VPN on an ASUS router

The client in ASUS firmware handles both of our router protocols, PPTP and OpenVPN. Only the menu varies: it looks different depending on the firmware version.

Open the Router section

You can start with the trial: 3 days for $0.50

ASUS profile window in Russian: PPTP, L2TP and OpenVPN tabs, description, VPN server, username, password
The profile window in the older menu, set to Russian. Use the PPTP or OpenVPN tab, L2TP isn’t supported.

A profile on the VPN Client tab

This is the menu on firmware before 3.0.0.4.388, that is 386 and earlier. The screenshots were taken on an RT-AX55 set to Russian.

  1. Open the admin panel

    Go to router.asus.com and enter the router’s admin credentials. If nobody changed them, many models still use admin and admin. Under Advanced Settings on the left, click “VPN”.

  2. Press “Add profile”

    Open the “VPN Client” tab. Below the empty server list there’s an “Add profile” button.

    ASUS VPN section in Russian, VPN Client tab with the Add profile button at the bottom
    The VPN Client tab. The other tabs in this section aren’t needed.

  3. Fill in OpenVPN or PPTP

    Begin with the OpenVPN tab, it’s the more secure protocol. It needs your login and password from the account plus the standard .ovpn file. Choose the file, press Upload, then OK. On the PPTP tab, put the server address into “VPN Server” with the same login and password below, the description can be anything.

  4. Activate the profile

    Press “Activate” in the profile’s row. A blue tick on the left means the router is on the VPN.

    ASUS profile list in Russian: a blue tick in the connection status column
    Connected, with the tick on the left. In Russian the buttons are translated oddly, Activate reads “Включено” and Deactivate reads “Отключено”.

If you have VPN Fusion

From firmware 3.0.0.4.388, ASUS reworked the section and named it VPN Fusion. You add a profile with the plus icon, and the fields are the same. Pick the OpenVPN or PPTP type, enter the same login and password, and add the .ovpn file for OpenVPN. “Apply and Enable” saves the profile and connects it right away.

In VPN Fusion, a profile covers every device on the network by default, but you can switch off “Apply to all devices” and limit it to a few, a single TV for example. That way a VPN on an ASUS router serves the TV, and other devices connect as before.

Plans and prices

The “Vanechka” trial

3 days with every country for $0.50, once per account. After that it continues month to month, and you can turn renewal off in your account.

Start the trial

If it does not work for you, we refund the payment under our refund policy.

ASUS questions

Which .ovpn file should I use?

The regular one, from the “Download .OVPN” link. ASUS takes your credentials in the profile itself, so the Keenetic variant isn’t needed.

The tick never shows up

Check for typos in the address or password. If there are none and PPTP won’t come up, add a second profile with OpenVPN. Some providers block one protocol and let the other through, and the file also has a backup route over TCP.

Then what are VPN Server and Instant Guard for?

The opposite job, reaching your home network from far away. You don’t need them to connect to VanyaVPN.