AXE11000: VPN settings

[RedeemerOfSouls]

Figuring out how to set up VPN on my AXE11000 has been a daunting challenge to say the least: either there is no documentation, or whatever documentation there is is just ... horrible! And that not in the least due to the extremely ... approximate English in which it has been written.

Anyway, can I get someone to explain in plain English what each of the three tabs on the VPN screen does please? My very shaky understanding, reached after an enormous time spent searching and over the phone with (utterly incompetent) first-tier Asus tech reps., is the following:

1. The VPN Server tab is used to set up the router as a VPN server to be used from outside the LAN: say you travel to Ouagandogou with your iPad and need to ... what? Connect securely to the Internet? Is that its use? Why would anyone want to do that though, seeing as the traffic from the router to elsewhere on the greater Internet is not secure? And isn't that what Instant Guard does (see below)?
2. The VPN Fusion tab is to set up the router as a VPN client, right? You need to have your own VPN provider though, right?
3. The Instant Guard tab is to set up the router as a ... VPN server??? Isn't that the same thing #1 above does? What up with that?

Appreciate any replies with clarificatory remarks.

[jzchen]

Well if it makes you feel any better I use the AXE11000 manual to figure out my AXE16000, of which last time I checked there is only a Quick Start Guide, no manual!

I don’t use a VPN service, but I do use Instant Guard when I’m on a public WiFi network.  I’ll try to answer your questions but I am definitely not a VPN expert…

1.  This is to setup your VPN service.  (I don’t know how much these cost as well but I don’t have the need for one so far).  There are many out there to choose from and you need to configure the AXE11000 to use them.

2. VPN Fusion allows you to choose which devices on your network to use the VPN service (that you set up in #1) and which ones (most likely gaming) that do not.  This allows games to run at maximum speed and not lose any being routed through the VPN.  This was limited to GT (ROG routers) in the past, but a few RT and I believe all TUF get this desired feature.  (I have to check/verify TUF routers one by one.  That was off my memory which hasn’t been very good lately).

3. Instant Guard is using your router as a VPN while you are outside your network.  I am actually happy this is working now, at least on the AXE16000.  Whenever I get on a restaurant or coffee shop WiFi I will open the Instant Guard app on my iPhone and tap the blue shield button and in less than 30 secs it says I’m connnected and secured, (and a timer starts)….

[RedeemerOfSouls]

Thanks for the reply. And yes, it looks like your reply makes my point: no two people will agree as to what in the name of God these three tabs are there for. If you attempt to configure the first tab, you'll notice that there is no way to specify a VPN service. Hence I very much doubt that that  is there to configure the router as a VPN client. The second tab ("VPN Fusion") seems to be more suited for that purpose.

[jzchen]

About Internet security:

As I understand this is based on RSA, (the first letters of the three founders), which requires background in number theory.  A prime number is divisible by 1 and itself.  Let’s start with the first few: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 ….  BUT what if you multiply two prime numbers:  take 3 X 11 = 33.  This 33 is similar to a prime number in that it is only divisible by 1, 3, 11, and 33.   Finding very very very large “prime” numbers as the encryption key, which is known only to the sender and receiver is the way data is transmitted through the internet.  It takes a very long time to hack very large prime number keys to find the two prime numbers.  The exact logistics are beyond me it took 3 very intelligent people to develop it….