buying a router for use as vpn server while abroad

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James_Brooke wrote:

From what I can tell looking through various discussions its quite easy to set up the vpn server on the router.

 

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A lot depends on what VPN services you have in mind.

You might do better to start from that end. Find a VPN and then look for compatible hardware.

Some VPN services require you to install firmware on a router. The people behind them should have a list of hardware that accepts it.

James_Brooke, I am not sure michaelkenward fully understood your question.

I will take a run at it. 

As I understand, you want to buy an Open VPN server capable router to connect to your Home Hub 4 gateway in the UK.  You would need to configure your Home Hub 4 gateway to modem only mode, connect the new router, and configure the Open VPN server feature on your new router.  The Open VPN server would be accessible from the internet.  This access would be available from down the block or across the channel.  You would configure the Open VPN server to allow outside access to both your LAN and the internet service available to your LAN.  Sounds complicated, but you bite it off a chunk at a time and you can get there.

One of the bottlenecks you are going to quickly run into is the download/upload capacity of your internet service at the location of the router with the Open VPN server.  You did not say anything about the capacity of the service you purchase.  For talking purposes, say your download capacity is 250 Mbps and your upload capacity it 20 Mbps.  When configured properly, your Open VPN server will take internet data from the downstream pipe (250 Mbps) and transmit an encrypted data stream out the upstream pipe (20 Mbps).  This encrypted data stream is the one you connect to remotely from your device with the Open VPN client installed.  It is very easy to saturate your 20 Mbps upstream pipe if you are transmitting video.

The installations I am familiar with used consumer grade equipment and provided reasonable access back to the US mainland from Mexico, Hawaii, or Canada.  I found access from Japan or Midway to be problematic.

Another issue to consider is whether the location in the UK is unattended.  I found it very helpful to have someone at home who I could call and ask them to please go in and restart the modem and the router. 

In theory the answer to your question is yes.  It will take some effort and learning on your part.  There may be some technical hurdles in the UK I am not familiar with.