VPNs, or virtual private networks, are now essential for guaranteeing online privacy and data security. However, the VPN-caused internet delay is a problem that many users face. The best course of action to follow if your VPN causes your devices’ internet traffic to lag is covered in our tutorial.
Our online activities can be greatly impacted by slow internet, particularly while streaming, playing games, holding video conferences, and downloading files. Many people doubt the usefulness of VPNs in light of this worry because they essentially reroute and encrypt internet data, which necessarily results in some lag.
It’s critical to understand that maximising your VPN speed can help reduce this latency by finding a balance between effective connectivity and security. In response to the frequent worry that utilising a VPN reduces internet speed, our specialists have compiled the top techniques.
Quick ideas for speeding up your VPN
1- Select a fast VPN server: Selecting a server that is closer to you and has less traffic can improve connection stability and speed.
2- Make use of a wired link: VPN performance is improved by Ethernet cables, which frequently offer more bandwidth and stability than wireless connections.
3- Alter the VPN’s protocol: Resolving persistent connectivity issues can be achieved by modifying the data transfer rules between your device and the VPN server.
4- Turn off your antivirus and firewall: Turning off firewalls and antivirus software briefly could improve connectivity because they can impede VPN connections by blocking particular IP ranges or ports.
5- Make use of split tunnelling: By using the VPN to route just essential traffic, bandwidth demands can be reduced and even speed may be increased.
6- Use a VPN router: Implementing a VPN router can reduce disconnections and save time by eliminating the need to install the VPN software on multiple devices.
VPN speed-influencing factors
Your network configuration, VPN protocols, and the way your VPN provider routes data between servers all affect how quickly your VPN connects. Furthermore, delay may be caused by remote server locations. Additional factors that affect VPN speeds include encryption, server loads, CPU/RAM consumption, and total network traffic.
Let’s examine some of the most important things to think about.
Encryption
The speed of your connection is mostly dependent on the VPN encryption. Stronger encryption, such as Advanced Encryption Standard with 256 bits (AES-256), slows down the VPN connection but offers better security because it requires more processing power. AES-128 encryption, on the other hand, is quicker and lighter but jeopardises the security of your information. Every encryption increases the amount of data in the data stream, using more bandwidth and thus slowing down the process. So, choose an encryption type that balances speed and security and is compatible with your device and platform is essential.
Server Load
Your connection speed is directly impacted by the quantity of users connected to a VPN server. A server’s resources are distributed more widely the more users it has, which could cause the service to lag for everyone. With free or less expensive VPN services that lack sufficient server density and capacity, this phenomenon—known as server overload—occurs frequently. That can, however, happen with any VPN if the server’s allotted bandwidth is surpassed. With the use of server load information, which premium VPNs frequently offer, you can choose less congested servers for faster connections.
Network Congestion
When a network is overloaded with more traffic than it can manage, congestion occurs and a data traffic bottleneck results. Congestion of this kind usually arises when too many communications or data requests are made at once over a network that isn’t fast enough to handle them all. This traffic overflow can severely slow down data delivery, reducing VPN connection speeds, much like a congested freeway during rush hour.