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A VPN could be used as one tool to mitigate just some of the risks, because it encrypts your traffic. But the main thing would be to change the default passwords to a secure random password. But this is a minor mitigation, but if you have an unsecure router then there's nothing much you can do. The bad actor may not be able to see the traffic, but they might still be able to take over your network.
-Mantas

For privacy and control of my network, I generally use the devices from Michael Bazzel's list: https://inteltechniques.com/links.html

If ISPs force you to use their routers, I think that's unfair. Normally, though, from experience, I've seen that you can use your own router.

I think ubiquiti products are pretty good, and they're one of my favorite products to use.

That's a really good question. It's in my plans to investigate more popular brands like TP-Link, Netgear and other well-known brands for vulnerabilities. That way, I'll be able to check how secure they are, as well as the remanufactured devices. But until then, i can't really comment on the security status of those devices.