Published on: January 26, 2025 Updated 2 times since publishing
- 🥇 ExpressVPN : Comes with a native router app that you can easily install on a compatible router, which you then later hook up to the eero router. Maintains super-fast speeds, has excellent streaming and P2P support, provides high-end security, and backs all plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users.
eero routers don’t natively support VPN connections. This means you can’t manually configure a VPN connection on an eero router like you normally can on other router models and firmware, like DD-WRT, Tomato, or Asus.
However, there is a way to use a VPN on your eero router. You’ll need to get a second router, set up the VPN on it, and then connect it to your eero router. You’ll also need to enable bridge mode on your eero router — this tells the eero router to pass on traffic from the second router, meaning it will route the encrypted VPN traffic.
I discuss how to do that in this article and cover the best VPNs for eero routers. My top pick is ExpressVPN since it’s one of the only providers with a native router app that you can easily install on the router you hook up to your eero router. Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best VPNs for eero Routers
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for eero Routers in 2026
Basic 12-Months plan: $3.99 / month
1-month plan: $12.99 / month
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for eero routers, as it’s one of the only VPNs with a router app. So, you can easily install and use it on the router you connect to your eero router. ExpressVPN is actually the best VPN for routers in 2026.
The provider’s router app is compatible with popular router brands and models, including Netgear, Asus, and Linksys. To install the router app, you just need to download the firmware on your computer and then upload it to your router. All in all, the setup process should take about 10 minutes, and ExpressVPN also provides access to helpful step-by-step guides.
ExpressVPN also supports manual setup on routers via the OpenVPN protocol. It’s compatible with many popular router models and firmware, including DD-WRT, Tomato, and Sabai. If your budget allows, you can also buy ExpressVPN Aircove, which is a router that comes with the VPN pre-installed on it. This is very convenient, as you don’t need to install the router app — you just have to connect the Aircove router to your eero router.
The router app includes a Device Groups feature. It’s very convenient, as it lets you split your Wi-Fi-connected devices into groups — ones that use ExpressVPN and ones that don’t. What’s more, you get a lot of control, as you can connect different groups to different VPN server locations.
The router app comes with Advanced Protection, which is a feature that blocks malicious sites, blocks ads and ad trackers, and even includes some parental controls since it allows you to block adult sites. Even more convenient, the feature works even if you’re not connected to ExpressVPN.
ExpressVPN provides excellent overall value. It has the fastest speeds on the market, it works with 100+ streaming websites, it has servers in 105 countries, and it allows torrenting on all servers.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is the best option for eero routers on the market. It has a native router app that you can easily install and use on the router you connect to your eero router. What’s more, the router app is easy to use and comes with a split-tunneling feature and ad-blocking capabilities. And ExpressVPN is also very secure, super fast, and excellent for streaming.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great for Streaming on eero Routers
6-month plan: $7.50 / month
1-month plan: $11.95 / month
Private Internet Access (PIA) has strong streaming support. It also supports manual router setup via OpenVPN on many popular router brands and firmware, such as Asuswrt, Asuswrt-Merlin, and DD-WRT. It also provides access to step-by-step guides that help you easily and quickly set up the VPN on the router you plan on connecting to your eero router.
I think PIA is great for streaming since it lets you manually set up its dedicated streaming servers on the router you plan on hooking up to the eero router. The VPN has streaming servers in 10+ countries that are compatible with 30+ popular streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.
On top of all of that, PIA has servers in 50 countries — this helps you maintain fast speeds, as it makes it very easy to connect to a nearby server. In addition, the provider also allows torrenting on all servers.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access (PIA) is great for protecting your privacy and enjoying streaming on eero routers. It allows manual router setup via OpenVPN, and you can use its streaming servers on your router, which provide access to 30+ top streaming sites.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
🥉3. NordVPN — Compatible With Tons of Routers
Plus 24-month plan: $3.59 / month
Complete 24-month plan: $3.99 / month
Prime 24-month plan: $6.99 / month
NordVPN supports manual OpenVPN setup on 15+ router models and firmware. The list includes DD-WRT, Tomato, Asuswrt-Merlin, Asuswrt, TP-Link, EdgeRunner, GL.iNet, and more. It also allows IKEv2/IPSec setup on certain routers, which is great since IKEv2/IPSec is much faster than OpenVPN.
