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FlashRouters 10% Off July Special

July 12, 2013 by

FlashRouters is heating things up this summer.  We can use it too with all the rain in our neck of the woods.  To celebrate Independence Day in the United States FlashRouters is offering 10% off all refurbished routers.  That’s all well and good but aren’t we a little late?  Not really.  They are offering 10% off during the entire month of July.  To take advantage of the offer select any refurb router and enter coupon code 104july during checkout.

FlashRouters July Deals

FlashRouters customizes all their routers with either DD-WRT or Tomato firmware.  Enhancing the functionality of the device.  We use one of their Asus RT-N66U Dark Knight routers to protect our entire home network with a single IPVanish VPN account.  We’ve also successfully tested Hide My Ass and OverPlay on our network.

Here’s a look at some of the refurbished routers on sale this month:

  • Asus RT-N66U – $229 (regularly $279)
  • Asus RT-AC66U – $249 (regularly $299)
  • Asus RT-N12 – $79 (regularly $99)
  • Linksys E4200 – $189 (regularly $229)
  • Linksys E1200 – $79 (regularly $99)
  • Linksys E1000 – $59 (regularly $99)
  • Netgear WNDR4000 – $179 (regularly $199)
  • Netgear WNDR3700 – $129 (regularly $149)
  • Netgear WNR3500L – $99 (regularly $129)
  • D-Link DIR-825 – $129 (regularly $179)
  • D-Link DIR-632 – $99 (regularly $129)

With a DD-WRT or Tomato router you gain the ability to securely route devices that wouldn’t otherwise natively support VPN connections.  With these routers anything that passes through can be encrypted.  That includes Roku, PS3, Xbox 360, network media players and more.  Visit Flashrouters to save 10% off with code 104july.

Filed Under: VPN Routers

OpenVPN Routers for IPVanish

June 10, 2013 by

June 13th update – FlashRouters is currently offering a discount on their Asus RT-N66U router flashed with Tomato firmware.  We run the same router and it’s great!  You can have FlashRouters pre-configure the router for IPVanish.  Including support for OpenVPN connections.  Visit their latest deals page for more details.

We were excited to hear about the latest addition to FlashRouters line up of DD-WRT and Tomato routers.  They have partnered with a number of leading VPN services to pre-configure devices for VPN access.  Working with companies like IPVanish, Hide My Ass and OverPlay to integrate their services.  They now support OpenVPN setup for IPVanish.  Allowing members to protect their entire home network with a single VPN account.

IPVanish OpenVPN routers

Let’s take a look at some of the devices FlashRouters has available for IPVanish customers:

  • Cisco Linksys E1200, E3000 and E4200
  • Netgear WNDR3700, WNDR4000
  • Asus RT-N16, RT-N66U
  • D-Link DIR-825

We’ve tested Cisco and Asus devices from FlashRouters.  Originally using a Lnksys with DD-WRT firmware.  Now we’re running an Asus RT-N66 Dark Knight router with Tomato firmware.  The performance is excellent.

Why rely on a router for VPN access?  You don’t have to but it definitely has it’s advantages.  For starters you can protect your entire network with a single VPN account.  Every connection that passes through the router is encrypted.  No need to set up VPN on your mobile devices or tablets for home use.  It also extends encrypted access to game consoles, network DVD players and other devices that might not otherwise support VPN.

IPVanish is a leading online privacy service with over 100 servers across 43 countries.  They support OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP protocols.  With their own tier-1 network they offer great performance.  Members enjoy unlimited access and up to two simultaneous connections for just $10 a month or $77 a year.  We use one connection for our router and the other for our laptop or mobile devices when away from home.

Filed Under: VPN Routers

Testing the Dark Knight of VPN Routers

February 22, 2013 by

We’ve been eyeing the Asus RT-N66U “Dark Knight” router for some time now.  Impressed by it’s power and wireless range.  Not to mention the RT-N66U will run on custom DD-WRT and Tomato firmware.  Adding some nice extra features like support for OpenVPN connections.  Fortunately our friends over at FlashRouters.com offer the Asus RT-N66U flashed with Tomato firmware.  So we didn’t have to chance bricking a nice router.

FlashRouters Dark Knight

This isn’t our first FlashRouters device but we noticed some new options when ordering the Dark Knight router.  For starters we were able to have the device pre-configured with an OpenVPN connection.  The router supports PPTP connections for a lot of services.  Along with OpenVPN connections for HMA, OverPlay, StrongVPN and Astrill.  We used a Hide My Ass OpenVPN connection to test the new router.

