- Why Does My Download Speed Drop On Ps4
- My Download
- Check My Download Speed
- My Internet Speed Just Dropped
- Why Does My Download Speed Drop Steam
- Why Does My Download Speed Drop To 0
As you can see, my upload speed will drop to 1/340 of my download speed, which is completely abnormal, i should be.
Ever wondered if a VPN slows down Internet connection speeds? It’s a pretty popular topic – in fact, many people like to claim VPNs either slow down Internet speeds or speed them up.
Well, there are a lot of things you need to consider when thinking about VPN speed – and we’ll discuss all of them in this in-depth guide. We’ll also tell you which VPN speed tests you can use to see how your connections are doing.
- Why Does a VPN Slow Down Internet Connection Speeds?
- How Much Does a VPN Slow You Down?
- Can a VPN Offer You Better Internet Connection Speed?
Does a VPN Slow Down Internet Speed?
Yes and no – it all depends on your circumstances. You could either run a VPN and notice no drop in online speeds, or you might connect to a VPN only to quickly see how your connection speeds are taking a hit.
Generally, it’s best to expect there to be variations in Internet speeds when using a VPN. However, you shouldn’t expect your speed to tank instantly. Normally, it’s likely going to be a drop in online speeds you might not even notice that easily.
Why Does a VPN Slow Down Internet Connection Speeds?
Overall, there are 7 factors that you should take into consideration when a VPN slows down Internet speeds:
1. The Location of the Server
The physical distance between you and the VPN server tends to have a huge influence on what kind of VPN speed you will get. Why? Because it takes data packets longer to travel between you and the VPN server.
Simply put, the further you are geographically located from the VPN server, the likelier it is your VPN speed will be a bit slower.
2. Server Bandwidth Limitations
If the VPN server you use has bandwidth limitations, your speeds might take a hit either when you go over your allocated bandwidth or when the server is overcrowded.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that the VPN server itself has a direct impact on your VPN speed. The better the quality of the server, the faster it can process things like encryption and web traffic, so the better your speeds will be.
3. The Type of Encryption
Depending on how strong the encryption of the VPN protocol you use is, it can potentially cause your VPN speed to drop a bit. Do keep in mind this only happens sometimes, and – other times – it doesn’t happen at all.
As a general rule of thumb, the OpenVPN protocol is the one you’re most likely to encounter VPN speed drops with, while PPTP is the fastest one. However, PPTP is also the most risky protocol due to its lack of reliable encryption.
Usually, a good in-between is the IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec or SoftEther protocol.
4. Firewall Interferences
Firewalls don’t normally impact VPN speed but they can get in the way if they are configured to interfere with VPN traffic or your CPU performance.
While we’re on this topic, we should also mention that the power of your CPU can also influence your VPN speed. If you have a particularly old model, your VPN speed might take a hit because the CPU has a harder time working on the encryption/decryption process, as well as handling the VPN application processes.
5. Your Network Setup
According to some online articles and users, there’s a chance you might get better VPN connection speeds if you use a router with a LAN cable and connect directly to it instead of using WiFi. As far as we can tell, the results vary, so consider this a factor that might impact your VPN speed but isn’t guaranteed to do so.
6. VPN Routing Algorithms
How your VPN provider routes your connection between multiple servers, and the way they troute your online data as well can impact your VPN speed.
Usually, free VPNs tend to rely on sub-par algorithms, so you’re likely to get a lower speed with them.
7. Your Own Connection Speed
In the end, if your original ISP connection speed is too slow, it’s pretty much guaranteed you will experience the same thing with a VPN. There’s not much you can do in this case other than just getting a better connection plan from your ISP, or switching ISPs if faster options are available.
How Much Does a VPN Slow You Down?
Pinpointing exactly how much a VPN slows down Internet connection speeds is pretty difficult. The best we can do is approximate based on a simple VPN speed test.
For that, we’ll be using Ookla’s SpeedTest.net platform, a Macbook Pro using a 100 Mbps connection from an ISP in Bucharest, Romania.
Quick note about Ookla’s SpeedTest.net before we begin – you can actually choose which server you want to use for testing VPN speed. Therefore, the results you get can actually vary depending on the server you choose (something which we will also demonstrate with our own tests). For starters, we’ll pick a SpeedTest.net server from Bucharest (so that it’s in the same city as us).
