: 6LAN + 1 WAN
• 2 USB 3.0 Ports.
• PLEX Media Server supported (Only router in this industry offering this).
• Quad-stream (11ac+802.11ad).
• Beamforming+
• Link Aggregation
• RAM: 1GB DDR3
• Flash Memory: 512 MB.
• Supports MU-MIMO

There’s a reason this beast has dominated the #1 spot even on our list of the best router for home.

First of all, it’s the only router from Flashrouters, which is pre-flashed with DD-WRT, is pre-configured with any VPN of your choice, can be used out of the box, and is equipped with 802.11AD standards, instead of the 802.11ac.

The last point is what makes it different, unique, and massively powerful. 802.11AD is the latest Wi-Fi standard, which takes routers to the next level.

This standard doesn’t operate on the 2.4 or 5Ghz bands like other routers, instead uses a 60Ghz spectrum, which increases the throughput on the Netgear X10 AD7200 around 3 times as compared to other routers on the 802.11ac standards.

That’s what makes it literally the best VPN router for small businesses because speed isn’t something you’d want to compromise upon within your network, would you? So instead of the usual 1.3Gbps which is the max speed for the older standards, you get 4Gbps+ on the AD standards.

That’s why, the total throughput on the Netgear X10 AD7200 is 7200Mbps! One of the best throughputs existing in the industry and nearly three times any other router in this price-range.

The Processor too outperforms all other earlier leaders, getting us the power of 1.7Ghz and Quad core along with 1GB of RAM (DDR3) and 512MBs of Flash memory.

More than anything you’ll ever need to either run a custom firmware like DD-WRT or perform high resource consumption tasks such as file-transfers and device-sharing which are a common spectacle in an office space.

Its USB ports too have been made industry grade, eliminating the ancient 2.0 ports completely, and so both the ports boast 3.0 versions!

Then there’s Beamforming+ to talk of, not just any Beamforming but an advanced version, basically it greatly increases speed and stability by not scattering the signals in general directions like other routers, instead of sending them exactly where your devices are located.

Being arguably the best VPN router for small business, it expects a hoard of devices to be connected to itself, which would mean slower speed if it was any normal router.

But, with MU-MIMO technology which it’s equipped with, it makes sure all the devices are served simultaneously, without any one of them having to queue up, hence making it possible for them to reach their maximum speed potentials and no transmission delays.

Link aggression is another one of the features adding to its reputation as the best VPN router for small business, in an office or industrial space, wired connections aren’t that uncommon, with link-aggression, it lets us pair up two Ethernet ports together, hence doubling the speed on the connection.

Talking of Ethernet ports, unlike other routers with just 4-5 such ports, the Netgear X10 AD7200 offers as many as 7 of them, 6 dedicated to LAN, and 1 to WAN.

Did we mention it also boasts 4 external antennas which add to the overall speed and range of the router? Even though it was more than satisfactory without these, seems the team didn’t wish to leave any stones unturned.

Bottomline, it’s one of the most advanced, secure routers and it’s custom tailored to specifically cater to the needs of small businesses and high-resource demanding tasks.

2. Asus RT-AC5300 DD-WRT

After the Netgear X10 AD7200, this is the most feature-rich, secure and fast router that you can get your hands on, supporting over 15 devices, we believe it clearly fits the bills as one of the best VPN router for small business.

Specs:

• 15+ devices supported (Perfect for small businesses).
• High resource-consuming tasks, such as Gaming and 4K Video streaming handled with ease.
• Link aggression
• Tri-Band (1X 2.4Ghz / 2X5Ghz).
• RAM: 512 MB
• USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports.
• 8 External Antennas.
• MU-MIMO available.
• 11ac standards.
• Flash Memory: 128MB
• 1 WAN / 4 LAN Ports.
• Security: WPA Personal, Enterprise Mixed, RADIUS, WPA Enterprise, WPA2 Personal, WPA2, WEP, WPA2 Enterprise, WPA2 Personal Mixed.
• Processor: 1.4GHz, Dual Core.

This is probably the best router from Asus when it comes to Flashrouters. With tri-band support, its 2.4Ghz and Dual 5Ghz band pour in a throughput of 5300Mbps, just slightly short of what the Netgear X10 is offering.

Even then, it’s the highest throughput that the 802.11ac standard routers generally are seen offering.

It is equipped with as many as 8 external antennas, they’re placed in a 4X4 infrastructure, 4 antennas receive transmissions, and 4 transmit it.

There’s MU-MIMO technology as well, something I’d like to see in a router I’m vouching for to be one of the best VPN router for small business, simple reason being, it’s quite natural for a number of your employees to be connected to the router at the same time, and all of them needing their maximum speeds.

