F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Networks How do we set up a few routers together?

How do we set up a few routers together?

How do we set up a few routers together?

N
nanaki1324
Junior Member
17
06-30-2026, 09:45 PM
#1
I have a Netgear Nighthawk M1 router. This one is really important for my broadband connection, but I need two more routers too. One will handle VPN stuff and the other won't touch it. While adding my Deco Mesh into this plan, I'm confused about how to connect them. Should one of these routers have VPN power and the other not? I want Nighthawk Router - Router 1 - Router 2 where the second router actually has native VPN capability while the first router just uses normal internet. How do I wire this up correctly? Is this setup going to be LAN to LAN, or a mix of things like that?
N
nanaki1324
06-30-2026, 09:45 PM #1

I have a Netgear Nighthawk M1 router. This one is really important for my broadband connection, but I need two more routers too. One will handle VPN stuff and the other won't touch it. While adding my Deco Mesh into this plan, I'm confused about how to connect them. Should one of these routers have VPN power and the other not? I want Nighthawk Router - Router 1 - Router 2 where the second router actually has native VPN capability while the first router just uses normal internet. How do I wire this up correctly? Is this setup going to be LAN to LAN, or a mix of things like that?

W
winnerplay25
Senior Member
477
07-02-2026, 09:22 AM
#2
The easiest way is to just plug each router's WAN port into the main router's LAN, then connect the things that need a VPN to that specific VPN router. If you try to mix devices from both networks, it gets complicated very quickly. The biggest problem is figuring out which apps use the VPN and which ones don't. One way to fix this is using one router and telling it where the traffic goes versus where it skips the connection. Otherwise, you'll have to write lists on every single device.
W
winnerplay25
07-02-2026, 09:22 AM #2

The easiest way is to just plug each router's WAN port into the main router's LAN, then connect the things that need a VPN to that specific VPN router. If you try to mix devices from both networks, it gets complicated very quickly. The biggest problem is figuring out which apps use the VPN and which ones don't. One way to fix this is using one router and telling it where the traffic goes versus where it skips the connection. Otherwise, you'll have to write lists on every single device.

1
1zambos
Member
188
07-02-2026, 06:02 PM
#3
You don't need routers for this. You just need to tell your router how to talk to the VPN. Make sure your devices get a fixed, personal IP address so they know exactly where to send their traffic. Some DHCP servers let you do this with one click. Then use rules to make sure all traffic from those clients goes directly to the right VPN gateway.
1
1zambos
07-02-2026, 06:02 PM #3

You don't need routers for this. You just need to tell your router how to talk to the VPN. Make sure your devices get a fixed, personal IP address so they know exactly where to send their traffic. Some DHCP servers let you do this with one click. Then use rules to make sure all traffic from those clients goes directly to the right VPN gateway.