I’m also really happy with NordVPN’s router setup guides. They’re very easy to read since the content is structured in a user-friendly way (the tutorial steps are numbered). What’s more, it’s great that almost all tutorials come with helpful screenshots.
If you’re not on a tight budget, you can also buy a Privacy Hero router from FlashRouters that comes pre-installed with NordVPN on it. In addition to convenience, the router ensures you’ll get the fastest speeds — it comes pre-configured with NordVPN’s proprietary NordLynx protocol, which is very fast since it’s based on WireGuard.
NordVPN has servers in 149 countries, and it works with 10+ popular streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Netflix (it also works with 30+ Netflix libraries). What’s more, NordVPN supports torrenting on servers in 95+ countries, making it one of the best VPNs for torrenting on the market.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN provides great router compatibility since it allows manual router setup via OpenVPN on 15+ router models and firmware. It also supports IKEv2/IPSec setup on certain models, and you can even buy a NordVPN-configured Privacy Hero router that uses NordLynx, which is very fast.
4. Surfshark — Good Pick for WireGuard Router Configurations
One 24-month plan: $2.49 / month
One+ 24-month plan: $4.19 / month
Surfshark is one of the few VPNs that allows manual WireGuard setup on routers. Using a WireGuard configuration on the router you plan to hook up to your eero router is better than setting up an OpenVPN connection. That’s because WireGuard is much faster than OpenVPN and just as secure.
With Surfshark, you can perform a manual WireGuard setup on over 5 router models and firmware. This includes TP-Link, DD-WRT, Asus, and OpenWrt. If you’d rather use an OpenVPN connection, Surfshark supports manual setup via the protocol on Asuswrt, OpenWrt, Tomato, Sabai, Synology NAS, pfSense, GL.iNet, and more.
It’s a shame that Surfshark doesn’t have a native router app like ExpressVPN, but its manual router setup guides are still easy to follow. Plus, Surfshark provides great value — it has servers in 100 countries, it’s very secure, it’s really fast, it allows torrenting on half its servers, and it works with 50+ top streaming services.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark supports manual router setup via WireGuard, which is a very fast VPN protocol. In addition, it has easy-to-follow router setup guides, and it also provides strong security, excellent streaming and torrenting support, and fast speeds.
Read the full Surfshark review
5. CyberGhost VPN — Great for Gaming on eero Routers
6-month plan: $6.99 / month
1-month plan: $12.99 / month
CyberGhost VPN is a great VPN for gaming on routers. It has dedicated gaming servers that you can set up on the router you want to connect to your eero router. Its gaming servers are located in 4 countries (the US, France, Germany, and the UK), and they’re optimized to provide stable ping and fast gaming sessions.
The provider supports manual router setup via OpenVPN on several router models and firmware — the list includes DD-WRT, TomatoUSB, Synology NAS, and Raspberry Pi. I also like how its setup guides are very straightforward.
CyberGhost VPN also has streaming servers that are compatible with 50+ streaming platforms. Unfortunately, you can’t set up these servers on a router, which is a huge shame. If you want to use a VPN for streaming via eero routers, try ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access instead.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN is a great pick for gaming via an eero router. The VPN has gaming servers that you can easily set up on the router you plan on hooking up to your eero router. What’s more, the VPN maintains fast speeds, and offers great security.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Editor's Note: Intego ONE, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company.
Quick Comparison Table
Editor's Note: Intego ONE, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company.
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
I used our proven testing methodology when I considered which VPNs to add to this article. I mainly prioritized VPNs with good router support, helpful setup guides, strong security, and fast speeds. Here’s a more in-depth look at the exact criteria I used:
- I only picked VPNs with great router support. To use the VPN on your eero router, you’ll need to set it up on a different router, which you then connect to the eero router. So, I only ranked VPNs that support manual setup on many popular router brands and firmware, like DD-WRT, Asus, and TP-Link. ExpressVPN, my #1 pick, even has a router app that you can easily install and use.
