How to set up a VPN on Virgin Media

Virgin Media prides itself on its connection speeds, but thanks to the UK’s data-retention laws and increasingly anti-privacy stance, it’s unable to offer any meaningful level of online anonymity. This – plus the fact that it’ll allow you to watch Virgin Media outside of the UK – is why you should consider using a VPN while using Virgin Media.

Connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic and changes your IP address based on the server you choose. This not only stops Virgin from seeing which sites you visit, but it also helps protect against cyber attacks, hackers and snoopers and lets you bypass any ISP or geo-blocking that might be in place.

In this article, we’ll list the best VPNs for Virgin Media plus explain how to use them and answer some common VPN questions. You can find more detailed information about each provider further in this article. but for now, here’s a quick summary.

Best VPNs for Virgin Media

1. NordVPN: Our #1 pick for Virgin Media customers. An extremely fast, security-focused VPN that supports more than a dozen router firmwares. Over 400 servers in the UK and over 5,500 worldwide. Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free.
   TIP In our testing we found that the cheapest NordVPN plan (Standard) works perfectly for Virgin Media.
2. Surfshark: The best budget VPN for Virgin Media. Boasts consistent speeds and an ever-evolving security toolkit. Doesn’t keep logs of activities and comes with an unlimited connection allowance.
3. ExpressVPN: This industry veteran has its own router firmware and ultra-fast connections, making it a natural choice for Virgin Media customers. Strong on privacy, with 24/7 support and a stellar reputation.
4. CyberGhost: A simple, versatile VPN with a large network presence and over 700 servers in the UK, ideal for Virgin Media. One of the fastest services around, speciality streaming servers and live chat support.
5. IPVanish: Security-conscious and capable of protecting all of your devices at once. This zero-logs VPN has step-by-step installation guides for popular router firmware. Works great with Virgin Media
6. PrivateVPN: A no-logs VPN that puts your privacy first without compromising on speed or usability. Great for safe torrenting and streaming on Virgin Media. Further, it works with seven types of router firmware.

How to use a VPN with Virgin Media: quick start guide

There are a few different ways to secure your Virgin Media connection, and we’ll explore all of these in more detail a little later. For now, this is a guide to getting started as quickly as possible.

Here’s how to use a VPN with Virgin Media:

1. Start by signing up for a reliable VPN service – We strongly recommend NordVPN.
2. Download the app onto any device you use often. Most providers permit around five simultaneous connections, but the exact limit differs from one VPN to another.
3. Log in and select a server in the location of your choice. In order to access Virgin Media, you’ll need a UK IP address, so connect to a UK server.
4. Your data is now encrypted and hidden from the watchful eyes of Virgin Media, and you should be able to browse freely.
5. If you’re having any issues with your connection, try clearing your cookies to remove any existing location settings. Alternatively, you can connect to a different VPN server in the UK to find one that works.

Need more help? You’ll find more detailed step-by-step guides further on in this article after we look at the best VPNs for the job.

The best VPNs for Virgin Media: at a glance

We’ve compared the most important features of the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice for Virgin Media.

The best VPNs to set up on Virgin Media

There are plenty of VPNs out there, but not all of them are a good choice for Virgin Media customers. To find the best of the best, we looked for services that met the following criteria:

• Has lots of servers in the UK and surrounding countries
• Is suitable for streaming, torrenting, gaming, and general web-browsing
• Provides high speeds and stable connections
• Includes a wide range of security tools, including effectively uncrackable encryption
• Doesn’t log any data that could personally identify you
• Offers apps for a wide range of platforms, ideally including routers

You can read more about how we test and rank the VPNs we recommend in our methodology section below. For now, let’s take a look at the ones that made the cut. 

Here’s a list of the best VPNs for Virgin Media:

1. NordVPN

Apr 2024

NordVPN is our top choice for anyone with Virgin internet. It has more than 5,500 servers in 60+ countries and over 400 in the UK. With extremely high speeds (averaging over 350 Mbps on a 1 Gbps connection), P2P-optimized servers, and the ability to stream everything from Netflix to BBC iPlayer, there isn’t much it can’t do. If you choose not to install NordVPN on your router, you’ll still be able to secure up to six devices at a time.

This provider values user privacy and has repeatedly been audited to prove its no-logs policy is legit. More recently, it’s added a threat protection feature that scans files for malware and prevents your apps from tracking you. The apps also include 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, leak protection, and a proprietary protocol that’s based on WireGuard. Users can pay in three different cryptocurrencies, with support staff on-hand 24/7 via email and live chat.

NordVPN has its own Android, Windows, iOS, MacOS, and Linux apps. It supports a huge range of router firmware as well, making it fairly easy to get working with a Virgin SuperHub.

BEST VPN FOR VIRGIN MEDIA:NordVPN is our first choice. This provider offers top-tier protection, particularly high speeds, and the ability to securely access any service you might care to use. There’s even a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you’d like to try it risk-free.

