Optimal settings ASUS RT-AC5300 with Merlin 386.3.2

[Tech9]

L2TP by itself doesn't have any encryption. You basically only change your external IP to the one of the exit server. Your in/out data is visible and you can be blocked at any time on a simple firewall. My suggestion is to switch to encrypted OpenVPN. You'll have significant speed drop though, perhaps down to 70Mbps. This is what AC5300 can do. For more you need a newer ARMv8 CPU router with AES support. You may get to 200Mbps speeds. For even more - x86 hardware firewall or change of protocol to Wireguard.

 

[Tech9]

Here, ExpressVPN example for L2TP on a router:

Can't Manually Configure L2TP or PPTP on Router | ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN manual configurations do not support the L2TP or PPTP protocols. Find out what you can do to use ExpressVPN on your router.

www.expressvpn.com

"Important: L2TP does not offer any encryption and should only be used for anonymization or for changing locations. If you are located in a country with a high level of internet censorship, you are recommended to use the ExpressVPN app for a more stable VPN connection."

What you can try is OpenVPN TCP on port 443. It's harder to block and may go through.