VPNs are pretty useful for protecting your identity on the web. That includes hiding your IP address, encrypting your online activities so it is not easy for unknown sources to decrypt them, and also unblocking geo-restricted content. However, when using the VPN, you might have noticed that the internet speed gets a little slower. That is actually because data is being encrypted and routed to a different server by the VPN. This article will list some of the methods that you can use to increase internet speed while being connected to a VPN.
Reason Behind Internet Slowing Down When Using VPN
Whether you are subscribed to a dependable internet service like Comcast Internet or a crappier one, the connection will often be disrupted when you are actively using a VPN. A Virtual Private Network or VPN tunnels your online activities through an encrypted tunnel to an external server. This tunneling is called rerouting and doing it increased your security and privacy from being exposed. However, such a process also increases the time it takes for internet data to travel from one device to another, hence, resulting in the slowdown of internet connection when using a VPN.
How to Increase Internet Speed When Using VPN
While it is inevitable that your internet speeds be impacted when using the VPN, there are things you can try to counter that;
Pick a Different VPN. While encrypting data and having it transmitted, the distance of the server from your location majorly impacts the VPN activity. The farther away your location is from the server, the longer it will take for the VPN to transmit data. To deal with this, you must switch servers and go for the one that is close to your geographical location. That should improve the internet speed.
Change VPN Protocols. A VPN protocol is referred to as a system that is responsible for encrypting data before sending it to an external server. The kind of protocol you are using plays an important role in what kind of security and privacy you will be receiving.
Enable Split Tunnelling. Tunneling and encrypting internet traffic is done by most VPN services by default from all the apps and software that are installed on your device. If you are using multiple apps that use a lot of bandwidth, that will slow down the connection speed.
VPN providers have in-built features which allow you to pick which websites, apps, or networks you want to run through the VPN.
Opt for a Different VPN Provider. There are some VPN providers that cannot deliver faster internet speeds to your location even when changing servers and protocols. It may be time to switch to a different VPN service.
Change from Wireless to Wired. Although the wireless connection is the most preferred form of connecting to the internet, the internet speeds that you get on wireless are usually very slow than the wired connections.
This happens because the data packets traveling between your devices and router are prone to interference and disruption. Hence, the connection speeds are impacted. If your device has Ethernet ports, then you must switch to using the wired connection for faster internet speeds while using the VPN.
Close Unnecessary Background Apps. You may have forgotten this but there are probably a bunch of apps and programs running in the background on your device. These apps aren’t really shown on the user interface, they still take up a lot of processing power and bandwidth. This also impacts the connection speed. Hence, always make sure that the background apps and other apps that you aren’t using at the moment are closed.
Temporarily Disable Antivirus and Firewall. It is not advised to turn off the antivirus and firewall since they’re both crucial for keeping the system safe. But if you need to increase the VPN connection speed for a little while, you can consider disabling the antivirus and firewall programs. This can have a significant impact on your connection speed.
Reboot Your Device. This might seem like such an obvious solution but it is often overlooked. Rebooting your devices is one of the most simplest and popular solutions out there for any quick fixes. It can help resolve the internal issues in your device, that could be responsible for slowing down the VPN connection.
Conclusion
With the emerging times, you need a VPN for security and privacy on the internet. But VPN can majorly have an impact on your internet connection and the aforementioned tips are some of the things you can try to speed up the internet connection when your device is connected to the VPN.