What can I do to make my VPN connection faster?

I am using hideman as my VPN, however I found that my internet browsing speed was significantly degraded when I was using VPN.

I used speedtest.net without VPN and I got 5Mbps, and when connected to VPN, it went 0.5Mbps. The VPN speed was only 10% of the normal speed.

I understand that browsing with VPN can make the websites slower due to a lot of factors that we can't control, but I want to concentrate on what I can do; what configuration can I do to my Windows 7 machine, so that the VPN speed is faster?

Graviton

Posted 2013-09-26T03:54:19.873

Reputation: 5 006

Probably none as it may be the bandwidth limitation of your VPN provider. From hideman VPN page http://www.hideman.net/en/index/plans-and-pricing/ -- Bandwidth is limited to 2GB/month, and speed is limited to 512kbps - Assuming you are on the "Free" version. If you paid for it, then it should be considerably faster. If you did pay for it and not getting the speed increase, better check with hideman VPN to see what is wrong.

– Darius – 2013-09-26T04:30:56.253

I am using a paid version of the hideman – Graviton – 2013-09-26T04:39:09.327

So just to confirm, you use http://www.speedtest.net/ (or something similar) without VPN you get 5Mbps, and when connected to VPN, it goes 0.5Mbps?

– Darius – 2013-09-26T04:47:06.757

@Darius, yes, that's what I mean precisely – Graviton – 2013-09-26T05:38:41.207

This may made me get shot by hideman owner.. but have you tried other VPN service? (One that I have heard a lot is ProXPN) and see if you get better speed? As per Seth's answer below, the VPN server may be overloaded and is just plain slow. So maybe a new VPN server (with better bandwidth) may be the answer.

Also when you do speedtest (on VPN) make sure you use a speedtest location "local" to your VPN exit node (not your current location). So say you are in Australia, but VPN made you looks like you are in UK, use speedtest server in UK, not Australia. – Darius – 2013-09-26T07:05:48.430

@Darius, I did the speedtest local to the VPN exit node, and it was equally slow – Graviton – 2013-09-28T08:03:23.310

I guess... it is just the limitation of the VPN server itself... hence why my suggestion to try other VPN provider and see if they are any better. If you are getting very similar speed, then maybe something else is the cause (not the VPN server) – Darius – 2013-09-29T07:17:48.170

Answers

Uncheck "Use default gateway on remote network" option in TCP/IP network settings (IPv4 > advanced settins)

Gurupal singh

Posted 2013-09-26T03:54:19.873

Reputation: 21

Welcome to SuperUser. can you please elaborate on your answer? – Lorenzo Von Matterhorn – 2013-09-26T10:04:00.190

The limiting factor in most VPN scenarios is the server. The website says that there is no limit, but no guaranteed speed either. To rule out a client side issue, I might try running a speed test without encryption or from another computer.

Seth

Posted 2013-09-26T03:54:19.873

Reputation: 171

I did try to run a speedtest without a VPN and noticed a 10x difference, not sure whether that was what you mean or not. – Graviton – 2013-09-26T05:37:21.200

VPN speed mainly depends on the VPN servers.

What type of servers do they use.
How congested are their servers (ie how many people are logged on / using bandwidth at the same time)
How far are you from their servers and the servers of the service (netflix/hulu/pandora/etc) that you are trying access.

To me, it is always suspicious if the VPN does not allow you to try their servers (and run a quick speedtest) before purchasing. Some allow you to purchase and try... but I prefer to try then purchase. I've seen http://www.vpnauthority.com allows for a two day free trial. I would run a http://speedtest.net test to try it out from your location.

Oliver Goodman

Posted 2013-09-26T03:54:19.873

Reputation: 26