VPN slows gradually

[Winds]

I've used ExpressVPN and NordVPN and both services gradually slow over the course of minutes or even seconds when connected to the R3. I measure ~800mbps download without a VPN connected. When the VPN is connected, it slows down to ~20mbps download. Upload speed seems unaffected.

 

This happens on my Windows 11 PC (wired/Wi-Fi) and my Android phone (Wi-Fi). I'm using the apps on the respective devices as they're more convenient for me than the R3's hybrid VPN.

This has been a problem for months and I've gone through endless troubleshooting. Please for the love of God help me.

[Netduma Fraser]

That's expected through OpenVPN due to hardware limitations, switch to Wireguard and that will get you 100Mbps. 

Otherwise use HybridVPN to apply the VPN only to specific services/applications you want behind it and then the rest of your device can use your full speeds.

[Winds]

I get ~600 to 700mbps and then it slows down to 20mbps. Is that normal?

[Netduma Fraser]

Using OpenVPN? I would say the more unusual part is that it's that high in the first place, 20Mbps is about the max you should get with OpenVPN and 100Mbps with wireguard

[Winds]

I was getting a stable 600-700mbps using ExpressVPN up until a few months ago.

[Netduma Fraser]

Then I would say it is highly likely that it was set in a way where either the speedtest isn't being covered by the VPN or the device itself wasn't covered properly

[Winds]

The speedtest showed the ExpressVPN IP address. It was also consistently 150-200 mbps slower than my connection without the VPN enabled.

[Netduma Fraser]

I don't see how that has happened really and certainly not expected so I can't really advise on how to get back to a state that shouldn't have been possible in the first place

[Winds]

I still consistently get 100mbps using ExpressVPN over my phone's mobile network, so obviously, it's possible. I can screenshot it if you'd like.

[Netduma Fraser]

14 hours ago, Winds said:

I still consistently get 100mbps using ExpressVPN over my phone's mobile network, so obviously, it's possible. I can screenshot it if you'd like.

You're not using the VPN on the router or on the router WiFi in that scenario so it's not really relevant. As I said slower speeds through OpenVPN is expected through the router so I can't help you to improve that.

[Winds]

Again, I used to get 600mbps with a VPN when connected to the router and now I don't. Something with the router is limiting that speed. I was using my mobile network speeds as proof that higher speeds were possible through OpenVPN and as comparison to the current speeds I'm getting through the router. I thought that would be obvious.

[Netduma Fraser]

That's fine but I've told you through the router the 20Mbps speeds you are getting is expected with OpenVPN so I can't help you achieve more than that. If you want more than that then you'll have to use Wireguard to achieve 100Mbps. 

What's the phone you have out of interest?

[Winds]

To clarify in case it wasn't apparent, I was getting 600 Mbps through my r3 router with expressvpn enabled. This was a stable bandwidth over the course of multiple years. Only recently has the bandwidth started being a problem.

 

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy s24 ultra.

[Netduma Fraser]

Apologies, I think I've misunderstood you, you're using an OpenVPN client on the devices themselves right? In which case there isn't really much on the router that would slow down the speeds other than the usual speed settings, you said it happened a few months ago, did you change any settings around then? How long does it take to slow down to 20Mbps, right away, after minutes, hours? Is there any pattern you can see such as when using heavy bandwidth applications, other people getting home and using devices etc?

[Winds]

I did another factory reset of the router and the VPN issue seems to have finally been resolved. I'm getting about half my total download speed, but it stays consistent and I know there's always a slowdown when using VPN.

 

Now I'm experiencing another issue where the router isn't getting the same speeds as my modem. Doing a speedtest on the DumaOS page gives me ~800mbps. If I speed test from my modem, I get 1Gbps. Upload speed again seems unaffected. To clarify (since my issue has now changed) this is without any VPN active, directly connected via Ethernet, measured from the router/modem themselves.

[Netduma Fraser]

What do you get from speedtest.net rather than the in-built speed test via ethernet?