- I prioritized VPNs with good router setup guides. Setting up a VPN on a router isn’t super-complicated, but it’s not very simple either. So, I only added VPNs to my list that provide access to helpful step-by-step router setup guides.
- I made sure all the VPNs on my list provide fast speeds. I ran speed tests on all of the VPNs I ranked on my list to ensure they provide smooth browsing, streaming, downloading, and gaming. ExpressVPN provided me with the fastest speeds.
- I only added secure VPNs to my list. I made sure to only rank VPNs that have essential security features, such as 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, and DNS leak protection. All of my top picks also have advanced security features, like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy.
- I also looked at the overall value. I only added VPNs to my list that have affordable plans and generous refund policies. In addition, they provide great overall value since they have huge server networks and great streaming and P2P support.
How to Set Up a VPN on an eero Router
Before you start, make sure you’re subscribed to a VPN with good router support (any of the VPNs on my list will do). After that, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Connect a second router to your eero router. Make sure the second router runs firmware that’s compatible with VPNs, like DD-WRT, Tomato, or Asuswrt.
- Activate bridge mode in your eero router. This might vary depending on your eero router model, so I recommend checking eero’s support guides to learn how to do this. Normally, you’d just have to open the eero app, go to Settings > Network settings > DHCP & NAT, and change the option from Automatic to Bridge.
- Set up the VPN on your second router. I can’t provide step-by-step guides here since the setup process varies from router to router and can also differ based on the VPN you’re using. It’s best to check your VPN provider’s support guides to find out how to do this.
- Save the settings and restart the second router. Once the router restarts, it should be connected to the VPN.
- Check that everything is running well. By this, I just mean checking that all the VPNs connected to your eero router are actually using the VPN. I recommend running a leak test to make sure they’re connected to the VPN server you set up on the second router.
Can I Install Custom Firmware on My eero Router?
It’s possible, but I strongly advise against taking this action. It’s simply not guaranteed to work since many customer firmware don’t support eero routers. For example, DD-WRT’s list of supported routers doesn’t include eero routers.
Also, keep in mind that most eero routers use a mesh system. This means all routers act as one single network so that they can provide better Wi-Fi coverage. Installing custom firmware could cause the mesh system to malfunction, which may impact Wi-Fi access across your devices.
All in all, trying to install custom firmware on your eero router could damage it. Even worse, this would normally void the warranty, so you’d have to buy a new eero router.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- TunnelBear. While this VPN provides good security and fast speeds, it doesn’t come with router support.
- Astrill VPN. The VPN has decent router support — it has an applet (small program) that you can install on compatible routers, and it’s also possible to buy a preconfigured Astrill VPN router.
- Mullvad VPN. The provider allows manual router setup, and it’s also secure and fast. I didn’t add it to my list since it lacks good streaming support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best VPN for eero routers?
My top pick is ExpressVPN. It has a native router app that you can easily install on the router you want to hook up to your eero router. In addition, ExpressVPN is super-fast, it works with 100+ streaming apps, and it even provides ad-blocking capabilities via its router app.
How long does it take to set up a VPN on an eero router?
The process can take 15–20 minutes since you don’t set up the VPN on the eero router. Instead, you need to set it up on a second router, which you then hook up to the eero router. You’ll also need to enable bridge mode on your eero router. If you get ExpressVPN, the setup process might take less time because the provider has a router app that you can quickly and easily install on the second router.
Do eero routers have a built-in VPN?
No, eero routers don’t even have built-in VPN support. The eero Plus subscription claims to offer VPN support, but that’s not entirely accurate. You get access to a third-party VPN, but you need to install and use it on other devices, like smartphones — you don’t use it on the eero router. You should instead just get a VPN with good router support, set it up on a second router, hook that router up to your eero router, and enable bridge mode on your eero router.
Can I use a free VPN on my eero router?
It’s unlikely, as most free VPNs don’t support router setup. Free VPNs are also generally very slow, and they restrict data usage. It’s better to get a premium VPN instead, like ExpressVPN for example — it has a native router app that you can install on the router you want to hook up to your eero router, and it’s also very secure, fast, and great for streaming.
Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