SpeedTest.net Results Without a VPN
As you can see, things are pretty smooth. We’re not getting exactly 100 Mbps download/upload, but a small variation is expected.
SpeedTest.net Results with Different VPN Protocols
We’ll start out by testing out what VPN speeds we’ll get when we use various VPN protocols to connect to the web. We’ll be trying out IKEv2 and OpenVPN (TCP and UDP).
IKEv2 | Bucharest VPN Server
Things are pretty okay – we didn’t lost a lot of download and upload speed. Overall, the VPN speed only went down by about 10%.
OpenVPN (UDP) | Bucharest VPN Server
Even though OpenVPN features pretty “heavy” encryption, if you use OpenVPN UDP you’re likely to get better speeds than with TCP. We only experienced a drop in connection speeds of approximately 13%.
OpenVPN (TCP) | Bucharest VPN Server
With OpenVPN TCP, the drop in VPN speed is more noticeable. We estimate that this protocol caused an approximately 30% decrease in online speed for us.
SpeedTest.net Results with Different VPN Server Locations
Now, we’ll be taking a look at how much a VPN slows down Internet connections depending on geographical distances. We’ll switch to our London and Montreal VPN servers (once again, our location is Bucharest for this test).
IKEv2 | London VPN Server
Switching to the London VPN server location causes a pretty noticeable effect. Even though we’re using the IKEv2 protocol which is normally fast, we still experienced an around 40% drop in connection speeds because of the distance.
IKEv2 | Montreal VPN Server
Switching to a VPN server that’s on another continent decreased our speeds even more – by around 60%, to be exact.
SpeedTest.net Results with Different SpeedTest.net Server
IKEv2 | Montreal VPN Server | Different SpeedTest.net Server
This time, we’re using the same IKEv2 protocol and Montreal VPN server, but we’re also switching to a Montreal SpeedTest.net server. The difference is immediately obvious – the ping is two times smaller than our IKEv2/Montreal VPN server/Bucharest SpeedTest.net server combination. Also, the upload speed is almost two times faster.
IKEv2 | Without a VPN | Montreal SpeedTest.net Server
We also decided to run a test with no VPN connection and a SpeedTest.net server that’s far away from us. As you can see, not a lot has changed compared to the results above – only the download speed took a small hit.
What does this mean? That, sometimes, your VPN speed results might only partially be affected by the VPN itself since they also depend on how far the speed test tool server is from your own location.
VPN Speed Test Conclusion
According to our findings, you could say that it’s possible for a VPN to slow down your connection speeds by anywhere between 10% to 30% if you use a VPN server that’s close to you, and by 40% to 60% if you pick a VPN server location that’s pretty far. Also, depending on the VPN protocol you use, you might see a decrease in speed of anywhere between 10% to 30%.
Obviously, you can see different numbers on your end. Besides that, please keep in mind that not all VPN speed test tools include an option to choose a different server on their end like SpeedTest.Net does. And – most importantly of all – sometimes the results you get can be heavily influenced by the server used by the speed test you’re using.
How to Test VPN Speed the Right Way
The best way to test VPN speeds is to use speed test tools to record your ping, download, and upload speeds with and without a VPN connection. We recommend running multiple tests since the speeds can vary both when you’re using a VPN and when you aren’t, and checking the VPN speed with different protocols, server locations, and speed test tool servers (if possible).
Here is a list of VPN speed test websites you can use for this task:
Overall, if you see a huge drop in download speeds, you should try switching servers (or some of the advice provided below).
Is There Any Way You Can Increase VPN Speed?
Yes, there is. In fact, you won’t need to worry about when a VPN slows down Internet speeds if you follow these tips:
- Choose a VPN provider that has no bandwidth limitations.
- Always try to connect to the VPN server that’s closest to you (if it’s in your own country, the better).
- Make sure your firewall or antivirus / anti-malware program doesn’t interfere with the VPN. Alternatively, just turn off the firewall.
Try to use a VPN protocol with less powerful encryption (like PPTP) if you’re adamant about improving VPN speed.
