What Could Slow Down your VPN Connection?

VPN is certainly a must-have if you aim to uphold a safe and stable connection to the different services regardless of bans, regional limitations, and privacy concerns. That being said, VPN remains a connection, which means it can be slowed down and interrupted by many different factors.

Here, you can learn exactly what could slow down your VPN connection. That could give you some ideas about how to speed up a VPN connection if it’s unstable, slower than needed, or even inactive. It doesn’t involve any high-end coding or additional extensions. You would, however, need to understand how VPN even works.

How does VPN Work?

VPN works by acting as a middleman between your device and a website. Instead of connecting directly to a website, you connect to a VPN server, which encrypts your signal and sends it to its final destination. Because of it, any place you connect to thinks that you’re located wherever the VPN server is located.

That would be a primary way of changing your location in the network without actually moving. This gives you a number of advantages, such as anonymity, encrypted connection, and the ability to access media that is otherwise banned in your country of habitat. But it can also deteriorate your overall connection, and further reduce it if your VPN connection is slowed down.

So, here are the main factors to consider if that’s the case.

Wrong Location

There are plenty of VPN services, especially free VPN services, which simply connect you to a location of your own choosing. It’s typically the closest available server, which could still be far away. Typical subscription-based services instead let you choose where you want to be. This is much better.

The physical distance between you and the server is crucial. In most cases, you’ll want to connect to a location that is closest to you. If you don’t, it means the signal will have to travel longer distances, which will deteriorate the speed of the connection. They might not be available, but it’s the most optimal choice.

Server Capacity

It may be that the servers in the given location simply exceed their capacity, which causes the connection to deteriorate. Some VPN products offer analytical data on the capacity and the working load of individual servers, but not all. With some, you’d need a more practical approach.

Connect to a slightly further-away server and see if the connection has improved. If it did, it means that its capacity is better even if its actual speed would be slower because of the distance. Both factors are equally important in the choice of a location, but the distance is typically more important.

Firewalls and Malware Detectors

Firewalls and antivirus programs can slow down the VPN connection or outright block it if they deem it to be a potentially harmful exchange. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the VPN you use is harmful, but it is a third-party encryption mechanism that asks for thorough access to your data.

If you trust your VPN, you ought to disable your antivirus software and, if the speed is still not satisfactory – consider disabling your firewall while you’re connected to a VPN. If you don’t know if your VPN provides ample protection of its own, however, then tinkering with firewalls isn’t that good of an idea.