Prioritizing Privacy
A slowly blinking power light means that the FlashRouter was somehow put into Rescue/Restore/Recovery Mode. This usually happens if the reset button was held down for too long.
This may also happen if you have incorrectly tried to update the firmware on your FlashRouter. The first thing to try is a simple reboot of the router to see if it exits restore mode.
If a reboot does not clear up the issue then try to reset and reconfigure your FlashRouter.
Enter custom DNS servers in your Asus Merlin firmware to avoid using your ISP DNS, which will steal and collect your browsing data.
Login to Asus Merlin firmware settings in a browser on any computer or smart device.
1. Under Advanced Settings select LAN.
2. Click the DHCP Server tab.
3. In the DNS Server 1 and DNS Server 2 fields enter the DNS server that you wish to use.
4. Click Apply and then reboot the router and reconnect to the network.
Once you have OpenVPN connected on your Merlin FlashRouter you can enable the VPN Killswitch so that no internet traffic passes through your router that is not encrypted by the VPN tunnel.
Login to Asus Merlin firmware settings in a browser on any computer or smart device.
1. Under Advanced Settings select VPN.
2. Click the VPN Client tab.
3. Set Killswitch – Block routed clients if tunnel goes down to Yes.
4. Click Apply.
If you are not already an PIA user Sign Up Now.
1. Visit PIA’s website login page.
2. Successfully log in with your account information.
1. Login to the Roqos Core web app in a browser on any computer or smart device.
2. Click VPN from the navigation menu and then click VPN OUT.
3. Click the Connect to box.
4. In the Connect dropdown choose 3rd Party VPN Providers and for the VPN Provider dropdown choose Private_Internet_Access.
In the Username and Password field enter the PIA Username and Password that you logged in with.
Click the Server dropdown and type in or scroll to your preferred server location.
Click the Save button.
Once you click Save you will be returned to the VPN OUT menu.
Click the Connect button to start your PIA connection. Please be patient as the router connects your entire network through VPN.
By default there are no devices assigned to the VPN tunnel. Click Included Devices. From this page you can choose if all devices should connect to PIA or only certain devices.
From the dropdown select Include all devices if you want every device that connects to the Roqos to connect to PIA. Then click Save.
If you only want specific devices to connect to PIA while others bypass the VPN connection select Include selected devices from the dropdown and then toggle the sliders for the devices you want connected to VPN. Click Save.
Make sure you are connected to the Roqos network via WiFi or ethernet connection on your device.
Visit PIA’s IP Check to verify your new IP Address and virtual location.
You should see Connected at the top of the page underneath Private_Internet_Access.
To change your server click Disconnect on the VPN OUT page then return to the Connect To section to select a new server from the Server dropdown and click Save. Now click Connect once again on the VPN Out page.
To disconnect from PIA click the Disconnect button.
If you are not already a PIA user Sign Up Now.
1. Log in to your account on the PIA website.
2. Successfully log in with your account information then go to PIA’s OpenVPN Config Generator.
3. On the OpenVPN Configuration Generator select the following:
OpenVPN Version: OpenVPN 2.4 or newer
Select Platform: Linux
Select Region: Choose the server location you’d like to connect to
Select Port: Typically we recommend UDP/1198 RSA-2048 AES-128-CBC SHA1 for best speeds but feel free to select the one you want to use.
4. Click Generate to download the .ovpn file. Do not open this file once it is downloaded.
Login to TP-Link firmware settings in a browser on any computer or smart device connected to the FlashRouter’s network.
1. Navigate to the Advanced tab.
2. Navigate to the VPN Client tab.
3. Check the Enable box next to VPN Client. Then click Save at the bottom of the page.
4. Click the Add button in the Server List area.
5. In the Description field enter in the name you’d like to use for this OpenVPN Client profile. We typically advise entering in the location. Our example server was New York so I have entered in PIA New York.
Set the VPN Type to OpenVPN.
In the Username and Password fields paste in the PIA username and password you use to successfully login to your PIA website account.
Click Browse and select the .ovpn file you downloaded earlier. Then click Save.
By default no devices will be assigned to the VPN Tunnel. With TP-Link firmware you must manually assign the devices that you want connected to the VPN tunnel. Proceed with the next steps to do so for all devices you want connected to VPN.
6. Click the Add button in the Device List area.
7. A list of devices connected to the FlashRouter’s network will appear. Check the devices that you want to connect to VPN. Then click OK.
8. Now that the devices have been assigned to the VPN connection click the Enable toggle in the Server List area.
In some cases you may notice that the location is not showing the same location as the server you have input in your router settings; this is because geo tracking tools are often tricked by VPN connections. As long as you see an IP address that is not the same as your normal Internet IP address then you are indeed connected to PIA.
