NordVPN makes internet speeds very slow on PfSense.

andrewkl

Hello! I've set up NordVPN on my 2.6.0 Pfsense router using this guide. However, I skipped steps 7,8 and 11. Everything works fine, but my internet speeds are slower by around 80%. I assumed that VPN will slow down my internet, but I feel like this is too much. My normal download speed is around 900mbps, but with VPN 180mbps. Is there anything I could do to make my VPN faster?

Gertjan

@andrewkl said in NordVPN makes internet speeds very slow on PfSense.:

My normal internet speed is around 900mbps, but with VPN 180mbps. Is there anything I could do to make my VPN faster?

Make sure you system has hardware encryption available, and it is used :

Be also aware : ordinary traffic needs CPU cycles, VPN traffic needs much more (thousands of) cycles more.

See for example this video What's pfsense OpenVPN Speed difference between AES-CBC and AES-GCM? 128 VS 256? to get the idea.

If your VPN allows you to chose from a list of cyphers, test for the best one.

You surely saw that using a VPN divides the available bandwidth be 4 or 5.
So, the fastest solution is : use a VPN when you need it. When you need speed, don't use VPN.

And now for the nasty one : if you were N*rdVPN, what would you do :
Get one client that uses all the available band with, or throttle some what the bandwidth per user, and accept 4 paying clients more ?

andrewkl

@gertjan said in NordVPN makes internet speeds very slow on PfSense.:

hardware encryption

Thank you for your reply! I believe N*rdVPN doesn't allow to choose from a list of cyphers. AES-256-GCM is the encryption algorithm I use. Hardware Crypto is availible:

For now, I'm changing my desktop's local IP to disable the VPN if I need high speed like you said. 180-200 Mbps is still enough for browsing the internet and even gaming, video streaming, but it sucks that 80% of my internet speed goes to VPN. I originally chose NordVPN because they were recommended in many forums and they had a nice deal VPN + Password Manager and Data Leak Scanner, but now I think about switching to PIA.