HideMyAss OpenVPN Connection

We had the router pre-configured to connect to a VPN server in the United States using an OpenVPN connection from HMA.  The process was seamless.  Once we connected the new device to our network and synced it with out cable modem the router took care of the rest.  Connecting to HMA and providing our entire network with encrypted access through the router.  Here’s a screenshot of the OpenVPN client configuration.

HMA OpenVPN connection

As with all our VPN reviews we decided to test the performance using speedtest.net.  First with an OpenVPN connection through the HMA Pro VPN client.  Then with the same connection made through the Asus router.

OpenVPN Speed Tests:

  • HMA Pro VPN Client OpenVPN – 12.79 Mbps download, 3.84 Mbps upload
  • FlashRouters HMA OpenVPN – 10.31 Mbps download, 2.40 Mbps upload

As you can see the router was slightly slower at tunneling the traffic but not by much.  We could easily stream Netflix, Hulu and YouTube videos through the VPN connection on the router.  Even from our non-VPN devices.

Remember that one big advantage of a VPN router is the ability to securely route devices that wouldn’t otherwise natively support VPN connections.  With a VPN router anything that passes through will be encrypted.  That includes Roku, PS3, Xbox 360, network media players and more.  You can visit Flashrouters for more details.

We’re more than pleased with our new router.  Thanks to the FlashRouters team for the custom firmware and excellent customer service.  If you’re considering a VPN router then definitely check out their selection.  Flashrouters carries a wide range of brand name routers flashed with custom DD-WRT or Tomato firmware.

Filed Under: VPN Routers Tagged With: ,

Sabai Router Review : Sabai OSv5

February 12, 2013 by

We recently upgraded our Cisco Linksys E3000 router from Sabai OSv4 to the newly released Sabai OSv5.  The upgrade process was a breeze.  Taking less than 10 minutes to update and reset the router.  We were immediately reconnected to our network.  After quickly receiving a new activation code we were able to once again enjoy the advanced features of the Sabai router.  Including VPN, gateways and port forwarding.

This isn’t our first time using a Sabai router.  We actually had our first experience with Sabai Technology in 2011.  After a nice chat with the owner, William Haynes, we tested their custom Tomato firmware and have been a fan of VPN routers ever since then.  Last year brought Sabai OSv4 which had some nice innovative features built-in.  Adding support for port forwarding and allowing users to set up a dual gateway.

Let’s take a look at the new interface design in Sabai OSv5:

Sabai OSv5

Those familiar with the layout of OSv4 won’t be lost at all.  You still have the same basic layout in OSv5.  With a cleaner look and feel.  The Network tab still includes your PPTP and OpenVPN connections.  Along with Gateways and Port Forwarding.  Sabai changed the name from dual gateway to gateway because those running their accelerator product can actually set up a tri-gateway now.

Sabai OSv5 Performance Review

Now that we had the firmware up to date it was time to fire up some VPN and see how the router performs.  First we’d like to note that new Sabai customers won’t have to bother with upgrading to OSv5.  As the new OS comes standard on all their routers.  Now back to the testing.  First we tested without connecting to a VPN.  Then we connected to IPVanish through their client.  Finally connecting to IPVanish thru the Sabai router.

Here are the results of our VPN performance testings:

  • Speed without a VPN connection – 45.50 Mbps
  • Speed with IPVanish client software – 35.71 Mbps
  • Speed with IPVanish thru the router – 27.97 Mbps

As you can see we were able to achieve good performance through the Sabai E3000 router.  It was a bit slower than connecting through the IPVanish client directly but that’s to be expected.  If you want maximum speed then consider Sabai’s VPN accelerator product.  For us the speed was more than acceptable.

New Features in Sabai OSv5

The first thing we noticed about Sabai OSv5 was the new interface design.  There wasn’t anything functionally wrong with the design of OSv4 but the new design is better on the eyes.  The same features are available in OSv5 with some major improvements.  First you have a number of new OpenVPN configuration options.  Along with enhancements to the Gateway feature and improved stability for those running Sabai’s VPN accelerator.

Let’s take a quick look at the expanded OpenVPN capabilities in OSv5:

  • Sabai routers are now compatible with:
  • VPN providers who offer a unified .ovpn file with inline certs, keys and passwords, such as StrongVPN.
  • VPN providers who offer an array of external files such as .certs and .keys, usually in a zip file.
  • VPN providers who offer either a single .ovpn file or an array of files and require a username/password.

As you can see Sabai put a lot of effort into their new OSv5 release.  We hope you’ve found our review helpful.  You can visit SabaiTechnology.com to learn more about OSv5 and check out their full line of VPN routers.

