High encryption settings tcp vs udp speed test results
Just wanted to pass along some interesting results of some speed and ping tests comparing udp vs tcp with the encryption settings cranked up. The results rather surprised me.
I am connecting to the US East server (closest to me and most of the servers I access).
Encryption set to AES-256 / SHA256 / RSA-4096.
Port Auto, IPv6 Leak on, others off.
Ethernet wire into router, running PIA desktop software, Windows 7.
Used three speed test sites for results: Verizon, XFinity, and Ookla; plus manual command line ping tests. All comparisons are going to the same servers. I am throttled by my ISP (TWC) to 20 down, 2 up. Each test at each setting was run at least three times and the mean averages are presented below. Deviations/range only noted in cases where they were very wide.
VZ speed test:
VPN Off averages: ping=38; down=21; up=2.3
UDP VPN averages: ping=39; down=49; up=2.1
TCP VPN averages: ping=30; down=56; up=1.7
XFinity speed test:
VPN Off averages: ping=31; down=22; up=2.2
UDP VPN averages: ping=46; down=50; up=2.0
TCP VPN averages: ping=47; down=53; up=1.6
Ookla speed test:
VPN Off averages: ping=36; down=22; up=2.2
UDP VPN averages: ping=46; down=49; up=2.0
TCP VPN averages: ping=48; down=60; up=1.7
Pingtest.net:
VPN Off averages: ping=91; jitter=7
UDP VPN averages: ping=196; jitter=9
TCP VPN averages: ping=132; jitter=10
Command line ping test: google.com
VPN Off averages: ping=29
UDP VPN averages: ping=82
TCP VPN averages: ping=52
Command line ping test: guk.everquest2.com (game server)
VPN Off averages: ping=91
UDP VPN averages: ping=208
TCP VPN averages: ping=137
Command line ping test: easo.ea.com (game server)
VPN Off averages: ping=36
UDP VPN averages: ping=173
TCP VPN averages: ping=58 (note: all results were in the 50s except one ping of 71)
So, a few obvious items.
1. The VPN in both UDP and TCP bypasses downstream throttling but apparently not upstream throttling.
2. At least with encryption settings turned up, TCP produces generally better download and ping while sacrificing perhaps as much as 20% of my upload speed.
3. The dedicated ping tests produce significant differences between the vpn off, udp, and tcp. In both the pingtest.net settings and also the windows command line ping test you see UDP vpn causes a massive jump in ping numbers. TCP vpn is much better but still a big leap in ping over no vpn for most servers. The ratio seems to be something like 1-1.5-2.7, meaning TCP VPN with high encryption is 1.5 times the ping of no vpn, while UDP is 2.7 times the ping of no vpn. Another way of making the comparison is that with high encryption UDP is 1.7 times the ping of TCP.
I suppose this may be peculiar in some way to my setup, but I find the test results pretty compelling.
Hope this is helpful to others making decisions about their settings. I would love to see if others have similar comparison numbers to post for some of the different settings.
I am connecting to the US East server (closest to me and most of the servers I access).
Encryption set to AES-256 / SHA256 / RSA-4096.
Port Auto, IPv6 Leak on, others off.
Ethernet wire into router, running PIA desktop software, Windows 7.
Used three speed test sites for results: Verizon, XFinity, and Ookla; plus manual command line ping tests. All comparisons are going to the same servers. I am throttled by my ISP (TWC) to 20 down, 2 up. Each test at each setting was run at least three times and the mean averages are presented below. Deviations/range only noted in cases where they were very wide.
VZ speed test:
VPN Off averages: ping=38; down=21; up=2.3
UDP VPN averages: ping=39; down=49; up=2.1
TCP VPN averages: ping=30; down=56; up=1.7
XFinity speed test:
VPN Off averages: ping=31; down=22; up=2.2
UDP VPN averages: ping=46; down=50; up=2.0
TCP VPN averages: ping=47; down=53; up=1.6
Ookla speed test:
VPN Off averages: ping=36; down=22; up=2.2
UDP VPN averages: ping=46; down=49; up=2.0
TCP VPN averages: ping=48; down=60; up=1.7
Pingtest.net:
VPN Off averages: ping=91; jitter=7
UDP VPN averages: ping=196; jitter=9
TCP VPN averages: ping=132; jitter=10
Command line ping test: google.com
VPN Off averages: ping=29
UDP VPN averages: ping=82
TCP VPN averages: ping=52
Command line ping test: guk.everquest2.com (game server)
VPN Off averages: ping=91
UDP VPN averages: ping=208
TCP VPN averages: ping=137
Command line ping test: easo.ea.com (game server)
VPN Off averages: ping=36
UDP VPN averages: ping=173
TCP VPN averages: ping=58 (note: all results were in the 50s except one ping of 71)
So, a few obvious items.
1. The VPN in both UDP and TCP bypasses downstream throttling but apparently not upstream throttling.
2. At least with encryption settings turned up, TCP produces generally better download and ping while sacrificing perhaps as much as 20% of my upload speed.
3. The dedicated ping tests produce significant differences between the vpn off, udp, and tcp. In both the pingtest.net settings and also the windows command line ping test you see UDP vpn causes a massive jump in ping numbers. TCP vpn is much better but still a big leap in ping over no vpn for most servers. The ratio seems to be something like 1-1.5-2.7, meaning TCP VPN with high encryption is 1.5 times the ping of no vpn, while UDP is 2.7 times the ping of no vpn. Another way of making the comparison is that with high encryption UDP is 1.7 times the ping of TCP.
I suppose this may be peculiar in some way to my setup, but I find the test results pretty compelling.
Hope this is helpful to others making decisions about their settings. I would love to see if others have similar comparison numbers to post for some of the different settings.
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