{"id":247661,"date":"2021-05-12T13:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T10:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/"},"modified":"2021-05-12T13:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T10:40:00","slug":"how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/","title":{"rendered":"#How to Test Your VPN Speed (and How to Speed up a VPN)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e73a1d6f35\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e73a1d6f35\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/#How_to_Test_a_VPNs_Speed\" >How to Test a VPN\u2019s Speed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/#What_Affects_VPN_Speed\" >What Affects VPN Speed?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/#Distance_between_You_and_the_Server\" >Distance between You and the Server<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/#VPN_Server_Load\" >VPN Server Load<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/#Encryption\" >Encryption<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/#How_to_Make_Sure_That_You_Have_a_Fast_VPN\" >How to Make Sure That You Have a Fast VPN<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#How to Test Your VPN Speed (and How to Speed up a VPN)&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-725546 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/digital-highway.jpg?width=1200&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"An abstract rendering of a digital highway.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"555\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/3d-rendering-abstract-highway-path-through-1493123198\" data-credittext=\"kkssr\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/3d-rendering-abstract-highway-path-through-1493123198\">kkssr\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You may have noticed that, with your VPN connected, your internet speed has dropped\u2014even if only a little. No matter how fast a VPN claims to be, you\u2019ll always get this decrease in speed. Let\u2019s look at the reasons why.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Test_a_VPNs_Speed\"><\/span>How to Test a VPN\u2019s Speed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To test VPN speeds, you\u2019ll need to get a baseline idea of how fast your internet connection is. First, if you\u2019re connected to the VPN, disconnect and run a speed test.<br \/>\nThe easiest way to test your connection speed is by visiting a speed-test website like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.speedtest.net\/\">SpeedTest.net<\/a>, which is run by analytics company Ookla. There are alternative sites, like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fast.com\/\">Fast.com<\/a>, but SpeedTest is <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly considered to be the best. Many other speed tests just run an Ookla clone.<\/p>\n<p>On the site, you\u2019ll see a big round button that says \u201cGo.\u201d Below that, you\u2019ll see your IP address on the left and the server you\u2019ll be using on the right. You can change the server, but there\u2019s no real reason to do so for our purpose.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-723930\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/test-main-screen.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"ookla speed test main screen\" width=\"582\" height=\"509\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Hit the big button and wait for the approximately 30 to 60 seconds that it takes to test your <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download<\/a> and upload speeds.\u00a0Once the measurements are done, you\u2019ll be presented with the results of the test. These describe the ping, or latency, of your connection, as well as the download and upload speeds. This isn\u2019t exactly a high-speed connection, but on Cyprus\u2014where Larnaca is\u2014you take what you can get.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, the ping is vital for people who want to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> online while using a VPN, as it influences how fast changes are transmitted over your connection, a measurement called latency.\u00a0The download speed is probably the most important for everybody else, as it determines how fast you can browse the web and stream. The upload speed, however, is something to keep in mind for professionals looking to work while using a VPN, as it influences file sharing and the like.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-723932\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/test-no-vpn.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"speed test without vpn\" width=\"650\" height=\"310\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>To see the change when we use a VPN, we\u2019ll need to connect to one first. For the purpose of this article, we\u2019re using <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxnzmft.com\/?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=content&amp;data2=723924\">ExpressVPN<\/a>, a service that we really like. We\u2019ll first connect to a server that\u2019s relatively nearby in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands (about 4000km or 2500 miles from Cyprus, give or take), and see what kind of result we\u2019ll get. Interestingly enough, it connected to your author\u2019s hometown, just a few miles outside of Amsterdam.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-723933\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/test-amsterdam.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"speed test with VPN to Amsterdam\" width=\"650\" height=\"317\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely see that latency goes up, while both download and upload speeds go down. Now, we\u2019ll do another test and see what happens. This time, we\u2019ll connect to a server in New York, which is about 8800km, or 5500 miles away.