Read our full NordVPN review for more details.

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2. Surfshark

Surfshark is the best budget option for Virgin Media customers. Despite its low price point, this service stands shoulder-to-shoulder with better-established rivals, actually beating many of them in our latest speed tests. We’ve had no issues securely accessing services like Now TV, Sky Go, or BBC iPlayer with this VPN, and as there are no bandwidth or connection limits, you’re free to watch as much as you want across all of your devices.

This budget provider offers a strong security toolkit as well. Your data is kept secure using a kill switch, 256-bit encryption, and protection against IPv6 and DNS leaks. There’s also a special stealth mode that allows you to browse freely while in countries with strict digital censorship. Surfshark follows a strict no-logs policy and accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. Just recently, it finalized a merger with our #1 pick, NordVPN, that will see the two companies collaborate on future technical challenges. Live chat-based support is available 24/7.

Surfshark provides apps for iOS, Android, Linux, MacOS, and Windows. Further, its website has detailed setup instructions for all of the most common router firmware.

BEST BUDGET VPN:Surfshark is our budget pick. It offers surprisingly strong performance, plus an ever-expanding range of security and privacy features. Doesn’t limit the number of devices you can connect. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Interested? Find out more in our complete Surfshark review.

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3. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN provides access to more than 3,000 servers in a whopping 94 countries. Not only that, but its proprietary Lightway protocol delivers extremely high speeds. This makes ExpressVPN a great choice whether your family likes to stream, play games, torrent, or all three. This VPN’s firmware makes it relatively straightforward to secure a whole network, but you can also just choose to connect five devices at a time if you’d rather not mess about with your router.

Users have lots of security tools to take advantage of. For instance, there’s 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, plus ExpressVPN follows a no-logging policy for enhanced privacy. One of its newest features is called Threat Manager: this prevents your other apps from communicating with known trackers and scam sites. Users can get in touch with support staff, day or night, using the 24/7 live chat service.

ExpressVPN has apps for Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, and iOS. It also offers its own custom router firmware, plus model-specific instructions for getting everything up and running.

EASY ROUTER INSTALL:ExpressVPN is the only service in our list with its own router app. Not only that, it’s extremely fast and suitable for any day-to-day task. This security-conscious provider even comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our in-depth ExpressVPN review.

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4. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is an excellent choice for anyone new to VPNs. First off, it has one of the largest networks around, with over 9,000 servers in 90+ countries, including over 700 in the UK. Better still, these are separated into categories, making it easy to tell at-a-glance which servers are best for streaming, privacy, or torrenting. CyberGhost averaged more than 500 Mbps in our tests, so assuming your home internet is quick enough, there’s virtually no situation where you’d ever experience slow speeds.

From a security perspective, there’s a lot to like. The apps all make use of 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, plus users have the ability to connect via a random port (which may help beat some VPN-blocking systems). Recent updates have introduced WireGuard support and patched the Log4j vulnerability plaguing large parts of the internet. CyberGhost doesn’t log any data that could identify you. Live chat-based support is available, day and night, at no added cost.

CyberGhost offers apps for iOS, MacOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. It also has detailed setup guides that explain how to manually install this VPN on your wireless router.

NO GUESSWORK:CyberGhost clearly labels its servers, allowing you to choose one that’s perfectly suited to your needs. What’s more, it has a huge network, outstanding speeds, and a solid security toolkit, plus 24/7 support. This VPN even has a 45-day money-back guarantee.

Why not read our complete review of CyberGhost?

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5. IPVanish

IPVanish has really upped its game lately, ditching its connection limit, introducing WireGuard support, and switching to 25 Gbps servers. In simple terms, this means that it’s now extremely fast and particularly well-suited for homes where lots of people use the internet. There are over 2,000 servers spread across 60+ countries, and you can torrent on any of them. We’ve had success using services like ITV Hub while connected, but overall, this VPN isn’t the best at unblocking geo-restricted services abroad.

It’s clear the IPVanish values your privacy, though. It doesn’t keep any logs whatsoever and allows you to automatically reconnect if your connection drops unexpectedly. This VPN also includes security features like a kill switch, LAN traffic blocking, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and 256-bit AES encryption. Customer support can be reached 24/7 using either email or live chat.

IPVanish has user-friendly apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and MacOS. It must be manually installed on Linux devices as well as ASUSWRT, DD-WRT, Asuswrt-Merlin, and Tomato routers.

NO-STRESS SECURITY:IPVanish lets you secure all of your devices, even without installing it on a router. It’s also one of the speediest providers we’ve seen, with great streaming potential and a real focus on user privacy. The annual plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out the full IPVanish review.

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6. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN might only have around 200 servers across 60+ countries, but it owns and hosts these itself, plus it recently began acting as its own ISP for maximum privacy. Speeds are generally fast enough for all but the most data-hungry households, and there are no bandwidth limits at all. There are setup instructions for a variety of firmware, but even if you’re not looking to install a VPN directly on your SuperHub, you can still connect up to 10 devices at once.

