VPN with ExpressVPN cut bandwidth by 80%

sentinelace

I am loosing all my bandwidth. I want to be able to have all my devices connected to my network and protected by a VPN service. It does work but instead of a 900mb/s and 20 upload I get 100 mb download and 20 MB up. I have followed the guide 100%. If I stop the VPN service, I get all my bandwidth. Is this just with ExpressVPN, should I look somewhere else? My pfsense is on version is 2.5.2-RELEASE (amd64) and I spent over $300 on the hardware. I have check with command "top" and it's not even remotely hammering the hardware. Am I missing something or need a new service?

nimrod

@sentinelace

The easiest way to find what the problem is, would be to temporarily disable VPN on your pfSense box.

Then you download and install ExpressVPN software on your PC and connect to VPN service with their software. If you get the same speed results, that means the issue is on their end, and not with pfSense.

@sentinelace this is because expressvpn is not offering you enough capacity for you to get all your 900. The recommendation would be to switch to another Dedicated vpn & a little less loaded.

stephenw10

What hardware are you using?

OpenVPN is single threaded so if you have a single client and route all traffic through it you are probably, ultimately, limited by a single CPU core.
Over 100Mbps is usually achievable though.

Steve

sentinelace

@silence and who would that be? I understand I lose a little, but all of it ? lol

stephenw10

What hardware are you running?

900Mbps OpenVPN requires something pretty powerful. 3-400Mbps is relatively easy to achieve. How are you measuring it?

Steve

Dilligaf

@stephenw10 Echo the above comments entirely.
Super important you run a CPU that supports Intel aes ni instructions too - it's got a lot work to do with the encryption remember. Without I'd expect about what you're getting.
I'm getting well over 400mbs from nordvpn with my i3-5010U setup on a 500mbs line which is fine for me.
You're going to need some pretty serious hardware (well above 300 bucks) if you're looking to get anywhere near your line speed with any VPN provider. Prepare to get your wallet out again.
All that said - your super fast line is probably costing fairly serious cash so I wouldn't consider say a cost equivalent to a year or two's subscription disproportionate for the router.