Making Sure You Have the Best VPN Speed: Our Guide

Virtual private networks are a crucial tool for online privacy and anonymity. Trustworthy ones perform two crucial functions. First, a good VPN should mask or temporarily change your IP address. This prevents websites, snoops, and even your internet service provider from tracing your activity back to you. Second, a quality VPN should encrypt your activity so no one can even see it in the first place, let alone track it.

In order to perform these functions, a VPN must have speeds that meet its users’ needs. VPN speed determines the activities users can conduct on the platform. If a VPN’s speeds are too slow, it may prevent users from streaming, gaming, or even just browsing. In addition, if the platform can’t keep up, the connection to it may drop altogether, making the service useless.

In this article, we’ll explain the difference between speed and latency and share some tips on how to get the best possible VPN speed from your provider.

• Speed versus latency
• The impact of speed and latency
• Tips for the best VPN speed

Speed Versus Latency

If you’ve ever dealt with an internet service provider, you’ve probably heard the words “speed” and “latency” thrown around, as a way of demonstrating how good a network really is. But what do these words mean?

Speed describes how fast data actually travels through the internet. This term is often confused with “bandwidth” which refers to the maximum capacity of an internet connection (in other words, the most data your connection can download at a time). Latency, on the other hand, is the term used to describe how long requested items (for example, a search result) take to appear. In general, you want an internet connection (and a VPN) that offers high speed and bandwidth and low latency.

The Impact of Speed and Latency on VPNs

Speed and latency (and bandwidth) play a vital role in the reliability of a VPN provider. Let’s take a look at how.

When it comes to speed, there is a pervasive myth that all VPNs actually slow internet speeds and reduce bandwidth. In some cases, sure, a VPN may do both of these things. This is because there are several extra steps involved in connecting to a VPN, such as encrypting the data that passes through it. However, most VPNs of quality have found ways of reducing this slow-down to the point where users can hardly notice it.

In terms of latency, some VPNs may also worsen this aspect of your internet connection. Much of this has to do with the distance between your device and the VPN server you connect to. The farther away both elements are from one another, the longer results take to return to your device. However, once more, a quality VPN has ways of mitigating this issue.

Ultimately, you should assess your specific connection needs and choose a VPN based on the speed, latency, and bandwidth that fits you best.

Top Tips For Ensuring the Best VPN Speed

If you want to improve speed and latency for your VPN, there are a few steps you can take:

• Change Your Server: Changing your server can increase the speed of your VPN. First, choose a server that isn’t congested with other traffic, and second, look for one that’s geographically closer to your location.
• Switch ISPs: In many cases, a VPN’s speed relies on the speed of your internet service provider. For instance, if your network speed provides 2 mbps at most, then logically your VPN cannot give you 10 mbps. Switching ISPs can correct this issue.
• Upgrade Your Device: You may have a robust VPN with excellent speeds. However, if you’re using an old and outdated computer, this may significantly slow down your connection.

Conclusion

Knowing the difference between speed, latency and bandwidth, and how they affect your VPN speed is crucial to picking the VPN provider that’s right for you and your needs. The tips above can help improve your speeds with an existing provider as well.

If you need a VPN service for secure internet access, try HotBot. If you’re looking for the best VPN provider with guaranteed speed, internet connectivity, and the utmost reliability, get in touch with us today to see how we can help!