Here's how to speed up your VPN connection
VPN often slows down your internet connection by 50% or even more. It can be frustrating, especially when you are streaming or online gaming. Here are some tips for boosting your internet connection speed while using VPN.
Why does VPN slow down your internet connection?
Virtual Private Network (VPN) adds a layer of encryption to your internet connection, meaning your traffic goes through a server in a remote location. And it is time-consuming – to encrypt and decrypt your traffic and for your data to travel to a remote server, back and forth. If you want to maximize your VPN speed and ensure that the movie you are streaming, your Zoom call, or a video game you are playing runs smoothly, check out our tips about speeding up your VPN connection.
Connect to a server closer to you
If you connect to a server close to your physical location, your traffic will have a smaller distance to travel, so it'll take less time to connect. If you choose between different VPNs, you can check their speed on Ookla Speedtest. Consult our guide with the top VPN services to choose the one that's right for you.
Connect to a non-overloaded server
When many people connect to the same VPN server, it becomes overloaded and unable to provide a fast connection to everyone. Some providers display the current server load to see if this one would work for you. If it doesn't show the current load, try to connect to different ones and see which one is the fastest.
Try different VPN protocols
There are various VPN protocols nowadays. Each one provides a different set of instructions on establishing the connection between your device and the server. Different VPN protocols have various advantages and disadvantages. OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, Lightway, NordLynx, and some other notorious VPN protocols offer a good combination of speed, security, and stability. Try to switch between them to find out which works best for you.
Enable split tunneling
Split tunneling lets you send only the traffic you want through your VPN connection and the rest of your traffic – through your standard internet connection. This way, all the excess traffic won't burden your bandwidth and won't slow down your connection.
Close apps in the background
The apps that run in the background can limit the productivity of your computer and slow down your connection. Check if anything's running in the background before starting streaming or gaming.
Restart your router
It's a good practice to restart your router from time to time and your other devices. When you reboot your router and your computer, they'll free up some RAM and get a much-needed refresh. This might also affect your connection and speed it up.
Try a wired connection
A wired connection is often faster than your WiFi. WiFi can slow down if many devices are connected to it and share its resources. So, connect your computer to the router via an ethernet cable and then connect to your VPN.