That’s what the MU-MIMO technology makes possible, simultaneous transmissions to and fro all devices, no queues to wait in.

Another one of the “not so common” but extremely important features, specially in the case of a router for small businesses is its link-aggression support.

You can have 1 Ethernet cable squeeze out double the speed and power by combining two LAN ports together, the boss gets his superfast speed.

Security, an aspect that can’t be ignored when it comes to businesses, again an angle that’s covered in its entirety by the Asus AC5300. It hosts all the known encryption protocols and algorithms from WEP to WPA-2 making sure no one’s breaching your network.

Both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports are available, the RAM is 512MB with 256MBs of flash memory and 1.4Ghz Dual Core processor. A powerhub to get all native router tasks such as copying and sharing files done in a fizzy.

In a nutshell, it’s one of the best VPN router for small business, just second in line after the Netgear X10 AD7200.

3. Asus RT-AC3200 AC3200 Tomato FlashRouter

This one’s not available with DD-WRT, instead is a Tomato lover. In case you’re oblivious to the difference, have a glance at our article on the difference between DD-WRT and Tomato Firmware.

Specs:

• 10+ Devices.
• Triband WiFi: 2.4/ 5Ghz + 5Ghz.
• USB Ports: 2.0 & 3.0
• Beamforming Available.
• MU-MIMO Technology
• Security: WPA2-Enterprise , 128-bit WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK ,64-bit WEP, Radius with 802.1x, WPA-Enterprise , WPS support.
• 6 External antennas.
• 5 Ethernet Ports: 1 WAN, 4LAN.
• TurboQAM available.
• Processor: 1 Ghz.
• RAM: 256MB
• Flash Memory: 128MB

Like the Asus 5300 which we just branded one of the best VPN router for small business, the Asus AC3200 too boasts tri-band frequency.

The three bands, i.e. 2.4Ghz and the Dual 5Ghz bands get us a throughput of 600Mbps + 1300Mbps + 1300Mbps which adds up to 3200Mbps.

TurboQAM is another feature which increases the speed of the spatial streams from 450Mbps to 600Mbps adding to the overall speed increase for the routers.

Beamforming without doubt is available, helping the router direct the signals directly towards the devices increasing speed, and stability.

The hardware configurations too are at par with other industry routers at this price-range, offering a 1Ghz dual core processor, 256MB of RAM, and 128MB flash memory.

MU-MIMO technology is another one of the attractions for the routers, considering how it’s almost a mandatory requirement for any router to be considered the best VPN router for small business.

Security encryption too isn’t compromised upon and is exactly the same as the Asus 5300.

It also is equipped with 6 external antennas to bridge any gap that may be left within speed or range of the router.

The one feature which it seems to be missing when compared to the earlier two routers is link-aggression feature, but well it’s priced at nearly half of those other routers as well so that balances things.

Bottomline, it has all the features, and connection capabilities any small business office-environment would need to keep your network up and running.

4. Linksys WRT3200ACM AC3200 DD-WRT FlashRouter

Even though it’s placed at #4 on this list as the best VPN router for small business, it shouldn’t in any way be considered a “ranking system”, because when it comes to features, it beats the Asus 3200 or even the Asus AC5300 in some aspects!

Specs:

• Supports over 60 devices.
• Vast range.
• Tri-Stream support.
• 8Ghz dual-core processor.
• MU-MIMO supported.
• 512 MB RAM/ 256 MB flash memory.
• 4 External antennas.
• Encryption protocols: WPA2 Personal, WPA2 Enterprise, WPA/WPA2.
• Dual Band: 2.4Ghz + 5Ghz
• USB 3.0 and 2.0 (Esata ports).
• Beamforming available.

The biggest weapon in the Linksys AC3200’s arsenal, making it a top contender in this race of being the best VPN router for small business is its Tri-stream feature.

What it does is, it doubles the bandwidth from 80Mhz which is default, to 160Mhz on all spatial streams, hence making it one of the fastest routers especially on the 5Ghz band.

With a 1.8Ghz processor and 512MBs of RAM, there’s very little the router wouldn’t get done with ease, unless ofcourse you’re trying to turn your office into the NASA command centre, it’ll handle everything pretty good.

Its 4 External Antennas too facilitate better speed and range, not to mention Beamforming feature which makes sure that the signal finds the devices instead of getting lost in oblivion.

MU-MIMO is available as well, making it a perfect companion to your office spaces and employees facilitating multiple connections without slowing them down.

It supports both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, as for encryption protocols, those are the same as any other router on this list of being the best VPN router for small business. You can read more about the protocols in detail on our Linksys AC3200 router review.

5. Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000 AC3200

This is the predecessor of the Nighthawk X10, although not as powerful, still packs a punch and is totally worth being taken up as one of the best VPN router for small business.

