Using expressvpn router as a secondary (LAN to LAN) connection

VPN
1

I am trying to set up my expressvpn router as a secondary router on my LAN so that it does not create a new LAN but rather adds to existing LAN. I havent figured out a way to disable DHCP on my secondary router for this to work. Would appreciate your help.

In fact what I am trying to do is to have a WiFi network on my primary router that does not have VPN enabled and then a different WiFi network on my secondary router (expressvpn firmware) with VPN enabled. This will allow me to swich Wifi networks based on when I need to access the internet using a VPN vs. not. I can do this via a (LAN to WAN) connection but then that means that any device on one WIFI network cannot access other devices on the other network.

2

I think you have to use the ExpressVPN router as the main router and select which devices use the VPN and which don’t of you want your devices to access each other.

3

I searching also for this one. I hope Expressvpn Team allow us to disable the dhcp server and still have the connection from main Router.

4

I use ExpressVPN & surfshark. I recently got the Vilfo VPN router in November 2022. When compared with other so-called VPN consumer routers WITH QUAD-CORE CPUs(likely from broadcom) from Netgear/ASUS, this still won with it’s 2013 CPU

Here is my take on the Vilfo

I was looking for a router/switch solution for VPN while using my ISP’s pretty decent router and extender as tri-band access points.

Turns out when contacting customer service at ExpressVPN their router actually tops out on average at 180 Mbps VPN & wired :rolleyes:.

After doing some research, I settle on taking a chance with Vilfo VPN router fyi pronounced “Wilfo”. Reviews are mixed for it in the past but In my opinion they’ve got a lot of the kinks out of their OS especially with 1.3.0 which is the version I updated to upon receiving it.

Unlike past reviews, As of November 2022, setup was smooth for me. One of the reasons I purchased this device was The fact that it supports multiple providers not just ExpressVPN. As well as the hardware

Here are some pros and cons I found with Vilfo:

PROs:

-1.4 GHz dual-core Celeron processor(designed for a laptop or mini PC)

(Note: OpenVPN is single-threaded as stated by the Vilfo (from some light research Lightway is currently single-threaded ))

-website says 16GB SSD for storage but I received 32GB SSD

-2GB of RAM

-each ethernet port has a dedicated 1 Gbit controller according to the disassembly on techpowerup

-multi-vendor support with custom OpenVPN support for those not listed

-split tunneling, grouping different devices to separate VPN or non-VPN link group(s), Port forwarding, multiple options for email notifications for events, Killswitch, utilization and bandwidth statistics , etc

-regular OS updates with roadmap and transparency on their site

-real world speed test: over OpenVPN:

251.6 mbps from Maryland to a New Jersey ExpressVPN server to speed test server

Instead of a speed test, I made multiple downloads on surfshark via their wireguard server in Ashburn, VA from Maryland 545.2 Mbps(65MB/s)
(Note: it might be faster as downloads completed before reaching Max)

-separate VPN server built-in allowing for more secure access anywhere back to your home network (support for windows, and Linux, and Android)

Note: for me this was a huge plus as I haven’t been hit once since using it as my Synology NAS was getting hit with hundreds of hacker attempts a year. (They do however allow you but do not recommend opening the REMOTE WAN BUT RATHER USING THE VPN SERVER which to be honest is a whole lot easier as you get local area access as if you’re in the house. Services on my Synology that gave me trouble accessing via internet now behave as if I’m locally there. :cool:

CONs:

-Only open VPN & Wireguard

(no Lightway at least not yet as it’s fairly new and hasn’t gained much traction)

-As mentioned even by Vilfo: Wi-Fi sucks and recommend using your old router or a better one as a access point while using this router as the gateway

-Only (3) LAN ports & (1) WAN port.

In my case I have a 10 port Cisco small business switch already

-cost $400

Likely breakdown:

The unit: $280

DHL shipping $20

1 yr Home Pro subscription $99

(I think they put the subscription in to support themselves as they update more frequently than most vendors in my opinion.)

5

As far as I know, you can’t turn off DHCP with ExpressVPN firmware settings. It’s really oriented to accept WAN, given the limited config options users have.

+++

Approaching this via traditional IT is a little tricky, and you will have to use subnets. You may even need one additional physical ethernet switch.

Using a combination of subnetting, and the “groups” feature of the ExpressVPN router’s dashboard software, may also get you somewhere. You would need to test, and make sure firewalls exist appropriately.

+++

If you can, utilizing a router (the non-expressVPN one) that has VLAN support could simplify setting this up. You would have to set up network objects, and isolate the ExpressVPN router.

++++++++

This all being said, make sure you are OK with having devices on the same LAN, with some having VPN and some not. You may be undermining yourself.