This article aims to explain these metrics and how the TCP protocol — the way most data is transmitted over the Internet nowadays — impacts them. 

Sending off your data packets

Accessing the Internet is based on an exchange of information — when you shop online or stream a movie, your IP sends a flow of information in the form of data packets making a request. In turn, the receiver responds by sending back another flow of information, also in the form of data packets.

When using the TCP protocol, these data packets are transmitted in sequential order through a network of lanes to the destination —  when they reach their destination, a confirmation is sent back to your IP. Only a limited number of packets can be sent without receiving confirmation that the prior packets have reached their destination. 

At the same time, the amount of packets that can travel through the lane during a specific amount of time is also limited. The rate at which data packets can travel through the network is called bandwidth. 

However, bandwidth isn’t the only element that impacts your real Internet speed. A number of factors, including the physical distance to the destination, as well as any accidents that may happen down the road can delay the arrival to destination, and, ultimately, the confirmation. The time it takes for your packets to reach their destination is called latency.

Congestion on the highway

When each packet travels through the network, it passes through multiple nodes where it gets redirected toward its destination. When your packet arrives at a node at the same time as multiple other packets, it gets queued. 

Unfortunately, your packet could also drop or get lost at this stage and your IP won’t receive confirmation that it reached its destination. In this case, you will have to resend it, delaying the dispatch of the following packet.

These package losses alert the TCP protocol of delays in the transmission of data. To loosen up the traffic, the protocol automatically implements a mechanism (called the AIMD algorithm) that resends the lost packet at half the speed it would normally be sent.

This not only impacts the speed at which the lost packet is re-sent but the speed of the following packets as well — their speed incrementally increases only as traffic improves. 

Ultimately, this leads to delays in all your packets reaching their destination — even in the case of minor packet loss —, and, of course, getting a response to your request. The final number of data packets that can be exchanged on a network during a specific amount of time is called throughput. 

To calculate the maximum throughput on a TCP connection, you can use the Mathis formula and this online calculator.

VPN Accelerator

VPN Accelerator is unique to Proton VPN and comprises a set of technologies that can increase your VPN speeds by over 400% in certain situations. Thanks to this new technology, you can always enjoy the best possible VPN speeds when using our service.

One of the key technologies used by VPN Accelerator is a TCP delay-controlled TCP flow control algorithm called BBR. On longer paths or congested networks, BBR recovers faster from packet loss and also ramps up quicker (that is, it achieves maximum speed faster when a data transfer begins). VPN Accelerator is particularly effective at improving speeds over large distances.

Learn more about VPN Accelerator

The post How latency, bandwidth, and throughput impact Internet speed appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

We have no bandwidth limits or bandwidth throttles on our VPN service, even for free users. However, speeds do differ between Free, and Plus servers due to varying server load.

The server load is linked to how many users are connected to that server at a particular time and how much bandwidth they are using.

This metric is updated regularly. The server load is indicated with percentages and colors in our native Proton VPN applications and on the Proton VPN servers page.

For the fastest and most stable connection, you should always connect to the server with lowest server load. (Note: There are other factors that can impact your VPN connection speed, including your original connection and the distance between your device and the VPN server you connect to.)

IMPORTANT: As Proton VPN has no bandwidth limits, users with very fast ISP connections are able to reach very fast browsing speeds while connected to our servers. The server load mostly impacts users with very fast ISP connections.

For instance, if your speed is capped at 50Mbps by your ISP, you are unlikely to notice a difference in your browsing speed on the Proton VPN network, even if you connect to an overloaded server (a server with a load above 90%).

However, if your ISP connection is faster than that, then connecting to an overloaded server (above 90%) could slow down your browsing speed. To avoid performance loss, users with very high ISP connection speeds should connect to servers with a low load (75% and below).

What do the percentages mean?

The percentages are an indicator of what the server load is at that time. All other variables being equal, the lower the percentage is (i.e., the lower the server load), the faster your VPN connection will be if you have very fast ISP connection speed.

A Proton VPN server with a percentage in the 91-100% range is under a heavy load and could slow your connection down. A server that has a server load of 75% or below will support a fast connection. However, as mentioned, if your ISP connection speed is less than 50Mbps, then it is unlikely you will notice a difference between servers with a 10% load and servers with a 60% load.

What are the colors shown next to the server load?

To simplify the process, we have created a three-color system that demonstrates the load that a server is currently under. You can use this color system to see which servers will support a fast connection with just a glance.

• GREEN (1% – 75%): This server has a low server load. In general, servers in the green will provide the fastest connection speeds.
• YELLOW (76% – 90%): This server has a medium server load. Proton VPN servers are very fast, so the servers in the yellow should also provide decent connection speed.
• RED (91% – 100%): This server is overloaded. If your ISP connection is very fast, you should avoid these servers as they will not be able to support top-end connection speeds.

Related articles:

• Understanding and increasing VPN connection speeds
• Setup Guide for new users
• Unable to connect
  

The post Server load, Percentages, and Colors explained appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

VPN Accelerator is enabled by default for all users in our Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android apps. It can be enabled or disabled in each app’s Settings or Preferences menu.

Learn more about how VPN Accelerator works

Windows 10

Open the Proton VPN app, then go to ≡ → Settings →Connections tab → VPN Accelerator and toggle the switch on or off. 

macOS

Open the Proton VPN app, and go to the macOS menu bar → Proton VPN → Preferences → Connection tab → VPN Accelerator and toggle the switch on or off.

Android

Open the Proton VPN app and go to ≡ → Settings → Connection → VPN Accelerator and toggle the switch on or off.

iOS and iPadOS

Open the Proton VPN app, go to Settings → Connection → VPN Accelerator, and toggle the switch on or off.

Linux

Open the Proton VPN app, go to Settings → Connection → VPN Accelerator, and toggle the switch on or off.

The post How to use VPN Accelerator appeared first on Proton VPN Support.