If you’re considering using your own home-made VPN server, ASUS routers are generally good options. However, do you know that most of them are also great if you want to hook your entire home network to a paid VPN service?
If that piques your interest — and you don’t want to pay anything just yet — there’s something you want to do with your ASUS router this year: Getting a free NordVPN experience.
ASUS routers and free NordVPN: All you need to know
ASUS routers are among the best supported for VPN, with most, if not all, of them supporting all standard VPN protocols when configured as a VPN server, plus the ready-made Instant Guard.
Additionally, each ASUS router can also work as a VPN client, allowing the entire network to be part of a remote network. For that, you’ll need to use a third-party VPN server, such as one at an office, a friend’s, or a VPN service.
On this front, there’s something you might not be aware of: Many ASUS Wi-Fi routers come with a promotion of a free 12-month or 6-month NordVPN subscription, which is long enough for you to find out if the service is right for you without having to spend $70 or $45, respectively.
Free NordVPN on ASUS routers: The deadline and the list
To qualify for the promotion, all you have to do is register your ASUS router this year. The deadline for registration actually leans a bit into next year. It’s 2027/01/31 at 23:59 local time, to be precise.
Which ASUS routers, you might wonder?
Here are the eligibility criteria, according to ASUS: Any routers (or mesh systems) in the table below that are purchased between November 1, 2024 and December 31, 2026. Each is eligible to register for a NordVPN redemption code.
As shown in the table above, virtually the entire Wi-Fi 7 portfolio on ASUS and most of the company’s latest Wi-Fi 6 offerings are qualified for the promotion.
How to redeem an ASUS router for free NordVPN
Once you’ve had a qualified router, here are the three steps to redeem the free NordVPN code
- 1. Sign up for an ASUS account via this page, or log in if you already have one.
- 2. Follow this page to register your router. You’ll need to provide its serial number (printed on the hardware’s underside) and its purchase information (date and retailer). Once completed, the redemption code will arrive via email after a few days.
- 3. Go to this page to activate your NordVPN account.
Note that the deadline above only applies to step #2. Once you’ve gotten the discount code, you can use it before it expires, which has its own deadline when generated.
The NordVPN account doesn’t require an ASUS router to work, but to add it to an ASUS router, log in to its web-based user interface, go to the VPN option, and use it as a Fusion VPN profile as shown in the screenshots below.
ASUS’s Fusion VPN allows you to select which clients within the network (or all of them) to use the VPN connection. It’s a flexible way to apply VPN only to those that need it.
The final thoughts
Keep in mind that a VPN is not a must-have feature — it’s not something unrelated to privacy or security, as you often hear in ads — and I don’t endorse any paid VPN service.
Still, if you have a legit need for a VPN, such as when you reside in China and need to access YouTube or any mainstream social media, then this free NordVPN promotion is an excellent way to see how the service works before committing.
Not having any ASUS router yet? Below is the current top five (and all are eligible for the promotion).
