Best VPN for Raspberry Pi | Buyers Guide and Review
Overview
Do you have any idea of why you need a VPN for Raspberry Pi? First of all, Raspberry Pi is a tool in which you can perform many functions as you do it on a computer. It is also called as a revolutionary tool by many people for its amazing features.
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But it lacks security! So by using the best VPN you can provide the best security to the Raspberry Pi from malicious activity. You can also unblock many web streaming content using a VPN. All you must do now is to choose the best VPN for Raspberry Pi.
You can also install a VPN on the Raspberry Pi and turn it as a server and enjoy the benefits of a VPN on it. Sounds amazing right? Then continue reading this article to know all about Pi VPN and the setup guides. I will also help you to choose the best VPN for Raspberry Pi.
Why do you need a VPN for Raspberry Pi?
First, let me give you a gist about Raspberry Pi and VPN.
A Raspberry Pi is an inexpensive computer that runs on Linux OS which provides a set of GPIO pins using which you can control electronic components for physical computing and can explore the Internet Of Things(IoT) with ease.
Then what is the need for VPN in Raspberry Pi? If you want to protect your privacy in your Raspberry Pi, then you need to install a VPN on Raspberry Pi. The Pi VPN is specially designed for Raspberry Pi (version 2 & 3) where you can easily access your home network anywhere through secure connections over the internet. In addition to that, you can also enjoy the other benefits of VPN like streaming and anonymity.
When you plugin/install the Raspberry Pi on your router, then it will start to act like a bridge between your network and the devices connected to it.
Benefits Of Using Best VPN for Raspberry Pi
The VPN for Raspberry Pi provides you many benefits. It is mainly used to give security to the Raspberry Pi from malicious activities. Apart I have listed out the other benefits below.
Access To Home Network From Anyplace
When you install the best VPN for Raspberry Pi, you can access your home network anywhere with full security.
Access To Web Streaming Services
Using the best VPN for Raspberry Pi, you can unblock web streaming services based on Geo locations. So you get to access any kind of web streaming service and enjoy watching them.
Provides Excellent Security
The best thing about having a Raspberry Pi VPN is that it protects your device from hackers and prevents anyone from monitoring your data. Your data will be in encrypted form so no one can virtually see them and it improves your privacy.
5 Best VPN For Raspberry Pi
I have used and tested some 20 VPNs and listed the 5 best VPN for Raspberry Pi among them.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the most famous VPNs which is mainly known for its Netflix unblocking and access to other streaming services irrespective of the geo-locations. This VPN is compatible with most of the operating systems like Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS. It has 3000+ servers in over 90 countries.
It offers a list of tunneling protocols like L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, OpenVPN UDP/ TCP and SSTP along with AES 256-bit military-grade encryption which makes it the VPN providing best security.
It can support 5 devices simultaneously. It has a 30-day refund policy so you can see a trial and return if not satisfied with the product. So this is the best choice if you are looking for a reliable VPN for Raspberry Pi.
2. IPVanish
IPVanish offers the best features for your Raspberry Pi like no logs policy, kills switch security from hackers, high-speed connections and allows access to 5 devices connected to it simultaneously, everything at a friendly price.
It has 850 servers which are distributed in 60 countries. It is greatly supported in Windows, iOS, Mac, FireStick, and Android and offers a refund policy that allows its user service of 7 days.
This VPN for Raspberry Pi is best suited for beginners and it is easy to download and install. They also provide simple set-up guides for every platform.
3. NordVPN
NordVPN offers great coverage. It offers good security to your Raspberry Pi since it uses efficient security protocols like IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN.
NordVPN does not keep any log files so no one can track your online surfing and provides security from hackers. It has stationed 5000 servers in 60 countries. It can provide access to geo-blocked content without any difficulty.
It provides top-notch customer support and under one account it has the ability to support up to 6 simultaneous connections, so you’re also eligible to set up a couple more Raspberry Pi devices with the service.
You can opt for the NordVPN for its high-security protocols and no-log policy makes the NordVPN one of the best VPNs for Raspberry Pi.
4.PureVPN
PureVPN is considered one of the best VPN for Raspberry Pi for the amazing features it offers for its users. You can easily access about 2000+ servers which are scattered across 140+ countries. Your data is secure with PureVPN since it uses AES 246 bit military-grade encryption and a variety of protocols.
PureVPN is reliable and it provides customer support 24/7 and the important thing to be noticed is that it follows zero logs policy.
You get to access a lot of web streaming content irrespective of your geolocation using VPN for Raspberry Pi. It offers fast P2P optimized servers.
