Step 5: Click on “Advanced settings” on the VPN settings page. You’ll now return to the VPN settings page. Then click on “Identity control settings” and enter your VPN account’s password.Įnter the “Shared secret” on this same page. Finally, enter the account name of your VPN subscription. Find the server address of the server you’d like to use on the website of your VPN provider. Step 4: You can now adjust the settings of the VPN. Then choose “L2TP over IPSec” (this protocol is most commonly used for sharing a VPN connection) and name the VPN connection under “Facility name”. Step 3: Click on the “+” icon to add a VPN.
Step 2: Go to “System Preferences” on your Mac and click “Network”. To read more about the best VPNs for macOS, read our top three right here.
How to Set Up a VPN-Secured Virtual Router on MacOS In other words, you’ll only be able to get online through the cable, while your WiFi is transmitted to other devices via your Mac. The ethernet cable is needed because you can’t both receive and transmit WiFi on most computers at the same time.
To install a VPN on a virtual router, you’ll need a couple of things: Requirements for Setting Up a Virtual Router with VPN (for macOS) To protect these devices anyway, you need to run their internet traffic through a router that encrypts this traffic. Some devices, such as Apple TV, don’t support VPN connections. However, the main reason for setting up a virtual router has to do with security considerations. Therefore, some people use it instead of a physical router in order to save money. Secondly, using a virtual router is completely free, as long as you already have a computer that supports it. First, you may want to share your internet connection with other devices, because there is no wireless internet available. There are a few reasons to use a virtual router.
Think of your Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV stick, or particular smart TVs.
This means you can secure any devices that don’t support VPN software themselves. You can also set up a VPN on this virtual router. This is useful if you only have one wired internet connection. What Can You Do with a Virtual Router on MacOS?Ī virtual router allows you to connect all of your devices to the internet without using a regular router. A virtual router works in a similar way: it’s just your computer that becomes the WiFi hotspot instead of your phone. Many people are familiar with the “Personal Hotspot” function of iPhones. Nowadays, this can be done quite easily on different devices. With a virtual router, you can set up your computer’s WiFi receiver to let it transmit WiFi signals instead of receiving them. This allows you to set up a WiFi network on your computer, which can be useful if you don’t have a normal router, for example in a hotel room. What is a Virtual Router?Ī virtual router is software that allows you to simulate a physical router on your computer. More information can be found on other pages on our website, such as how to set up a VPN on a regular router and on Windows. In this article, we’ll discuss how to set up a VPN on a virtual router on MacOS. If you still want to use a VPN with those devices, you need to set it up on a router or a virtual router. However, these devices are connected to the internet: think of an Apple TV or a Chromecast. There are several devices that don’t have any built-in software for VPN connections.