VPN speed

promalex · 2024-02-27T16:52:00+00:00

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I am using BitDefender products for more than 15 years, so the addition of VPN to their services made me very happy, as I could have now all the online safety services under one hood. I have the VPN for more than one year, but only recently I started to use it, as my previous solution NordVPN expired.

Unfortunately, the BitDefender VPN product is subpar: although the variety of servers and connection types is good, the Internet speed, including download and upload, not just browsing, is greatly throttled down. I made sure all the settings are correct and, anyway, most of the time I use the Automatic connection, letting BitDefender to choose its best configuration. In the image attached, on the left side is the speed connection with BitDefender VPN engaged, on the right side without. As you can see, all the Internet connection aspects are way diminished, including the latency, which makes playing an online game practically impossible. I must add that my previous VPN solutions, Express VPN and NordVPN, would have as well diminished results, but way better than BitDefender (NordVPN would give me an average of 520Mbps, while ExpressVPN around 450Mbps, in the same conditions).

Can anyone explain why is this happening? Is there anything we can do, at least to decrease the horrifying latency?

Thank you!

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Comments

Alexandru_BD

Hello @promalex and thanks for joining us here.

If the VPN is extremely slow, here are a few things you can try to speed up your internet connection while using a VPN. For a faster connection, try changing the protocol in Bitdefender VPN’s settings until you identify the fastest option:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/82366/

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Alex

promalex

I know what you're talking about, as both the previous VPN solutions I had, had these options: Auto, Proprietary Connection, OpenVPN-TCP and OpenVPN-UDP. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no option in Bitdefender VPN or in the main Bitdefender app interface to allow me to change the VPN protocol. My product is Bitdefender Total Security.

promalex

Another speed test, with Ookla this time, 01/03 12 noon - left side with Bitdefender VPN on an automatically selected server, on the right side with no VPN. The results are a bit better, but the speed and ping are still sub par. There are no options in Bitdefender VPN interface to change the connection type.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @promalex,

VPNs inherently introduce some level of latency due to the encryption and routing of traffic through remote servers, thus a speed penalty is expected. If possible, if you're currently using Wi-Fi, try connecting your device directly to your router using an Ethernet cable. Wired connections typically offer more stable and faster speeds compared to Wi-Fi. Sometimes, simply restarting your computer, or router can help refresh network settings and improve performance. Close any unnecessary applications or browser tabs that might be consuming bandwidth in the background. This can free up resources and improve overall network performance.

Of course, not all VPN providers offer the same level of performance, but Bitdefender VPN is designed to offer a light experience while surfing the web and relies on one of the fastest VPN infrastructures in the world.

Regards,

Alex

promalex

Thanks Alex, as an AV-IT specialist I already tried all the solutions you suggested and, of course, my laptop is also wired and all the tests were done with the laptop wired directly in the router. So, it seems I have to accept that your VPN solution is not up there with the pros, this is not a reproach, just an observation. You still did not say if there's actually a way to change the VPN protocol within the VPN interface. Thank you!

froggythrower

Unfortunately, I also have this problem, although I must say I never experienced a problem until the new updated VPN with the stupid and completely useless location map, now I find myself having to turn off the VPN for any type of downloading or streaming, as with it turned on I only get about a 25% of my available speed compared to if I turn it off, I have had a Bitdefender Total security 10 device licence for many years and a Pro VPN subscripion for three years now, but I might as well just use the free version, since the new update, the VPN crashes constantly, and fails to Auto Connect on start up 50% of the time, wish I could go back to the old version, that worked flawlessly.

Scally

Although it is working well presently (as in the last few minutes), it is very sporadic. I've been using it for a long time but it has been undependable since the last noticeable update. I am going to think it is enough of a problem to receive attention soon.