If you’re using IPVanish VPN like me, there is one setting you must be aware of that can affect your speeds by 1000%! IPVanish seems to have the default set to the slower setting, so you should really check this to see if you can increase your IPVanish VPN speed by changing the protocol setting.
Testing IPVanish VPN Speed with Different Setttings
So here is the testing I did to discover the impact of this protocol setting.
- First, I tested my raw Internet speed without the IPVanish VPN connected. I got 55 Mbps.
- Then I connected the IPVanish VPN app to a server in my area (by default it was using TCP). I only got 2.81 Mbps which is horrible!
- Then I changed the protocol setting to UDP, disconnected, reconnected (to be sure the protocol change took), and then tested again. I got 25 Mbps… much better!
Now, I’m sure many of you would complain that the raw speed is being cut in half, even on UDP. That’s true, but taking into account the 4 Reasons Why Kodi Streamers Need a VPN, 25 Mbps is plenty enough speed to stream HD videos, so I’m okay with that.
What I’m not okay with is 2.81 Mbps speeds!!! You can’t stream anything with a connection that slow.
How to Change the Protocol Setting in IPVanish VPN
- In the Android app, open the slide out side menu by clicking the hamburger menu button in the top left corner or by dragging your finger from the left edge of the screen.
- Select “Settings”
- Change the Protocol setting to “OpenVPN (UDP)”
- Go back and disconnect and reconnect
Let’s Hear From You
Let me know how this worked for you. Was this helpful? Did your IPVanish VPN speed increase with this setting change?
Do you have any other tips that would increase the speed while using IPVanish VPN? Please let me know so I can share it on here.
Please leave your comments below. Thank you!
AND THAT’S WITH RUNNING MY VPN. CUZ I DON’T LIVE IN NY.LOL
Hi, your Explanation was Beautiful but I found by doing the reversed, solve my problem immediately. Without you, I Wouldn’t of had the slightest. Many many thanks, Geoff
That’s cool, Ray. I get about the same speed, but I could probably increase mine if I moved my cable modem to a better place where I didn’t have to have the entire house’s Internet through a powerline adapter ;-)
Anyway, what do you mean by you having IPVanish and Express VPN? Do you have both? Are you connected to both? I don’t know how that would be possible.
He probably meant that he is paying for 2 VPN, using whichever works better on a particular day. Expensive hobby.
Yeah, this article screams first world problems “2.8 mbps is shit” what a joke I wish I could guarantee those speeds all day every day, and yes I live in a “first world” country
LOL… yeah, well… It’s pretty hard to stream 1080p video on a 2.8 mbps connection. 1080p requires a minimum of 5 mbps.
Ever since I installed IPVanish my speeds are way down! I made sure I was using the UDP setting and it didn’t make a difference. The speed test I did without IPVanish connected was 10/10 and with it connected it was 6/10, good enough for SD quality. Is there anything else you can recommend I do to get my speeds up? It’s almost impossible to watch anything as it’s always buffering. Thank you.
Katie, there are many possibilities here.
First, your Internet connection is pretty slow. You’re not leaving yourself much head room for streaming. Any other activity, like someone else browsing the web or your phone deciding to update its apps will interrupt your stream by stealing some of your bandwidth.
One very important thing is that you are using Real-Debrid. Without it, it’s quite hit or miss (and mostly miss). If you use Real-Debrid, then you can usually eliminate the possibility of the server being the bottleneck.
Another thing to consider is the device and it’s processing power. The CPU is responsible for decrypting video. Now, it’s not much processing power, but if you’re using a pretty low-end device, it’s a possibility. On the other hand, I use it on a Fire TV Stick and it’s been fine.
The last thing I will suggest is that you might want to adjust your Kodi cache settings using this tutorial below. Since 6mbps should be enough to stream SD video, it might be buffering simply because you need to adjust these settings.
https://kinkeadtech.com/how-to-fix-kodi-buffering-with-hidden-cache-settings/
Here’s my take on better vpn speeds.
Don’t worry about connecting to the closest city you leave near.
