Technologies

VPN Slowing You Down? Try These Steps to Speed Things Up

A VPN can cut your internet speed in half, which can be a real buzzkill if you’re gaming or streaming. Here’s how to speed things up.

Let’s face it: Using a virtual private network will slow down your internet — often by 50% or more.

It’s the nature of how VPNs work, and there’s really no way around it. However, there are a few things you can try to get the fastest possible speeds out of your VPN connection.

VPNs add a layer of encryption to your internet connection while routing your traffic through a secure server in a location of your choosing. This process is the main reason behind the speed loss. It takes time to encrypt and decrypt your traffic and for your data to make the round trip to the VPN server and back to your device.

Other factors can also have a hand in slowing your connection speeds, such as the VPN protocol you’re using or how many other people are using the same VPN server you’re connecting through.

The speed hit may be virtually imperceptible for normal internet use when you use a fast VPN, but you’ll want all the speeds you can get for data-heavy activities like gaming, streaming or video conferencing. A delay of even a few milliseconds can mean the difference between glory and failure in your online game. And slow VPN speeds can result in a ruined video streaming experience, spoiled by constant buffering and a heaping dose of pixelation. And if you’re using a VPN while on a Zoom call, you’ll want to do whatever you can to maximize your VPN speeds to ensure the call goes smoothly and doesn’t drop out.

If your VPN isn’t as fast as you need it to be, here’s what you can do to speed up your connection.

Read more: The Best VPNs, Tested and Rated

7 ways to improve your VPN speeds

Connect to a server closer to your physical location

Generally speaking, the closer the VPN server is to your physical location, the faster your connection speeds should be. Your traffic will have a shorter physical distance to cover when it’s routed through a VPN server that’s close by rather than one that’s halfway across the world. If you’re in Boston, your VPN connection should be a lot faster if you connect to a VPN server in New York City or Montreal than one in Sydney or Tokyo, for example.

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. 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. 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.

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.

Connect to a server that isn’t overloaded

When too many people are using a single VPN server, the server can get overloaded and your connection speed can take a hit. Some VPN providers display the current server load on their servers either in the app itself or on the website. If you choose one with a lighter load, you’ll generally achieve faster speeds. 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. Sometimes, it just takes a little trial and error.

Your VPN will lower the speed of your connection, but you can try to minimize that hit.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Try connecting via a different VPN protocol

A 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. There are various VPN protocols and most providers give you the ability to choose between a few different options. 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.

Today, the gold standard VPN protocol is OpenVPN. It is the most battle-tested protocol, and it offers a nice combination of speed, stability and security — which is why many VPNs use OpenVPN as their default protocol. More and more VPN providers are now also offering newer VPN protocols like IKEv2 and WireGuard that promise faster speeds alongside excellent security. And some have even developed proprietary VPN protocols like ExpressVPN’s Lightway and NordVPN’s NordLynx that claim to offer the best of both worlds.

Switching to one of these other protocols, if offered by your VPN provider, can yield you faster connection speeds through your VPN. Just be aware that — though their security appears to be solid — these protocols haven’t been as thoroughly tested in the wild as OpenVPN, so they shouldn’t be your first choice for critical VPN use.

If you prefer to use OpenVPN exclusively, use UDP rather than TCP to get the best speeds. While TCP is typically the more stable option, it tends to be slower than UDP because it needs to send data packets in the right order and will wait for confirmation of receipt from the recipient prior to sending the next packet. UDP isn’t concerned about the order in which it sends data packets or getting any acknowledgment that they were received, so it tends to be much faster and more efficient, but less stable.

Most VPN apps allow you to change the protocol you connect through in their settings section, so try playing around with the protocol settings to see which ones get you the fastest speeds.

Enable split tunneling if available

If your VPN provider offers a split-tunneling feature, then try enabling it to see if you can boost your VPN speeds. Split tunneling allows you to send only the traffic you want through your VPN connection, while sending the rest unencrypted through your regular internet connection.

For example, if you’re using your VPN for streaming, you can allocate just your streaming traffic to go through the VPN, which won’t slow down your online gaming. This can help optimize your VPN speeds for certain activities, because all the excess traffic you don’t need running through your VPN won’t burden your bandwidth.

Use a wired connection

Using a wired connection will typically be faster than using your Wi-Fi. Chances are you’ve got several devices connected to your home Wi-Fi network all at the same time — devices that are all sharing and competing for resources on the same wireless channel. This can result in an unstable internet connection and, therefore, slower speeds. If you have the proper equipment, try establishing a wired connection by hooking your computer up directly to your router via ethernet cable and then connect to your VPN.

Close unnecessary apps running in the background

If you have apps running in the background that you’re not using, they could be taking up resources on your machine and slowing your connection. Take a minute to check if anything’s running in the background that you’re not using and close those processes. By clearing up potential bottlenecks like this, you might notice a faster connection.