WARNING: Only do that if you know for certain your data won’t be at risk – PPTP isn’t as secure as other protocols. If you can’t afford to take a risk, use L2TP/IPSec or SoftEther.
- Play around with VPN protocol settings. For example, use OpenVPN UDP instead of OpenVPN TCP since it’s faster.
- Pause or turn off applications or devices that are using your router and you don’t need right then (like a smart kettle).
- If possible, try using a wired connection instead of a wireless one. You’re likely to get better VPN speed because there’s less contention for bandwidth this way.
Try restarting your modem or router. Sometimes, memory leaks can cause slow online speeds, and a quick restart fixes that.
Also, if you run a VPN on a router, try using the VPN directly on your device (if it’s possible, of course). You can also try restarting your devices as well to see if it gives you a VPN speed boost.
Overall, if you see a huge drop in download speeds, you should try switching servers (or some of the advice provided below).
Can a VPN Offer You Better Internet Connection Speed?
While a VPN service isn’t really intended to offer you better online connection speeds, there are two situations when using a VPN can improve your Internet speed:
1. Bandwidth Throttling
If you’re not familiar with bandwidth throttling, it’s when ISPs intentionally limit user bandwidth – essentially lowering their connection speeds.
ISPs claim they need to do this to combat network congestion at peak times to offer all users a smooth experience. While that may be true in some situations, a lot of times ISPs throttle user bandwidth to pressure them into upgrading to a pricier subscription or data plan.
Bandwidth throttling doesn’t normally happen daily, but it might happen weekly or monthly, so it’s still noticeable. You’re likely to become a victim of bandwidth throttling if you stream videos constantly, game online a lot, or download large files very often.
Don’t forget – your ISP can see everything you do online, so they can keep tabs on your activities, and decide when they need to throttle your bandwidth based on them.
Why Does My Download Speed Drop On Ps4
Well, if you use a VPN, your traffic is encrypted, so your ISP can’t monitor what you do online. As a result, they can’t throttle your bandwidth.
So, in this situation, you are likely to get better online speeds if you use a VPN.
2. Sloppy ISP Routing
If your ISP doesn’t properly route your traffic, you might experience slower online speeds. Basically, the longer and more inefficient the traffic routing, the more noticeable the drop in speed.
My Download
Poor traffic routing can happen for all sorts of reasons, but the end result is the same – you end up having to settle for a subpar online experience.
Luckily, if this is the situation, a VPN can help you by hiding the origin point of your online traffic and its destination.
Since your ISP can’t see where your traffic is coming from and where it’s going, they could be likely to use a different routing path that might be more efficient.
Of course, this is more of a speculation – not a guarantee. Nevertheless, it’s the kind of situation when you can definitely say you could enjoy better Internet speeds if you use a VPN.
Looking for a Provider with Decent, Stable VPN Speed?
We’ve got you covered – we here at CactusVPN only offer access to high-speed 1Gbps servers that are located in reputable, safe, and reliable data centers from around the world. All our servers offer unlimited bandwidth, so you don’t need to worry about any bandwidth caps ruining your online experience.
Also, we configured all our servers properly to ensure they route your traffic correctly, and we give you the option to switch between 6 VPN protocols (including SoftEther, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN UDP/TCP, IKEv2, and PPTP), so you can tweak your VPN speed as you see fit.
What’s more, our user-friendly, cross-platform compatible clients even let you sort our VPN servers by speed if you want to quickly find the server with the best VPN speed for you.
Give Our Service a Free Test-Drive First
If you need some time to test our our VPN connections first, don’t worry – we offer a free 24-hour trial, so you can run all the VPN speed tests you want.
And once you become a CactusVPN user, you’ll still be covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s nothing to worry about.
Conclusion – A VPN Slows Down Internet Speeds, But Only Sometimes
Depending on various factors (like how far the VPN server is from you, what VPN protocol you use, how powerful your CPU is, how the VPN routes your traffic – just to name a few), it’s possible that a VPN slows Internet connection speeds for some users.
However, there are luckily some things you can do (like choosing a server that’s closer to you, using a wired connection, disabling your firewall, etc.) to increase your VPN speed. You can even use various VPN speed test tools to check to see if you’re getting a VPN speed boost or not.