5. Surfshark
The SurfShark VPN offers a speedy connection for a Raspberry Pi. You cannot find any data caps or bandwidth restrictions while using this VPN for Raspberry Pi.
Privacy is very important for the users and most importantly this is the reason why most people opt for a VPN. Here, the Surfshark offers top-notch security which includes kill switch protection and military-level encryption and strictly follows no-logs policy.
It accepts bitcoin for the subscription payments. So this could be the ideal choice of VPN for Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi VPN Setup Guide
IPVanish is one of the best VPN available for Raspberry Pi and it is known for its good features. It uses an OpenVPN protocol and so the installation process is quite simple.
Note: I have explained the setup steps for IPVanish VPN installation on the Raspberry Pi . The same applies to all the other VPNs I have listed in this article.
Steps To Install The VPN On Raspberry Pi:
Step 1:
First, you need to run the following code to install the OpenVPN on the Raspberry Pi.
sudo apt install openvpn
Step 2:
The OpenVPN must not open when the Raspberry Pi is starting, so in order to avoid the OpenVPN from opening/start, enter the following code
sudo update-rc.d -f openvpn remove.
Step 3:
Now you need to prepare the Raspberry Pi to get the IPvanish files. For this method, you have to create a folder that should contain only IPVanish files.
You can just place this newly created folder in the user's folder. For example, if the new folder is named as raspberry pi then it must be placed inside the user's folder like this
mkdir /home/raspberry pi /vpn
Step 4:
After the folder is created, download the openVPN configuration files from IPvanish website.
You can download the files from IPvanish official website here
Step 5:
When you download the configuration files, you need to download 2 important files.
1) The First one is the file with an extension "crt" which means certificate. Downloading this file allows you to connect to the VPN.
2) The Second one comes with an extension "ovpn" which would determine your raspberry's IP on the public network.
Now you can find the IP's location on the filename.
You need to download all the files in a compressed folder configs.zip.
cd /home/pi/vpn
wget http://www.ipvanish.com/software/configs/configs.zip
unzip configs.zip
rm configs.zip
Step 6:
Once you have downloaded all the files, you must be now ready to launch the VPN on your Raspberry Pi.
To do this, enter the command,
sudo openvpn --config SERVER.ovpn
Step 7:
You can change the server with the destination of your choice. To do this just change the country name in the code.
sudo openvpn --config ipvanish-SE-Stockholm-sto-a01.ovpn
Step 8:
Enter the IPVanish credentials and your location will change completely.
Step 9: (Optional)
ERROR: Cannot open TUN/TAP dev /dev/net/tun: No such device (errno=19)
You might get this error while doing this setup. Don't panic this is a common error and it can be fixed effortlessly. To fix this error, you just have to restart your Raspberry Pi and try re-launching the VPN.
sudo reboot
FAQ's On VPN For Raspberry Pi
1.What Else Can I Do With The Best VPN For Raspberry Pi ?
Installing a VPN allows you to enjoy a lot of benefits. There are many interesting things that you can do using VPN apart from changing your location and watching web streaming services without geo-restrictions.
Some of them are,
- You can avoid ISP tracking and throttling
- You can keep your chat messages private
- You can do shopping on the websites of other countries
- Security while using Public Wi-Fi
- Security from hackers.
2. Can I Use a Free VPN For Raspberry Pi?
Yes, there are free VPNs available and you can use it. All paid VPNs provide a free trial version and it is available for a period of 7 days to 2 months. After that you may need to pay a small subscription fee.
There are also VPNs which are available for free but the problem is that the service offered by free VPN is not appreciable. This is because the free VPNs do not provide a quality service.
Some of the disadvantages of free VPNs are:
- Slow network connection
- Can monitor online surfing
- Lack of security
- ISP can throttle your internet connection
3. How Else Can I Secure My Raspberry Pi Device?
The operating system of Raspberry PI is not completely secure. Though VPN provides security against hackers and gives secure connection, it can't be the only tool to provide security to your Raspberry Pi device.
Other security tools to be installed in a Raspberry Pi device are a secure browser, antivirus software, password manager and a firewall.
Conclusion
There are a lot of VPNs available in the market but you need to find the best one which suits your Raspberry Pi. So I have made it easy for you to choose the best VPN for Raspberry Pi by testing it and I have updated the list in the article. Hope it will help you make a good purchase.
What do you think about the VPN's listed in this article? Share your views in the comment section!!!
We are a group of Technical experts who are very much concerned about Online Privacy. Every review that we write is the result of multiple testing on various devices. We verify the locations and the server that provides the IP and check whether it is safe to work with or not.
