Today, the gold standard VPN protocol is OpenVPN. Different protocols have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of speed and security, so if you connect via one VPN protocol rather than another, you can potentially boost the speed of your VPN. There are various VPN protocols and most providers give you the ability to choose between a few different options. Sarah Tew/CNET Try connecting via a different VPN protocolĪ VPN protocol is a set of instructions between the VPN app on your device and the VPN server that determines how the secure connection is established. Your VPN will lower the speed of your connection, but you can try to minimize that hit. Sometimes, it just takes a little trial and error. If your VPN provider doesn't display the current load on its servers, try connecting to a few different ones to see which gets you the fastest speeds. If you choose one with a lighter load, you'll generally achieve faster speeds. Some VPN providers display the current server load on their servers either in the app itself or on the website. When too many people are using a single VPN server, the server can get overloaded and your connection speed can take a hit. Connect to a server that isn't overloaded If you're looking for a VPN with tons of server locations, try ExpressVPN, which offers servers in 160 locations across 94 countries - so you're bound to find a few relatively close to where you are. Some VPNs will have a speed test feature built into their apps, but you can always use a speed testing website like Ookla Speedtest to check the speed of your connection. But when you need a faster connection, try connecting to a few different VPN servers close to where you're physically located and see which ones yield the fastest speeds. This won't always be practical if, say, you want to stream content from a specific country or access a gaming server from a particular location.

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