TechRadar Verdict
This is a basic Wi-Fi 6 router with a VPN capability baked in.
It can be used with any Wireguard-compliant VPN, enabling a simple point-to-point VPN between locations.
However, this isnt specifically a business product.
For most destinations, including the USA, shipping is $20 for an up to three-day service.
FlashRouters doesnt appear to sell through online retailers at all.
Given its specifications, this router is pricey if the perceived value of the bundled VPN service is excluded.
How much a VPN connection costs can vary dramatically, but FlashRouters has decided that its roughly $100.
Entirely made of white plastic, with plenty of slots to allow heat to dissipate from the internal electronics.
Ive seen so many routers, like the recent Fritz!Box 7690, that have antennas inside.
It is something of a surprise to see the four that this design sports on the outside.
Regarding the layout, the Privacy Hero II is about as standard as these things can get.
But grey-on-white is superior to the embossed-white-on-white that the LAN/WAN port selection is labelled on the back.
Added confusion is created by making all five ports in a single block in the same colour.
There is no DSL modem port as this router has no modem or USB port for file sharing.
FlashRouters has taken that and added their own firmware to create a router with out-of-the-box VPN credentials.
This involves providing an email address to confirm who you are, and thats the whole security scheme.
It doesnt support 2FA or sophisticated access management.
As an example; Netflix can be relocated to the USA, Canada and the UK.
Note that those are bits, not bytes, and it can achieve that performance at short range.
Even with a Wi-Fi 7 adapter on a laptop, that was also the top speed available.
This router didnt indicate that it supported those standards.
All the LAN ports, WAN included, are 1GbE.
And, the four LAN ports cant be channel bonded with a internet switch.
Access to the service is initially free for a year, and that bundle provides some value.
An idea that misses the point of a VPN by some considerable distance.
On the box is printed Secure your home data pipe with the most advanced VPN protection.
And, data travelling inside that tunnel cant be decoded by those outside that loop.
What doesnt make either end more secure and by connecting the two networks together, its inherently less secure.
Neither of those security features is a VPN.
Should I buy a Privacy Hero II?
However, this isnt the best Wi-Fi technology, and the router is distinctly no frills.
Don’t buy it if…
If you intend to take that path, the Privacy Hero II won’t be suitable for those connections.
This isnt a sophisticated router.
For more connectivity options, we’ve tested thebest mesh Wi-Fi systemsand thebest Wi-Fi routers.