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-723936\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/test-new-york.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"speed test with VPN to New York\" width=\"650\" height=\"303\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This result will be interesting, too: The latency will go through the roof, while the upload speed will go down to a crawl. However, the download speed will be higher than the Dutch server\u2019s by far, which is almost as good as having no VPN at all. So what gives?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Affects_VPN_Speed\"><\/span>What Affects VPN Speed?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>VPNs will always adversely affect your speed and latency. There\u2019s just no way around that. According to Dimitar Dobrev, founder of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vpnarea.com\/front\/\">VPNArea<\/a>, there are three reasons for this: how far the server is located from you, the load on that server, and the level of encryption used on the connection.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Distance_between_You_and_the_Server\"><\/span>Distance between You and the Server<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The biggest speed bump for your connection is the difference between you and the server. While it\u2019s tempting to think of the internet as being instantaneous, the packets that contain the bits and bytes that hold the information you\u2019re sending and receiving have to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> a physical path over the connections. Even though the duration is often measured in picoseconds, time is time.<\/p>\n<p>From this, it follows that a server that\u2019s close by will\u2014all other things being equal\u2014always be faster than one that\u2019s farther away. Usually, when you connect to a server in Amsterdam and another in New York from Cyprus, the one in the Big Apple will be noticeably slower. However, this could be due to another reason, namely, the load on the server.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"VPN_Server_Load\"><\/span>VPN Server Load<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A VPN server can only handle so much at once. As such, a VPN service that wants to be fast must employ high-capacity servers that can handle many people using it at the same time. Even then, however, at peak times or on popular servers, speed will suffer. Many VPN providers\u2014but far from all of them\u2014will give you an indication of server load. Staying away from the fuller ones should help keep your speed high.<\/p>\n<p>We expect that\u2019s what happened with our speed tests: The Amsterdam server may have been experiencing a heavy load, while the New York server might have had far fewer people on it. It\u2019s hard to know exactly what\u2019s going on, of course, but that\u2019s the most likely explanation, especially considering when we ran the tests: early morning on the Eastern seaboard and mid-afternoon in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Encryption\"><\/span>Encryption<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Last but not least, the encryption used\u00a0must be considered. A more secure encryption cipher, like AES-256, for example, will take longer than the same one at 128 bits. That being said, generally speaking, as Mr. Dobrev explains, most VPN services will use an encryption standard that doesn\u2019t affect regular users too much. As such, encryption is the least likely influencing factor of your VPN\u2019s speed.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Make_Sure_That_You_Have_a_Fast_VPN\"><\/span>How to Make Sure That You Have a Fast VPN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you want to make sure that you have the fastest VPN available, when choosing one, you should keep server coverage and server quality in mind. Server coverage is easy to find out: Go to the website of the VPN that you\u2019re interested in and check their server page. Then, check to see whether they have servers near you. That should guarantee you decent speeds while browsing.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you specifically want servers in a country far away from you\u2014because you want to circumvent regional restrictions, for example\u2014then server quality becomes a bigger deal. In that case, you either want a VPN provider that has just a few servers that can handle a heavy load (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxnzmft.com\/?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=content&amp;data2=723924\">ExpressVPN<\/a> is a great example of this.), or one that has a lot of lower-capacity servers per location (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nordvpn.com\/\">NordVPN<\/a> comes to mind.).<\/p>\n<p>Whatever you think will work best for you, we recommend that you sign up to your VPN of choice after checking that they have a refund policy in place. Then, run the speed test listed above at\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.speedtest.net\/\">SpeedTest.net<\/a> yourself: If you\u2019re not happy with the results, you can always use the money-back guarantee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/723924\/how-to-test-your-vpn-speed-and-how-to-speed-up-a-vpn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How to Test Your VPN Speed (and How to Speed up a VPN)&#8221; kkssr\/Shutterstock.com You may have noticed that, with your VPN connected, your internet speed has dropped\u2014even if only a little. No matter how fast a VPN claims to be, you\u2019ll always get this decrease in speed. Let\u2019s look at the reasons why. How&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":247662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/digital-highway.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}