Have you ever wondered if a VPN slows down the internet? This is a fairly popular topic – many people claim that a VPN can both slow down and speed up the internet.
In fact, there are many things to consider when analyzing a VPN. Let's take a look at them in our detailed guide today. Today, you'll also learn how to best test the speed of your internet connection.
Does a VPN slow down your internet speed?
Yes and no. It all depends on the specific circumstances. Sometimes when connecting through a VPN, the Internet speed drops significantly. However, it also happens that it increases significantly.
As a rule, it is quite expected that when connecting through a VPN, the Internet speed will change. However, this is unlikely to happen instantly. Typically, this affects your page browsing speed, but you may not even notice it.
Why does a VPN slow down my internet speed?
If a VPN does affect your internet speed, it could be for one or more of the reasons listed below:
1. Server Location
The physical distance between you and the VPN server tends to have a huge impact on the speed of a VPN. Why? Because it takes longer to move information between you and the VPN server.
Simply put, the farther away you are from the VPN server geographically, the more likely it is that the VPN speed will be slower.
2. Bandwidth limits on the server
If the VPN server you're using has bandwidth limitations, speed can be affected. Also, this can happen if you have exceeded the allocated amount of bandwidth, or when the server is overloaded.
It is worth noting that the VPN server itself also directly affects the speed of the VPN. The better the quality of the server, the faster it copes with the encryption and transmission of web traffic. Accordingly, your speed will be higher.
3. Encryption type
Depending on how strong the encryption is used in the VPN protocol, this can lead to a slight decrease in the speed of the VPN. Keep in mind that this happens only occasionally. Sometimes the VPN does not affect the speed of the Internet.
As a rule, the OpenVPN protocol reduces the speed of VPN. In turn, the PPTP protocol is considered the fastest. That being said, PPTP is also the riskiest protocol due to the lack of strong encryption.
A good intermediate option is IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, or SoftEther.
4. Firewall interference
Usually, firewalls do not affect the speed of the VPN, but they can interfere with the work of the VPN during cross-settings or reduce the performance of the processor.
By the way, since we are talking about this, keep in mind that the power of your processor can also affect the speed of the VPN. If you use outdated equipment, then a VPN can seriously hit the speed of the Internet, since the processor is used when encrypting and decrypting data.
5. Network Settings
According to some reports, there is a chance to get a higher speed VPN connection if you use a router with a LAN cable and connect directly to it instead of a WiFi access point. As far as we can tell, the result is always different, so consider that in general it can affect the speed of the VPN, but this will not necessarily happen.
6. VPN Routing Algorithms
How your VPN provider redirects the connection between multiple servers, as well as how they forward your data online, can also affect your VPN speed.
As a rule, free VPNs use mediocre algorithms. Therefore, from them, most likely, you should expect a lower speed.
7. Your initial internet connection speed
After all, if you have a slow initial connection speed, then it's almost guaranteed that you'll experience VPN issues. In this case, there is nothing left but to buy a faster tariff from the provider.
How much can a VPN slow down the internet?
It is hardly possible to determine exactly how much a VPN will slow down your Internet connection. The best way to do this is to perform a simple VPN connection speed test.
To do this, we will use the Ookla SpeedTest.net Service. As equipment, we will have a Macbook Pro with a 100-megabit tariff from an ISP in Bucharest, Romania.
By the way, SpeedTest.net about Ookla. Before you start the test, you can choose the server you want to use to test the VPN speed. As such, the results may vary depending on the server you choose (something we'll also demonstrate with our own tests). First, we will choose a SpeedTest.net server from Bucharest (in the same city as us).
Source: https://vpnheroe.com
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