ExpressVPN Launches Fortify Wi-Fi 6 Router, Retires Aircove Line

The launch ends ExpressVPN's Aircove era. Aircove and the portable Aircove Go are being retired from sale and ExpressVPN will not produce any more units. Existing owners will continue to receive critical security updates and customer support through 2027 for Aircove and through 2028 for Aircove Go. They can also get 20% off Fortify by contacting ExpressVPN Customer Support to confirm ownership and receive a discount code.

Fortify is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 AX6000 router, up from Aircove's AX1800 rating. It uses a 4x4 MU-MIMO layout, compared with 2x2 on Aircove, and tops out at 1148 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 4804 Mbps on 5GHz. Inside is a quad-core 2.0GHz processor with 1GB of DDR4 memory and 8GB of eMMC storage. It also has two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports and four Gigabit LAN ports.

For VPN performance, ExpressVPN says Fortify supports up to 900 Mbps VPN throughput on WireGuard, compared with up to 330 Mbps on Aircove, and can handle as many as 86 devices at once. The router runs the VPN at the router level, so supported devices on the network, including smart TVs, game consoles, security cameras, and other gadgets that cannot install a VPN app, can be routed through ExpressVPN.

At launch, Fortify uses the WireGuard protocol and is configured through GL.iNet's router interface. That interface retains networking tools such as Multi-WAN failover, Smart Queue Management, and AdGuard Home for network-wide ad and tracker blocking. GL.iNet supplies the hardware, firmware, and router interface, while ExpressVPN provides the VPN service and privacy technology as part of what both companies describe as a longer-term partnership.

Zac Eller, GM of Global Partnerships at ExpressVPN, said that "together we can do more for customers than either of us would alone." The bundle covers VPN use through the router as well as ExpressVPN's apps on personal devices, and includes extras such as the ExpressKeys password manager, ad and tracker blocking, ExpressMailGuard, and more, according to the company.

On trust, ExpressVPN points to its no-logs policy and RAM-only TrustedServer infrastructure, which it says has been independently audited by firms including PwC, Cure53 and KPMG. Aircove also passed a Cure53 security audit at launch. ExpressVPN's router journey began in 2016 with dedicated router firmware, followed by the first Aircove in 2022 and Aircove Go in 2024.

TechRadar described ExpressVPN as regularly ranked among the best VPN providers and easy for less tech-savvy users, and said the new hardware is a clear step up from Aircove. Existing Aircove owners do not need to do anything immediately, as their routers keep working.