Overall, as long as you follow some of the advice mentioned in this guide, and pick a reliable VPN provider too, you won’t need to keep asking yourself “Will a VPN slow down Internet speeds whenever I’m online?”
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Broadband router configuration errors, wireless interference, or any of several other technical problems adversely affect the speed and stability of your internet connection. Diagnose and fix the causes of your slow internet connection on your own, before you reach out for potentially expensive tech support.
Check Your Router Settings to Speed Up Your Connection
As the centerpiece of a network, a broadband router can be responsible for slow internet connections if it is configured improperly. For example, improperly setting the MTU of a router leads to performance problems if it's set too high or too low.
Ensure your router's settings remain consistent with the manufacturer's documentation and your internet service provider's recommendations.
Record any changes you make to the router's configuration so you can undo them later if necessary.
Avoid Signal Interference That Slows Your Internet Speed
Check My Download Speed
Wi-Fi and other types of wireless connections often perform poorly because of signal interference, which requires computers to continually resend messages to overcome signal overlap.
Household appliances and your neighbors' wireless networks can interfere with your computers. Reposition your router for better performance and change your Wi-Fi channel number. In general, the closer your device is to the router, the better the Wi-Fi connection.
Large, dense objects such as fireplaces block Wi-Fi signals more than walls. A device that is close to a router, but blocked by a barrier, won't successfully connect.
Beware of Worms & Other Malware
An internet worm is a malicious software program that spreads from device to device through computer networks. If any of your computers become infected by an internet worm or other malware, they may spontaneously generate network traffic without your knowledge, and cause your internet connection to appear slow.
Keep up-to-date anti-virus software running to catch and remove worms and malware from your devices.
Stop Background Programs That Hog Bandwidth
Some software applications run background processes that are hidden behind other apps or minimized to the system tray, where they quietly consume network resources. Unlike worms, these applications are designed to do useful work and should not be removed from a device.
Games and programs that work with videos require significant bandwidth and limit bandwidth for other foreground apps. It's easy to forget these applications are running. Check computers for programs that are running in the background when you troubleshoot a slow network.
Many games automatically run downloaders that patch the game without additional intervention or approval by you. If your download speed suddenly seems slow, find out if your favorite game is downloading a few gigabytes of patch files.
Make Sure Your Router & Other Network Equipment Is Working
When routers, modems, or cables malfunction, they don't properly support network traffic at full speeds. Certain technical glitches in network equipment negatively affect performance even though connections can still be made.
My Internet Speed Just Dropped
To troubleshoot potentially faulty equipment, temporarily rearrange and reconfigure your gear while experimenting with different configurations. Systematically try bypassing the router, swapping cables, and testing with multiple devices to isolate the slow performance to a specific component of the system. Then, decide if it can be upgraded, repaired, or replaced.
Check Whether Your Network Speed is Slow
Occasionally run speed tests to check the quality of your internet connection. These tests reveal whether your local computer's outbound connection is impaired. If you get decent throughput on a speed test but your computer's connection still seems slow, the problem may reside in your computer (e.g., active download sessions or you've maximized memory, disk, or CPU utilization on your device).
If your computer runs above 80 percent consistent utilization for system memory, disk input/output, or CPU cycling, the computer may struggle to maintain optimal performance. Network slowdowns follow — not because the network is problematic, but because the computer is overtaxed.
To check relative resource utilization to determine whether another component is affecting network performance in Windows 10, right-click the Start button, select Task Manager, and choose Performance. On a Linux computer, use the top command. On a Mac, open the Activity Monitor.
Call Your Internet Service Provider
Why Does My Download Speed Drop Steam
Internet speed ultimately depends on the service provider. Your ISP may change its network configuration or suffer technical difficulties that inadvertently cause your internet connection to run slowly. ISPs may also intentionally install filters or controls on the network that lower your network performance.
Don't hesitate to contact your service provider if you suspect it is responsible for your slow internet connection.
Why Does My Download Speed Drop To 0
Different types of internet connections offer different trade-offs. If you have a DSL connection and experience slowdowns during peak evening-and-weekend periods, it may be that many connected households are using the same access point in your neighborhood.