Okay so this one there isn’t really any explanation to do, just the results. For the VPN I am using NordVPN on the NordLynx protocol, and it just doesn’t make any sense to me how I have faster download speeds to DSLReports using a vpn. On Speedtest, it’s around 720 download without VPN and 400 with VPN, so I just want to figure out how to get my regular internet to the speedtest speed or close to. (DSL Reports is about 250 without a vpn, and 350 with a vpn, which you can see in the results below) It’s obviously not a hardware limitation if I can get 400mbps with a VPN connected, so I should be able to get at least 400 without a VPN, I just don’t really understand the issue. I am using Xfinity, and am on Ethernet directly to the router. I have my Ethernet drivers installed and all that. I am using a Netgear r7000 router and a cm1200 modem. My computer’s IPv4 address set as the DMZ server so there were no variables there hopefully. I also tried this on my phone over WiFi and similar results showed up, obviously less speed but same difference in speed relatively. I also have QOS disabled on both the PC and the Router (not an option for modem) and have all power saving features off plus a customized power plan. Anyways, here are the results. Thank you so much in advance!
Doesn’t look like throttling to me. Using a VPN makes your traffic take another route that may (or may not) be less congested. Speedtest servers are likely to be near your location thus routes are likely to be less congested. However, when using the VPN, you make your traffic go a longer route which increases ping and makes encountering a congested route more likely.
VPN’s I think use their own IP protocol number. If you go to here, VPN use the IPsec protocol. My guess that the IP providers aren’t throttling the service. If you have Linux, the file /etc/protocols has a list of the various “registered” protocols.
Further to the idea that VPN traffic bypasses throttling, yes it will usually do that.
Traffic for Netflix, email, Reddit, banking, etc can all usually be defined by the ISP by looking at the traffic details as it passes them.
They can then say “Netflix” gets lower priority than say Reddit.
So when an influx of Reddit traffic comes through, your Netflix will slow down.
Typically I’d your ISP does this though, I imagine they would exclude any sort of Speed test websites to help hide what they do buuut some aren’t that smart.
VPN’s mask this by hiding all traffic inside the one type of traffic. It encodes wheat your doing and where you visit into 1 solid stream of “something” between you and the VPN server.
This too can be throttled, but it’s again up to the service provider and how they’re configured.
You have to just treat them as a bit of a black box, work out what does what and do what’s best for you
It’s always happening. Tested often over 3 months before posting. Got a new router, new Ethernet between modem and router and upgraded service. None helped the download speed to anything but Speedtest
Then it’s probably the ISP doing something shoddy. Or maybe their upstream providers are different for that segment.
Your VPN would have a different gateway/endpoint on the internet.
So while the traffic volume is higher it’s coming from a different upstream service.
Going directly results in slower speeds
This is quite hard for me to explain because English isn’t my main language, but if your VPN has a less congested route to Speedtest, and the route between you and your VPN isn’t congested, then you can get better speed than going through your ISP network that might have a different route towards the end and that route is congested.