I live in Lacrosse, WI and connected to Milwaukee. Horrible!! Chicago, not great. St. Louis getting better. NY… excellent! Just goes to show that it doesn’t really matter what’s server your connected to.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tip!
I have Luma (wifi mesh) and tried their new Guardian service which includes VPN – enable whole home VPN at the touch of a button (in their app). How awesome, I thought. Unfortunately, my speeds dropped by 75-90%…no lie. So low I was getting sub 10mbps and my streams were buffering or stopping with errors. I just tried IPVanish tonight and literally saw very little speed reduction from my iOS device – maybe 10% max which is fantastic. There’s no setting option to change connection from TCP to UDP, but appears I may not need it, but will also test on my Android TV and Fire TV boxes. It’s also connecting to the servers closest to my geo location. I’ll be testing it out for the rest of the week before making a final decision. I’ve also filed a ticket with Luma regarding their services horrid speeds and hope to hear they’ll work to make some improvements (like partnering with a better VPN provider!).
NR, thank you so much for sharing this! It really shows how a good VPN provider like IPVanish kills all the little VPN services out there, especially ones that are “included” with another service like what you experienced.
I was really hoping this would change my speed, but unfortunately it didn’t. Use UDP setting & best server in the US. I’m near Miami but ipvanish always chooses Las Vegas or Seattle to connect to. I only get 2 or 2.5. Changed servers in IPV, get 3.
My internet speed is around 170-180dl on all my devices. So 2 to 3mb is frustrating on Kodi 17.3. Turn off IPV & I’ll get 75mb to 90 on stick.
Any other settings that might do this? Maybe change IPV servers until I find one that is faster?
Thanks for posting this info. I’d appreciate any insight.
Thanks!
Jaxxonline
Ya, the automatic server selection might not always pick the best one. In your case, 2 mbps is way too slow and should not be happening, especially considering how fast your Internet speed usually is. Are you sure you successfully switched it to UDP? That speed is a lot like my tests on TCP. After setting it to UDP, maybe back out of the app and reopen it to make sure it resets the connection and takes the new setting.
I’ve had IPVanish since January and it worked great for a few months, I was getting anywhere from 40-65 Mbps. I get about 70-80 Mbps with IPVanish disconnected and have not been getting more than 15 with IPVanish in the past 2-3 months. I’ve basically just had to quit using it, which sucks since I paid for the whole year. I have tried changing UDP, but there wasn’t much of a change. Any other options would be helpful.
Have you tried some different nearby servers? Sometimes the auto selection doesn’t always pick the best one. If you still can’t get any good speeds, contact support@ipvanish.com to see if there’s anything they can do.
Connected I get 5.26. Disconnected 90.13 Mbps. WTH?
Really? What device are you using? What city do you live in? Which server are you connecting to?
I have 1 GB speed. Raw speed is close to 250 Mbp, but with Ipvanish with both settings either UDP or TCP I get no more than 10Mbp. I dont think that should be right at all.
Hi! I wanted to speed up as per instructions. No option for changing as indicated. ‘Active Protocol’ fixed to TCP. Any way to change this?
Tried to include a screen capture, but this won’t let me.
Thanks! Alex
Sorry, some devices only support VPN over TCP. But, often times on those devices, the speed is fine. What speed are you getting with it? Have you tried multiple servers?
25 Mbps post-VPN is plenty. Only I have 18 Mbps before VPN :)… Will stay with cable TV, I guess.
just purchased a one month with your code to try it out after seeing this post. i installed the app and openvpn udp is selected by default now which helps a lot! really pleased with the results so far. my internet is normally 45/10 without vpn and after connecting it is still 45/10. couldn’t believe it when i saw it. so thanks a lot for this information
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
What does #4 mean, go back and disconnect and re connect? Disconnect the router? IPVanish? This is confusing to me.
Sorry for the confusion. Click the disconnect button in the IPVanish app and then click the Connect button.
Hi I’m using IPvanish and I’ve tested ExpressVPN….now I’m on 300mbps download but when I use IPV I only get 25-50mbps, my server is the closest all setting are the fastest but I cant understand why some people have hardly any speed drop?