Many factors impact speed when you use any VPN service, for example:
- Routing of traffic through VPN servers
- Data encryption and decryption rate on your device
- The distance between you and the VPN servers
- Computer security settings and antivirus software
- Connection traffic and stability
All traffic is routed through the VPN servers. When you’re connected to a VPN, data leaving your device and data coming from the internet now travels through the VPN servers first before reaching their target.
Data is encrypted and decrypted multiple times. All inbound and outbound traffic going between your device and the internet is encrypted and decrypted by either your device or the VPN servers. 256-bit encryption, the highest standard for encryption, is used to secure your data. If you have an older device or slower CPU, this process might take longer and affect speed.
Your distance from the VPN servers impacts speed. The farther you are from the VPN servers, the slower your speed will be. For example, if you live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and connect to the US VPN servers, speed will be slower because data needs to travel the distance each way.
Security settings and antivirus software can conflict with the VPN. To check if it does, turn off your antivirus software and test your internet speed. Learn how to test your internet speed
The VPN is sensitive to congested and unstable connections. If you use a connection that tends to drop or is congested due to high traffic, the VPN speed will be slower. These types of connections signal a security risk, and the VPN will drop and reroute the connection through a different set of routers—which affects the VPN speed. Slow VPN speeds will have a more significant impact on users who:
- Connect to congested public networks
- Download large files
- Stream a lot of media