I’m Confused, What is a VPN Concentrator?

What is a VPN Concentrator

Setting up a VPN is a great way to allow you to access your home or business network remotely. It allows you to access files, programs, and devices as if you were sat in your office and logged on to your work network.

When looking to set up a VPN, you may have come across VPN concentrators and wondered if they were a better solution for your VPN needs than simply using a router with built-in VPN functionality.

This article will look at exactly what a VPN concentrator is and see if there is any reason to choose one over a VPN router.

A VPN Tunnel In Simple Terms
What Is A VPN Concentrator?

What is a VPN Concentrator?

If a company has a VPN set up, it means that employees or other people who need to access the businesses network can simply log into their VPN from anywhere in the world and use the network as if they were physically in the office.

While many routers can be set up to offer and manage VPNs, a VPN concentrator is a specific device that is able to manage VPNs . It can manage a much larger number of connections than an average VPN router which means that you can have multiple people (even hundreds or thousands) accessing the VPN remotely at the same time.

Typical jobs that a VPN concentrator has include encrypting connections, establishing VPN tunnels, and authenticating users.

Overview Of VPN Concentrators

VPN Concentrator vs VPN Router: Are They The Same?

While both a VPN concentrator and a VPN router both do similar jobs, they are by no means the same product.

A VPN concentrator is pretty much only used in a business/corporate environment. Its ability to deal with multiple clients at once makes it perfect for this job, but it is pretty much unnecessary on a home network.

As well as this, VPN concentrators nowadays often include advanced firewall functionality which can offer the increased security protection required for a business to run safely.

A VPN router, however, is simply a router with some VPN functionality built in. With a VPN router, you will get all the features expected of a router, such as wireless capability, Ethernet ports, security etc along with the ability to create a VPN on your network.

The VPN router will still allow you to connect to your home network remotely and share files, access programs and devices etc, but just not at the same scale as if you had a dedicated VPN concentrator.

Basically, if you want to set up a small VPN to allow users of your network to access the home network while they are away, a VPN router would be a great way to go about this. On the other hand, if you need a larger solution for your business to allow a much higher number of people to connect to your network, a VPN concentrator would be the way to go.

If you have any questions about when you would a VPN concentrator over a VPN router or anything else about VPN concentrators, then please comment below!

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