VPN Unlimited Speed: Does a VPN Slow Down Your Internet Connection?
In present-day reality, using a VPN provider application is a must for anyone who wants to keep their data safe and enjoy unrestricted internet access. Your VPN speed directly depends on your download speed, and if this speed is mediocre, the VPN app can’t be faster. However, since a VPN encrypts your internet traffic, using such a service affects your connection speed in any case.
A slight speed loss is a small price to pay for your online security and data privacy. The causes of speed issues can be different and mainly depend on various factors like the distance from your current location to a VPN server and the server’s workload. If you feel uncomfortable with your VPN connection speed, keep reading to learn how to make VPN faster.
Does VPN Slow Down Your WiFi / Internet Speed
A VPN will inevitably slow down your internet speed at least a little. This happens due to how the VPN technology operates—it adds a few extra steps to the path that your internet traffic has to travel. Three additional VPN steps that slow down your connection the most are:
- Connection to a remote VPN server
- VPN server workload
- Data encryption
Luckily, premium VPN services like VPN Unlimited can significantly mitigate the negative impact on your connection speed. And in certain edge cases, such a VPN may even make your internet faster!
What else affects your internet speed
The main factor that controls your connection speed is your ISP, a.k.a. Internet Service Provider. Depending on your plan’s internet bandwidth, data limits, and connection type, you will get widely varying performance.
Another thing that shapes your internet speed is how you’re using your plan’s bandwidth. It is shared across all your running applications, and all devices connected to the network. So the more apps are downloading something from the internet and the more devices are connected to your WiFi, the slower your internet becomes. Sometimes all it takes is a single high-speed torrenting app to significantly slow down everything else on the network. Your ISP might also throttle your connection if it detects heavy usage.
Finally, your modem or router is also an important determinant. If the hardware or its drivers are outdated, it may not be able to keep up and deliver the internet speed that your ISP plan provides. Also, the WiFi router’s location in the home can make all the difference—if it’s far from your devices, they won’t get as strong a signal.
Why Your VPN Connection Can Be Slow
Distance between you and the VPN server
The farther the selected VPN server is from your current geographical position, the slower the VPN speed is.
VPN server workload
The more people are connected to your VPN server, the more the workload increases, and the slower the VPN speed is.
Encryption power of the VPN protocol
The stronger the encryption protocol is that your VPN uses to secure your data, the slower the VPN speed is.
What is a Good VPN Connection Speed
In present-day reality, a VPN connection speed of 20 Mbps or more is considered to be normal. This speed is enough for everyday tasks like online surfing, video streaming, downloading files, and other online activities. You can run a VPN speed test of your VPN server speed with lots of popular speed test services in real-time.