We all want to have a good internet speed to surf faster, download files or use the cloud. However, this is not always possible and we may encounter certain problems and limitations. There are programs that can help you download faster by optimizing resources. Now, what happens if we use a VPN ? Can we have higher Internet speed ? We talk about it in this article.
Internet speed and VPN, an open debate
When we use a VPN we can make the connection more secure , encrypted and avoid problems, for example, connecting to a public Wi-Fi network. It is also very useful to bypass geo-blocking by hiding the IP address. However, this process, the fact of encrypting the connection, slows down the connection.
Therefore, in general terms, a VPN, whichever one you use, is going to slow down your Internet connection . This is especially going to happen when you use a free program, since it is these applications that usually have the most problems and offer worse performance when browsing.
You can easily test this. You just have to install a VPN, either on your computer or on your mobile, and do a speed test . Once finished, you disconnect the program and do the same test again. You will see the speed increase as soon as you remove the VPN to browse the Internet.
If you are looking to have the maximum Internet speed to download files faster, use the cloud or carry out any action that requires good connectivity, using a VPN will not bring anything positive in this regard, but it will even make the connection slow down.
More speed when the attendant blocks
However, there is one situation where a VPN can help improve Internet speed. It is not something that is going to benefit everyone, but it is in certain circumstances when there is some type of restriction on the part of the Internet operator that prevents reaching the maximum speed.
This is not common, but in certain countries it is more frequent. Basically , the Internet operator limits the speed when it detects that there is an increase in consumption, especially during peak hours. It also happens when we use a specific application, such as to download, play online or watch streaming videos.
In these cases, what the VPN does is hide what we are really doing. The operator does not know if we are using a page to download a file or watching a streaming video. Therefore, in this way we can encrypt the connection and, by hiding it, be able to navigate without these annoying limitations appearing.
Therefore, as you can see, there is a reason why a VPN can improve Internet speed. Now, it is something very concrete and that is not usually usual. In general, a VPN will cause a loss of Internet speed rather than an increase. Of course, you should also keep in mind that sometimes a VPN is dangerous.