Use a Raspberry Pi as a VPN gateway
If you’ve read our recent feature on virtual private networking (see issue 334, p41), you’ll know all the benefits of routing your internet connection through a trusted VPN provider. Your online anonymity is protected, and using a server located in another country can also defeat geographic restrictions, allowing you to unlock extra content on Netflix, or sign up to US-only streaming services such as Hulu or HBO Max.
However, many VPN services support only a limited number of connections, and they don’t always work smoothly with devices such as Chromebooks, games consoles, smart TVs or set-top boxes.
One way around this is to set up your router to forward all traffic from your entire home network through a secure server. Not all routers support this, though, and even if yours does, there isn’t normally any way to set individual devices to bypass the VPN for maximum performance. Switching your virtual location can also involve some fiddly router configuration.
Advantages of a gateway
As you’ll have gathered, there’s a better way. Rather than connecting your router directly to the VPN, you can set up a separate wireless VPN gateway inside your home network. The gateway maintains its own connection to the VPN, and any devices connected to its wireless network will have their traffic forwarded through a secure server.
Like a router connection, this setup will work for any number of devices.
