Anything that runs OpenWRT should do. Including possibly your AC88U. At least the non modem version is officially supported https://openwrt.org/toh/asus/rt-ac88u
Problem is, the router mention there is the RT not DSL - one that one ordered
Yup, you'll have to more digging for the DSL part. But it doesn't change my original answer: anything that runs OpenWRT.
It's outside your budget, but you should look at Firewalla. I think their least expensive model is the Blue Plus, but it provides security capabilities like firewall and VPN as well as routing and DHCP. The Gold even supports Docker containers - I'm running PiHole in a Docker on my Gold. I'm not using VPN client capabilities, but I know they're there.
I'm asking as I'm in the process of degooglifying myself (including a Synology NAS drive) and I want to restrict access to my data from 3rd parties.
I have a plethora of devices in my household, some of them don't support any sort of VPN Client apps (like video game consoles) so I thought it would be a good idea to have a VPN on the router level so I don't have to install a client on every possible device.
Is expensive router an only way of doing this or achieving this level of anonimity on a network level?
ZDNet has an article recommending 5 VPN routers from $79 to $250. I am not familiar with all of them, but it should get you started. I like the Firewalla product because of the other security features it provides, like blocking incoming traffic flows or device-specific service rules, and PiHole is amazing.
I would honestly recommend buying an old laptop with a broken screen (or an old netbook or something, make sure it has an Ethernet port), a decent DSL modem, a USB network adapter, and a switch if you need it. Now you've got everything you need to make a super capable router. Install a very basic Linux distribution and get NAT setup (it's like 4 or 5 commands), configure the firewall, and your VPN software of choice. I've run a setup like this for years and it's great, because any time a component is "out-of-date" you just update that component. For example, you need AX WiFi instead of AC, just upgrade the WiFi adapter).
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