Filed Under: VPN Routers Tagged With: ,

Sabai OSv5 and New Routers

February 5, 2013 by

Big news from our friends over at Sabai Technology.  Those of us who already enjoy their VPN routers will want to consider upgrading to the latest Sabai OS.  The new Sabai OSv5 boasts a new interface design and improved gateway feature for better overall user experience.  Existing customers can get OSv5 by purchasing a year of Sabai Freedom Support.  They also have a full lineup of new routers from Linksys, Asus, Netgear and Belkin.

Sabai OSv5

As we mentioned above the new Sabai OSv5 comes with a new look and feel as well as some new features like support for dual band for Linksys E44200 customers.  Those who purchased an E4200 in the past are even eligible for a free upgrade.  Look for an email from Sabai if you fall in that category.  Otherwise the new OSv5 will see more use of the gateway feature (previously referred to as dual gateway).  Now users with their VPN accelerator will be able to create a tri-gateway.  They promise more news on that topic soon.

Along with the launch of OSv5 the team at Sabai Technology is releasing a new line of router models with some nice introductory discounts.  Here’s some of the deals we noticed.  Prices include the new Sabai OSv5.

  • Linksys E4200 (with dual band support) – $189.99 (normally $209.95)
  • Linksys E3200 – $164.99 (normally $184.99)
  • Linksys E2500 – $119.99 (normally $139.99)
  • Asus RT-N66U – $279.99 (normally $299.99)
  • Netgear WNR3500L – $159.99 (normally $169.99)
  • Belkin Share E300 – $99.00

Read our Sabai review to learn more about their routers or visit SabaiTechnology.com to save on a VPN router.

Filed Under: VPN Routers Tagged With:

2012 VPN Year in Review

January 1, 2013 by

Since the world didn’t come to an end on December 21st we thought we’d share some of the highlights we’ve noticed following the VPN industry throughout the year.  First a heartfelt thanks to all those involved in making the online world a safer place.  We appreciate all your efforts.  While we’ll be sharing some of our favorite’s from 2012, there are hundreds of VPN services and team members working to help protect users online privacy.

2012 VPN Year in Review

The Year of Growth

It would be an understatement to say that 2012 saw growth in the VPN space.  We receive requests each and every week from new services and those wanting to learn more about the industry.  Just how fast is VPN growing?  Last January we had around 150 VPN services listed on VPNSP.  That seemed like quite a few at the time.  Now the list is up to 300 with more to come.  It’s hard to guess how many companies we’ll end with in 2013 but we welcome them all.  Competition is good as long as you do your homework.

With well over 300 VPN providers to choose from it’s easy to get lost in the giant list of options.  We thought the same thing when their were 150 services and now you can multiply the confusion.  We work hard to provide you with quality reviews but please don’t stop there.  Take a close look at our speed tests and compare them with your own results.  Before signing up check out the provider’s money back guarantee.  Then test the service hard for the first few days.  Connecting to various locations and testing your desired online services and applications.

Network Expansion

The year also saw rapid growth from leading VPN companies like Hide My Ass.  HMA started the year with 210 servers and ended it with over 325.  Along the way they also added 15 new countries and more than 15,000 IP addresses.  IPVanish is another 2012 success story.  The service grew to cover 28 countries and over 62 servers by year end.  That would be a fine accomplishment on it’s own but IPVanish is also consistently the fastest VPN provider in the U. S. and Europe.  We anticipate continued growth from both services in 2013.

DNS Services

We always keep an eye on new offerings from leading providers.  That includes companies like OverPlay and StrongVPN.  Overplay has been offering SmartDNS and Strong is beta testing their new StrongDNS service.  These new DNS offerings will help users access online services without the extra overhead of encryption.  While they aren’t meant to secure your connection they are handy for accessing sites and services located in other areas of the world.  We would expect to see a lot more growth in this area in 2013.

Mobile Apps

This year we saw several providers working to develop mobile apps for both iOS and Android devices.  Testing from an iPhone, Galaxy S3 and Nexus tablet gave us a good chance to see all the new apps.  Most the apps we tested were best suited for early adopters.  With some technical bugs and UI misses.  Yet as the year went on we saw more polished results.  Services like ExpressVPN, VPN One Click, VyprVPN and ibVPN made strides in mobile this year.  We look forward to continued mobile app innovations in the year to come.

There were some other notable additions in 2012.  We saw a focus on expanding payment options for customers.  With more emphasis on anonymity.  With the rise of Bitcoin from services like Private Internet Access.  We also saw more interest in VPN routers.  With companies like Sabai Technology and FlashRouters leading the way.  Partnering with VPN services to better protect home and business networks.

Cheers to everyone who helped improve users online privacy and anonymity in 2012.  We look forward to 2013!

Filed Under: Privacy News, VPN Clients, VPN Routers, VPN Services Tagged With:
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