Bypassing the ExpressVPN tunnel on certain devices allows you to have multiple IP Addresses while connected to the same router. This feature is very helpful with certain websites where VPN is blocked such as streaming services and banking information.
1. Connect to the FlashRouter’s network via ethernet cable or wireless.
2. Open your web browser and enter expressvpnrouter.com or 192.168.132.1 in the URL.
3. Login with your ExpressVPN FlashRouter admin password.
4. Select VPN Off on the right hand side of the menu.
5. Click and drag the device that you want to bypass the VPN tunnel to the No VPN area.
The devices assigned to No VPN will now correct directly to your ISP internet while the devices in the VPN group will remain connected to the VPN server.
If you are not already an IPVanish user Sign Up Now.
1. Log in to your account on the IPVanish website.
2. Successfully log in with your account information then go to IPVanish .ovpn file page.
3. Click on the .ovpn file for the server location you want to use to dowloand the .ovpn file. Do not open this file.
Login to TP-Link firmware settings in a browser on any computer or smart device connected to the FlashRouter’s network.
1. Navigate to the Advanced tab.
2. Navigate to the VPN Client tab.
3. Check the Enable box next to VPN Client. Then click Save at the bottom of the page.
4. Click the Add button in the Server List area.
5. In the Description field enter in the name you’d like to use for this OpenVPN Client profile. We typically advise entering in the location. Our example server was New York so I have entered in IPVanish New York.
Set the VPN Type to OpenVPN.
In the Username and Password fields paste in the IPVanish email and password you use to successfully login to your IPVanish website account.
Click Browse and select the .ovpn file you downloaded earlier. Then click Save.
By default no devices will be assigned to the VPN Tunnel. With TP-Link firmware you must manually assign the devices that you want connected to the VPN tunnel. Proceed with the next steps to do so for all devices you want connected to VPN.
6. Click the Add button in the Device List area.
7. A list of devices connected to the FlashRouter’s network will appear. Check the devices that you want to connect to VPN. Then click OK.
8. Now that the devices have been assigned to the VPN connection click the Enable toggle in the Server List area.
In some cases you may notice that the location is not showing the same location as the server you have input in your router settings; this is because geo tracking tools are often tricked by VPN connections. As long as you see an IP address that is not the same as your normal Internet IP address then you are indeed connected to IPVanish.
If you are not already an ExpressVPN user Sign Up Now.
1. Log in to your account on the ExpressVPN website.
2. Successfully log in with your account information. Select More.
3. Select Manual Configuration and copy the Username and Password that are displayed on the right hand side of the screen.
4. Click the Server Location that you want to connect to. This will download a .ovpn file to your computer that we will use later on. There is no need to open the file. For this example I have selected New York but feel free to select any server listed there.
Login to AsusWRT firmware settings in a browser on any computer or smart device connected to the AsusWRT FlashRouter’s network.
1. Navigate to the VPN tab.
2. Navigate to the VPN Fusion tab.
3. Click Add profile.
4. In the Connection Name field enter in the name you’d like to use for this OpenVPN Client profile. We typically advise entering in the location or server number here. Our example server was in New York so I have entered in ExpressVPN New York.
5. In the VPN Type dropdown select OpenVPN.
6. Click Import .ovpn file and select the .ovpn file you downloaded earlier. Then click Upload.
7. Enter your ExpressVPN username and password that you obtained earlier in the Username and Password. Note that these are different from your ExpressVPN email login and password.
8. Click Apply and Enable at the bottom of the page.
If you only want certain devices to connect to the OpenVPN Client profile you are setting up instead of all the devices connected to the FlashRouter’s network click into the profile and disable Apply to all devices. Then click Devices and select the devices that you want to connect to VPN.
9. At the top of the page set the Service State toggle to ON to activate the VPN connection.
In some cases you may notice that the location is not showing the same location as the server you have input in your router settings; this is because geo tracking tools are often tricked by VPN connections. As long as you see an IP address that is not the same as your normal Internet IP address then you are indeed connected to ExpressVPN.
If you are not already a PIA user Sign Up Now.
1. Log in to your account on the PIA website.
2. Successfully log in with your account information then go to PIA’s OpenVPN Config Generator.
3. On the OpenVPN Configuration Generator select the following:
OpenVPN Version: OpenVPN 2.4 or newer
Select Platform: Linux
Select Region: Choose the server location you’d like to connect to
Select Port: Typically we recommend UDP/1198 RSA-2048 AES-128-CBC SHA1 for best speeds but feel free to select the one you want to use.
4. Click Generate to download the .ovpn file. Do not open this file once it is downloaded.
Login to AsusWRT firmware settings in a browser on any computer or smart device connected to the AsusWRT FlashRouter’s network.