Specs:

• Tri-band frequencies: 1X2.4Ghz + 2X5GHz
• Smart connect available.
• 2 X USB Ports: 2.0 + 3.0
• RAM: 256MB
• Beamforming+
• Flash memory: 128 MB
• 6 external antennas.
• 11ac standards.
• Processors: Broadcom 1Ghz Dual Core.

Like most other routers on this list of best VPN router for small business, the Netgear X6 AC3200 too features a tri-band frequency, offering a single 2.4Ghz, and dual 5Ghz bands.

The total throughput adding up to 3.2Gbps, which I’d say is satisfactory for most offices.

In addition, it has smart connect which automatically connects your devices to the best band, making sure the bands are utilized properly and to their fullest extent.

It features 2 USB ports, one 2.0 and the other 3.0.

802.11ac standards include Beamforming+ as well, the advanced Beamforming from Netgear, along with 1GHz Dual-core processors, and 256MBs of RAM.

What Makes These Routers More Secure?

The title says –“Best VPN Routers for Small Businesses”. That is the answer by itself. Flashrouters (the company which flashes these routers with custom firmware) offers extended VPN support for these routers.

In other words, on the order page you get to select from a couple dozen VPN companies for your routers. Obviously you have to manually select the best and most affordable VPN for yourself and purchase it independently.

If you feel comfortable, you can enter the username and password for your VPN on the checkout page of the routers. If and when done, the router is shipped pre-configured with the VPN and can be simply plugged in and used without any further requirements. The page is SSL-secured and hence these details are pretty safe.

Although obviously it’s not the most assuring way, to just share login credentials via comments on a page. In which case, FlashRouter support staff also provides “remote configuration” of the VPN on your routers.

All in all, you’ll get a secure, VPN-protected VPN rather than the standard routers. Note that even if your VPN isn’t listed on the router’s purchase page, it still can be configured by selecting “Other VPN” option.

Bottomline, it’s cheap, fast, reliable and is pre-flashed and configured with a VPN of your choice.

How to choose the best routers for small businesses?

Use of a router for domestic activities varies considerably from that of a router for businesses.  So, how do you choose the best routers for business in 2020?

• 802.11ac standards: It’s 2020. Anything in the “N” range is long outdated. So make it a point to only go with routers supporting 802.11 ac standards.
• Security: All the routers mentioned above support the most secure firewalls, and obviously come with a VPN pre-installed. However, it pays to ensure that all the expected security protocols are available with your router. All of our router reviews explicitly mention the availability of these protocols (or the lack thereof).
• MU-MIMO: It’s one of the most advanced router-features in existence today. Choose a router with MU-MIMO if you wish to connect to multiple devices simultaneously without losing speed. But, due to MU-MIMO’s limitations, make sure you weigh the Pros and Cons of MU-MIMO before making it a decisive factor.
• Beamforming: It’s a nifty-feature, but the device movement in a business-environment is limited. So prioritize routers with beamforming, but do not be the driving factor for your decision.
• Dual WAN: If “Internet” is the crux of your business, it helps going with a dual WAN router, a plan B of sorts in case the main connection drops. However, not every small business needs this.
• Speed: Arguably, one of the most important features. Prioritize routers which support gigabit ethernet ports, link aggression and other speed-boosting features.
• Guest Network: Because it’s a router for your “business” and not a home router, you can’t just offer full access to any and everyone, right? The guest network lets you control access and keeps the primary network isolated.
• Think ahead: Never buy a router that you need “today”, rather, think ahead in time. What hardware and specs will you need 6-months from now? It’s better to spend a bit extra now as it’ll help you avoid having to buy a new router as your business grows.
• Power Over Ethernet: Depending upon the size of your business, you may wish to look for routers with PoE support. This would eliminate the need for you to place access points throughout various physical locations in your office or floor. The power is carried over the Ethernet cables which saves you quite the trouble.
• Proper ports: Being a business, it’s best to go with routers which offer at least one USB 3.0 port. You can easily share entire HDDs and other storage devices with your entire network.

There’s no “one router fits all”. It truly depends on your individual business and requirements. However, when in doubt, go with any of the routers listed above. They truly are the best routers for small businesses, period.

Final Words:

So let’s wrap this piece on the best VPN router for small business up, all I’ll say at this point is, if you’ve got the funds, go for the Netgear X10 AD7200, there can’t be a better alternative, or atleast the Asus 5300.

But in case you’re looking for a cheaper solution, the Asus 3200 does a pretty good job as well, infact the feature difference between any of these routers for small business (except the first two) isn’t much.

And each of these routers support VPNs, and can be pre-configured by the Flashrouters team when you buy them.

Either way, make your pick and let me know which router in your opinion is the absolute best VPN router for small business.