ExpressVPN
The ExpressVPN configuration was simple and easy to setup. If you have an ExpressVPN account … it’s a simple one step activation and you’re connected to the VPN server of your choice. This is ONLY available on the Linksys WRT 1200/1900 series.
Of course, you’ll need a ExpressVPN subscription as well. For more details visit their website here.
You can let the router search and connect you to the nearest VPN server or alternatively, select your own. In my case … I selected a UK server.
VPN servers change all the time and often gets blocked all the time. If expreience connection issues, the ExpressVPN has an option for one click firmware update that works like a charm!
ExpressVPN Speed Tests
Here are the download speeds we managed to get during our tests. We tried different VPN servers around the world, with Hong Kong having the fastest connection, that’s because it’s the closest one to our labs. Next, we tried connecting to a UK and US server to see the speed difference.
| Linksys WRT1200AC (Express VPN Enabled) | |
| HK Server (Hong Kong) |
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| UK server (London) |
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| US server (Los Angeles) |
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At 8Mb download from a UK or US server, it’s not the fastest we’ve seen and the ping is a little on the high side, but it should be enough to stream movies and more. Costing USD $99.95 (for 1 year or $8.32 per month) for your ExpressVPN subscription, it’s definitely for considering.
Streaming BBC iPlayer
On the laptop/PC …
The BBC’s iPlayer is notoriously strict on streaming content outside of the UK. If you don’t have a UK IP address, then you’re out of luck. But with ExpressVPN … there’s a way around this!
With ExpressVPN activated and enabled on the Linksys WRT1200AC router, I was able to instantly open the browser and stream any TV program from the BBC iPlayer website. At 8Mb download we were able to stream at 720p/1080p HD with no problems, although I would have preferred a faster connection.
On the smartphone (iPhone 6S) …
Wifi connection was a little poor. Connected on the 5GHz band, I managed to get a little over 3Mb download. It’s not great, I had expected at least the same speed as the desktop browser… however, I was still able to watch “The Great British Bake Off” on the BBC iPlayer app with no issues.
