ExpressVPN’s Aircove becomes the first device equipped with Lightway 2.0 – and the upgrades don’t stop there chiara.castro@futurenet.com (Chiara Castro) | usagoldmines.com

Leading VPN firm ExpressVPN has just released a major update to its router with built-in VPN, Aircove.

The update means ExpressVPN’s Aircove and Aircove Go devices promise to be faster, more secure, and private. The upgrades include a new guest Wi-Fi feature to give you more control over your privacy, and up to doubled connection speeds than previously. Aircove and Aircove Go are also the first platforms supporting the newly launched Lightway protocol in Rust.

Upon release, the new AircoveOS v5 has had a successful third-party audit from cybersecurity experts at Cure53 under its belt that validates ExpressVPN‘s security infrastructure.

What’s new with AircoveOS v5?

The AircoveOS v5 update was mainly shaped by customers’ direct feedback, ExpressVPN explained.

“We listened carefully to what mattered most – from faster connections to isolated network access for your friends and family – and intentionally built these improvements into every aspect of Aircove’s architecture,” said David Gilbert, staff product manager for Aircove.

Better performance was certainly one of the users’ priorities. With the update, Aircove should reach 330 Mbps speed when using ExpressVPN’s Lightway TCP protocol. While this doesn’t yet match the fastest VPNs around, it’s a considerable improvement and more than plenty to do most online activities without lag.

More notably, the update adds a new guest Wi-Fi feature that allows you to isolate untrusted devices in an independent network. The feature, the provider explains, ensures guest Wi-Fi devices experience the same powerful VPN encryption – without the risks of these interacting with other devices on users’ home networks.

Like the existing device group feature, you can customize the Guest Wi-Fi group by setting a different VPN location and toggling on advanced protections like ad-blocker and parental control.

The first of a new era

Aircove and Aircove Go are the first platforms to support the new Lightway protocol re-coded in Rust.

This upgrade – which is set to be rolled out across all other ExpressVPN platforms in the next months – promises to make your VPN experience faster and more secure.

Rust is a modern programming language designed for maximum performance and security. An easier code compared to the previously used C, the Rust-based Lightway is expected to make it easier for the team to adopt fixes and add new features.

The new Lightway protocol includes the NIST standard ML-KEM, too, ensuring Aircove can protect you against upcoming threats.

Cure53 has already given its security validation to AircovOS v5. The experts took apart the code in November and couldn’t find any major vulnerabilities. You can read the full Cure53 report here.

All in all, Gilbert said, “The result is our most secure and performant OS yet, and we are thrilled to be delivering an enhanced VPN router experience on Aircove.”