1. Navigate to the VPN tab.
2. Navigate to the VPN Fusion tab.
3. Click Add profile.
4. In the Connection Name field enter in the name you’d like to use for this OpenVPN Client profile. We typically advise entering in the location or server number here. Our example server was in New York so I have entered in PIA New York.
5. In the VPN Type dropdown select OpenVPN.
6. Click Import .ovpn file and select the .ovpn file you downloaded earlier. Then click Upload.
7. In the Username and Password fields paste in the PIA username and password you use to successfully login to your PIA website account.
8. Click Apply and Enable at the bottom of the page.
If you only want certain devices to connect to the OpenVPN Client profile you are setting up instead of all the devices connected to the FlashRouter’s network click into the profile and disable Apply to all devices. Then click Devices and select the devices that you want to connect to VPN.
9. At the top of the page set the Service State toggle to ON to activate the VPN connection.
In some cases you may notice that the location is not showing the same location as the server you have input in your router settings; this is because geo tracking tools are often tricked by VPN connections. As long as you see an IP address that is not the same as your normal Internet IP address then you are indeed connected to PIA.
Change the FlashRouter’s wireless network password to any password you like.
Navigate to Wireless > Wireless Security
If you find that wireless devices are routinely disconnecting from the FlashRouter’s network we recommend that you do the following:
Most ISPs only support IPv4. Unless your ISP supports IPv6 then enabling it on the FlashRouter will not enable it across your network.
For most VPN users IPv6 should remain disabled as the VPN connection was designed to operate under IPv4 addresses only. Enabling IPv6 in this instance may compromise the security of the VPN tunnel.
We typically only recommend enabling IPv6 if you are not using VPN or if your VPN provider requires that IPv6 be enabled.
Navigate to Setup > IPv6
Power your FlashRouter off and then power it back on by unplugging and then plugging it back in or using the button on the back of the FlashRouter.
Once the FlashRouter is finished powering back up, connect one of your devices to the FlashRouter via Ethernet or Wireless.
Visit http://ipv6-test.com/ where you should see Supported under IPv6 connectivity if your ISP supports IPv6 and your modem is setup to passthrough IPv6.
Please be aware that we can not replicate ISP specific IPv6 issues, which makes them challenging to troubleshoot. We recommend contacting your ISP as the first step of troubleshooting.
Change the FlashRouter’s wireless network name to any name you like.
Navigate to Wireless > Basic Settings
If you ever have an issue with WiFi, you can always wire directly into the FlashRouter to verify and/or update your current WiFi settings.
Our team has tested the wireless functionality for each FlashRouter that we offer and shared our recommended wireless settings in our Wifi Setup area. Replicate the settings for your FlashRouter model found on that page if the 2.4GHz is not showing.
Navigate to Wireless > Basic Settings
Change the wireless channel setting for the 2.4GHz band that is not appearing. The most broadly compatible channels are 6 and 11.
CLICK APPLY SETTINGS
In rare instances the wireless adapter for your device may stop picking up WiFi networks and must be reset. This will be different for each device, that is why the best way to refresh your wireless adapter is to simply reboot any device in question and see if the adapter now picks up your WiFi networks.
Navigate to Status > Wireless
The readouts on this page can help tell if there are errors with the FlashRouter’s wireless. View our article on how to read the Wireless Status page for more information.
Changing the wireless channel on your ExpressVPN FlashRouter can help with WiFi stability and allows you to use a wireless channel with less traffic in your local environment.
1. Connect to the FlashRouter’s network via ethernet cable or wireless.
2. Open your web browser and enter expressvpnrouter.com or 192.168.132.1 in the URL.
3. Login with your ExpressVPN FlashRouter admin password.
4. Select Network Settings on the left hand side of the menu.
5. Select Wi-Fi Settings on the left hand side of the menu.
6. Select Advanced Settings.
7. Select the Channel Width and Main Channel you want your ExpressVPN FlashRouter to use. Note that higher 5GHz Wi-Fi channels will not be compatible with older devices. Click Save. Click Continue.
By default ExpressVPN firmware bonds the 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless networks to a single wireless network name. Your device will automatically choose which one will provide the best connection. You can separate these networks to have unique Wi-Fi names so you can control which network your devices will use.
1. Connect to the FlashRouter’s network via ethernet cable or wireless.
2. Open your web browser and enter expressvpnrouter.com or 192.168.132.1 in the URL.
3. Login with your ExpressVPN FlashRouter admin password.
4. Select Network Settings on the left hand side of the menu.
5. Select Wi-Fi Settings on the left hand side of the menu.
6. Click the toggle for Separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi.
7. Separate Wi-Fi details for the 5GHz band will now display. You can change the name and password if you so choose or leave it with the default name and password with “-5GHz” added to the name. Click Save. Click Continue.