As you might expect, given its name, this service follows a zero-logs policy. It also accepts Bitcoin payments, which gives you a little extra anonymity during the signup process. PrivateVPN’s security tools include 256-bit encryption, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, an app-specific kill switch, and a stealth mode that lets you access the wider internet in places with strict internet restrictions. Support is available most (but not all) hours of the day over live chat.

Private has its own MacOS, Windows, iOS, and Android apps. It can be manually configured for use with some Linux distros, as well as seven different types of router firmware.

GREAT EVERYDAY VPN:PrivateVPN has the speed, security, and reliability needed to stream and browse safely. With a high connection limit, great unblocking ability, and an unwavering commitment to privacy, this VPN is well worth a look. Also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our comprehensive PrivateVPN review.

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How to set up a VPN on Virgin Media

There are three main ways that Virgin Media broadband customers can take advantage of a VPN. Below, we’ll run you through these, listing the pros and cons of each so that you can decide which best fits your needs.

Method 1: Install a VPN directly on your router

This method is fairly involved and requires a second router. If you’re looking for an easier setup, we’d recommend moving on to method two below. 

Installing a VPN on a router ensures that any device on your network can reap the benefits. There’s no need to worry about connection limits, accidental disconnection, or device compatibility. The trade-off is that this takes a bit more time, and is significantly more complex.

First things first: Virgin SuperHubs don’t support VPN connections. You can, however, switch them to modem mode and connect a second, VPN-compatible router. If you have a spare DD-WRT, Tomato, or Asus-WRT router lying around, you should be able to do this in an afternoon.

The exact setup process is different for every router, and it’s very easy to accidentally brick your hardware or misconfigure your VPN, leaving you unprotected. That’s why we recommend asking your VPN’s support team to walk you through the process. After all, they deal with situations like this every day and can ensure you’re properly protected moving forward.

Method 2: Install the VPN on each device individually

If you’re only concerned about connecting a few devices at a time rather than securing a whole network, it’s much easier to just install the VPN where it’s needed. Most major providers have apps for desktop and mobile, with Linux support and Firestick apps becoming increasingly common.

The disadvantage of this approach is that you could find yourself having to disconnect from one device to browse safely on another. Still, this can be avoided by choosing a VPN provider with a high (or non-existent) connection limit.

Method 3: Share a VPN connection from another device

Once you’ve installed a VPN onto one device, it’s actually possible to share that secure connection with other devices. This is called creating a virtual router, and we’ve put together guides for doing this quickly and easily on Windows and MacOS. Unfortunately, both Android and iOS prevent you from sharing a VPN connection using the personal hotspot feature, so unless your device is rooted, this won’t work.

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Methodology: How we chose the best VPNs for Virgin Media

Choosing a VPN can be difficult, especially if you don’t have one specific task (like streaming or torrenting) in mind. In order to take the guesswork out of the process, we compiled this list of VPNs according to a specific set of criteria. Here are the key things we looked out for:

• Server choice: We prioritized VPNs with lots of servers in the UK since a UK IP address is essential for accessing Virgin Media. However, we required our top providers to have servers in at least a few dozen other countries as well.
• Versatility: The best VPNs should be able to securely access not just Virgin Media but services like Netflix UK, ITV Hub, and My5. They also have to allow P2P traffic, be suitable for playing online games, and be able to avoid the kind of VPN blocking used by hotels and public Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Performance: Your VPN cannot be faster than your base connection, but we made an effort to select providers that have as small an impact on your speeds as possible. We periodically run hundreds of speed tests and can confidently say that those above are suitable for just about any task.
• Security and privacy: First and foremost, our top VPNs can’t keep any logs that might identify you. We also require effectively-uncrackable AES encryption, plus protection against DNS and IPv6 leaks and a kill switch. Naturally, the more security tools a service has, the better.
• User-friendliness: If a VPN is too complicated to use, most people simply won’t bother. That’s why we prioritize newcomer-friendly services, ideally with 24/7 live chat support, no connection limits, and specific servers for safe streaming.

Want to learn more? Read all about our VPN testing processing in our methodology article.

Using a free VPN with Virgin Media

While you may find a free VPN that works with Virgin Media, we wouldn’t recommend it for a few reasons. First off, free VPNs tend to suffer from poor performance. This is understandable since they have too few servers and too many users. You’ll therefore experience buffering and lag when trying to use a free VPN to watch Virgin Media or streaming services. You’re also unlikely to find a knowledgeable customer service team on hand to help you if you run into an issue or need help installing your VPN on a router.

Plus, VPNs should also provide you with improved online privacy. Unfortunately, this is not the case with many free VPNs, which spam users with inappropriate and annoying ads and infect devices with malware. What’s more, some free VPNs actually log your data and activity and sell it to third parties. Poor performance and poor privacy are the reasons why free VPNs simply aren’t worth it.

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Virgin Media VPNs: FAQs