It’s 2020, so I am pretty sure you have read your fair share of articles regarding Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Great, that saves me the trouble of going into detailed definitions, or explaining the benefits of this service. I mean – how could you not be aware of the benefits right now? I suppose you could, if you have been living under a rock and if Patrick Star is your relative.
Maybe you should read this, just in case: https://www.lifehack.org/533452/5-significant-benefits-using-virtual-private-network-vpn
Speed Matters
Now, let me ask you an important question. Whenever you open your browser, be it for work related purposes, or you just want to relax watching a movie or two, what is the most important thing you want at that moment? Is it a bag of popcorns, or coffee, or a tea, or anything that will make your watching or working experience more enjoyable?
Sure, you can wish for that all you want. You can even get up and get all that stuff. But, your experience might still be ruined by something far more important than that. So, when you open your browser, you want it to be fast. That’s it – that’s the most significant thing. If the speed is not up to par, you will definitely get frustrated.
There have even been cases of people breaking their smart devices because their connection was too slow. I know this must have happened to you at some point. Well, maybe not the breaking part, you might be more patient than that. But, your slow connection must have made you angry and irritated at least once in your lifetime. If not, then you are one lucky fellow.
But, let’s face it. Since you are here, you probably aren’t “one lucky fellow”. I mean, who searches for VPN speed ranking and the ways to increase it if everything is running smoothly? Okay, it might just be for research purposes, but I highly doubt that. You are here because you have a problem. Or, best case scenario – you want to make sure not to have a problem in the future.
What Affects The Speed Of VPN
Before we get to the solution part, it is vital to understand what it is that affects the speed of your VPN. This is not as straightforward as you might think. There is not a button you can press and make everything better. The existence of such a button is pretty much impossible, and for numerous reasons. For starters, your VPN speed is not conditioned by one thing only.
There are numerous factors affecting the speed of your VPN. Naturally, some of those are controlled by your service provider. Others, however, depend on you. In other words, your home network and connection options play a significant role here. So, don’t blame it all on the Virtual Private Network. Let’s see what should be blamed.
Your Home Connection
Obviously, this is the most important factor that affects the speed of your VPN. You cannot expect your home connection to be as slow as a snail and then to magically accelerate the moment you connect to a VPN. I mean, this is just impossible. We are not playing magic here. Even if we were, I can’t think of a type of magic that could get you out of a pickle like this.
Server Location
There is a general rule of thumb here that will help you get the fastest service possible. Nearby servers will always be faster than the more remote ones. I think this piece of information speaks for itself. It’s common sense. Once again, unless you are Patrick Star’s long lost cousin, I believe you won’t have any trouble understanding the logic behind this. Hell, even Patrick would get this one!
Server Bandwidth
Now, here’s another completely logical reason for you. If the server is overcrowded, chances are – you will definitely not get the best out of it. This is exactly why there are so many VPN providers out there, and this is why some of them cost more than the others. You need to find a good one in order to be able to benefit from the service in the best possible way. Check this out.
Solutions
I could go on and on about the reasons for a slow VPN connection. However, at some point, we need to get to the part with solutions. Keep in mind that the speed is conditioned by more factors than the three I mentioned above. If you want to go into detail about that, I suggest you look up encryption strength, protocol, routing, as well as get acquainted with the two components of speed – throughput and latency.
But, I believe this is enough for our current purposes. Naturally, you are more concerned about finding a solution than dwelling on the reasons. What good does it do you if you understand why something is happening, but you don’t know how to fix that something? Well, we are here to fix this, even though you might not completely understand it. With that in mind, I will provide you with a few useful tips below.
- Use the closest possible server
- Use the least crowded server (if this info is provided by your VPN)
- Choose lower encryption strength
- If maximum security isn’t your priority, use PPTP protocol
- Connect to your router via LAN cable if possible (this is faster than a Wi-Fi connection)
Now, it might happen that you do everything on the list and your speed is still not satisfactory. This is not an uncommon situation and it points towards a deeper problem. Nevertheless, there is also a solution for this one, so don’t get discouraged immediately.
There are two things you should do if nothing from the list works. First, set some money aside and upgrade your interned speed. And, secondly, and more importantly, change your VPN provider. Some Virtual Private Network services are simply faster than the others. That’s the way it has always been and that’s the way it will always be. So, choose wisely.
Author | Emily Forbes
An Entrepreneur, Mother & A passionate tech writer in the technology industry!
Email:- forbesemily@yandex.com
