How to set up your Windows PC as a VPN router | Biden News

You can use Ethernet or Wi-Fi to connect to share your computer’s Internet connection with other devices. You will also need to enable sharing for the VPN adapter. Traffic from other devices will be tunneled through your Windows computer’s Internet connection.

If you want to install a VPN on a device that doesn’t allow it, like a smart TV or even a printer, the simplest way to avoid that problem is to use a VPN router. If you want to save some money, however, you’ll be happy to know that you can turn your Windows machine into just a few steps.

What Is a VPN Router?

Chances are that right now, you’re connected to the internet via a Wi-Fi router, a small device either you bought or your internet provider installed that routes the internet through your home or office. Even if you’re connected by wire instead, it’s possible the cable leads back to a router. A VPN router is nothing more than one of these devices with VPN software installed.

The main advantage of using a VPN router is that the entire network enjoys the protection of a virtual private network without having to install the software on each device. As a consequence, this also means that devices that normally cannot install VPN software can also use it. It only works through the router, not the device itself.

That’s nice enough, but there are also reasons why you shouldn’t connect your entire network to a VPN router, one of the most important of which is that VPN routers aren’t cheap and can require some expert setup. However, there is a way to get a VPN router without actually getting one: you can turn your Windows PC into a VPN router quite easily.

How to Use Your Windows PC as a VPN Router

Setting up your Windows computer as a virtual router is pretty easy; Mac users have it much more difficult. Basically, there are two ways to do it: with an Ethernet cable and without one. Using a cable, you are limited by the fact that all the devices involved need an Ethernet port, but you can apply this method to any version of Windows 7 above.

Going wireless will only work in Windows 10 and 11; doing so in earlier versions requires using special software such as VirtualRouter Plus. If you don’t like using third-party software, either use a cable in an older version of Windows or upgrade to a newer version that has this capability built-in.

Share the VPN Using an Ethernet Cable

The first thing you need to do in this scenario is take your cable and plug it into your Windows PC and the device you want to connect – it’s a great way to connect your smart TV to a VPN. Also make sure your VPN is installed but disabled.

After you have connected the laptop to your smart TV, you need to access the network connection settings. Just search for “view network connections” in Windows 10 or 11, and you’ll get it. In Windows 7/8, it’s in the Network and Sharing Center under “change adapter settings”.

Once in, you need to find the VPN connection. It’s usually labeled either as the name of the VPN (“ExpressVPN,” “FastVPN,” etc.) or as a “TAPadapter” of some sort. In this case, we are on a system with IVPN installed, and the connection is called “IVPN-TAP-Windows Adapter”.

Right click on the connection, select “Properties”, and a new window will appear. Click on the rightmost tab called “Sharing”.

Here, make sure the top box is checked, the one that starts with “Allow other users to connect…” Then, under that, under “Home Network Connection,” select LAN or Local Area Network from the drop-down list.

All you have to do now is save these new settings and then restart your computer and the device you connected to. That should have done the trick. After both devices are turned back on, turn on the VPN, and from now on, the device should go through the VPN.

Using Your Computer as a Wireless VPN Router

To set up a virtual router wirelessly in Windows 10 and Windows 11, your device must be able to broadcast Wi-Fi, not just receive it. Almost all modern laptops can do this, but this is less the case for desktop computers. To check, you need to open the Windows command prompt by typing “cmd” in the search bar. Next, type the following:

netsh wlan show drivers

You will get a screen full of output, look for a line that says “hosted network supported.” If that’s followed by “yes,” then you’re good to go—just make sure to disable your VPN before continuing. If it says “no”, you need to look for an Ethernet cable and go back to the previous section.

Setting up the Mobile Phone

We will create the virtual VPN router using the mobile hotspot feature in Windows. This didn’t exist before Windows 10, so it won’t work in older versions. To find it, go to “Settings” and then “Network and Internet”. The entry for the mobile hotspot is pretty low in the list on the left, select it and turn it on.

If this is your first time using the hotspot, be sure to set the switch “Keep My Internet Connection Over” to Wi-Fi and create a good username and secure password for the hotspot (for obvious reasons, the password has been blanked out in this that picture).

Changing adapter settings

Once that’s done, scroll down until you see a heading called “Related settings.” There, click “Change adapters.”

From here, the steps are the same as in the previous section: you need to find the VPN connection, which is usually named after the name of your VPN and will have the words “TAP adapter” in it. In this case, we have IVPN installed, and the connection is called “IVPN-TAP-Windows Adapter.”

Right click on the connection, select “Properties”, and a new window will appear. Click on the rightmost tab called “Sharing”.

Here, make sure the top box is checked, the one that starts with “Allow Other Users to Connect…” Then, below that, under “Home Network Connection,” select LAN or Local Area Network from the drop-down list.

When you’re done, hit OK, and that should be it. Now try to access the new hotspot—with the name you gave it earlier—from another device. If you did everything correctly, it should appear now. Connect to it like you would any other network, and voila, your computer is now a virtual router, and you’re free to unblock Netflix or anything else you’d like to do with it.