Speed through a VPN is set by the narrowest point on the path, not by the fact that you connected. Most often that is your own channel to your ISP and the quality of the stretch to the server, which is to say what was already slow before the VPN. No connection can make the internet faster than your carrier gives you.
What matters most
- Your channel. It will not be faster through a VPN than it is without one. Measure your speed with the connection off first; that is your ceiling.
- The distance to the location. The further the server, the higher the latency. That affects file downloads moderately and the responsiveness of games and calls noticeably.
- The quality of the mobile network. A weak signal and packet loss drag speed down harder than distance does. Hysteria2 usually holds up better here, since it runs over QUIC/UDP.
- Server load and its channel. Some of our servers sit on a 1 Gbit/s channel and some on 10 Gbit/s. In the evening the popular locations are busier.
- Your device. Encryption costs CPU. On an old phone, a weak laptop or a TV box the ceiling is lower than on recent hardware.
- Home Wi-Fi. A far room, ageing equipment and a crowded 2.4 GHz band cut speed before any VPN gets involved.
What to check when it slows down
- Measure your speed without the VPN and with it. If it is slow without the VPN too, the problem is the network rather than the connection.
- Switch to another location, then to a server of the other kind on the same location. The difference can be several times over.
- Look at the latency in the client itself: HAPP, Karing and others can check response times across servers. Lower latency usually feels better.
- Check the server status page, which shows load, uptime and latency per location. If a server is busy, pick a neighbouring one.
- On a phone, compare Wi-Fi with mobile internet; that shows immediately where the speed is going.
- Restart the connection. Long sessions sometimes stick to a server that has got worse while a faster one sits next to it.
What we do not promise
We do not quote particular speed figures and we do not guarantee that any given service will work: too many links in the chain are outside our control, from how busy your carrier is to the rules on the service's own side. What can be done reliably is to pick a less loaded location and the protocol that holds up better on your network.
The differences between protocols are covered in "VLESS Reality or Hysteria2: which to pick", and installing and importing the link in the setup guides.