Restart your router and other devices

When was the last time you restarted your devices? Just like anything else, tech like your computer and router occasionally need a little R&R. When you reboot your computer, you’ll give it a needed refresh, free up some RAM and get it working optimally. So, as cliche as it sounds, try turning it off and back on again, then see how your VPN speeds improve as a result.

Looking for more VPN info? Check out our other coverage:

Technologies

Samsung’s Wild-Looking Tri-Fold Phone Debuts at APEC Summit in South Korea

The Galaxy phonemaker showed off a twin-hinged foldable at a Korean consumer tech show.

Samsung unveiled its first triple-display foldable phone for consumers at a tech exhibition hall during the APEC CEO Summit in South Korea. The Korean publication Dailian reported that the new phone will launch in November or December.

The tri-fold phone, which doesn’t have an official name yet, was revealed as a prototype on display. Whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 fold in half along one hinge, Samsung’s next device folds in two places to be as compact as a typical smartphone with a 6.5-inch outer screen, then unfolds for a tablet-size 10-inch screen, according to The Chosun Daily. Compare that with dual-screen foldables that have inner screens measuring approximately 8 inches. The Z Fold 7 has a single crease on its main screen; the new tri-fold could have two creases.

Samsung has been at the forefront of foldable phones since releasing the first Galaxy Fold in 2019 and the Galaxy Z Flip in 2020. At the time, it faced fierce competition from Motorola and Huawei — the latter of which gained a significant lead in 2024 with its own tri-fold Huawei Mate XT, which was followed by a second version. Samsung’s launch of its own competitor keeps the company in the game.

Here’s your first look at the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold.
Screen when folded: 6.5-inch
Screen when unfolded: 10-inch
It might be announced later this week.
Source: Chosun Media pic.twitter.com/EhT4i1hW2k

— Trakin Tech English (@trakinenglish) October 28, 2025

These two consumer tri-folds have their differences. The Huawei Mate XT’s two hinges fold in opposite directions like an accordion, giving it a Z shape, while Samsung’s device has two screens that fold inward in what Dailian (through Google Translate) asserts is «G-shaped.» Given that Samsung has branded its foldable line as the Z-series, it’s ironic that the company didn’t adopt that shape and format for its tri-fold.

Samsung didn’t release any more details about its tri-fold, though Dailian expects it to be even pricier than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which starts at $2,000in the US. From photos of the device — apparently a prototype — behind glass, you can see a front-facing camera on the inner display (when unfolded) and outer screen (when folded up). But since Samsung also didn’t show the device folding, there are a lot of questions about its durability and capability before its supposed launch in a month or two.

It’s not a total surprise to see Samsung’s tri-fold ready to go. For years, the company has displayed various flexible display designs, including three-screen formats, during CES. In the last few months, there’s been a steady flow of rumors and outright executive confirmations that Samsung was gearing up to unveil its tri-fold. Now we’ll have to see whether the company that’s fought so hard to be at the forefront of smartphone design can release another format that dominates the folding phone niche — all before one of its biggest rivals, Apple, even releases its first foldable.

Samsung didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Be Wary of AI Videos as Hurricane Melissa Hits Jamaica. How to Spot a Fake

AI-generated storm videos are spreading rapidly online. Here’s where to find reliable information.

As Category 5 Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica with winds topping 180 mph, social media is being hit by a surge of AI-generated and misleading videos, showing catastrophic flooding, collapsing buildings and rescue scenes that never happened.

Across X, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp and other social media platforms, fake clips spread quickly, racking up millions of views in hours. Many of these videos are spliced footage from past storms or clips created entirely with text-to-video AI tools.

In times of crisis, like a dangerous and imminent natural disaster, these fake videos can create confusion, panic and distraction at a time when accuracy can be life-saving.

Natural disasters have always bred rumors and recycled footage, but the rise of AI-generated video has supercharged the problem. Tools like OpenAI’s Sora and other AI-video platforms can render realistic-looking images of storms, floods and damage scenes in seconds, reaching millions online in just a few hours.

Read also: The Deepfakes Are Winning. How Can You Tell if a Video Is Real or Sora AI?

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Why storms are a magnet for fake news

Storms are visual, emotional and fast-moving, which is the perfect recipe for viral misinformation. In years past, videos were often taken out of context or labeled as a different storm. Now, they can be digitally fabricated from scratch.

Some depict apocalyptic flooding that hasn’t occurred, while others claim to show «real-time» conditions hours before landfall. Several videos that have circled this week include images of sharks swimming in the storm surge and unsettling depictions of human suffering.

False videos like these can exaggerate the danger of the storm, create panic, undermine trust and distract emergency responders, as misinformation pulls attention from verified reports.

The following three videos are all fake. They are labeled (albeit briefly) with the Sora watermark, which indicates they were made in OpenAI’s video generator.

How to separate truth from fiction online

When social feeds fill with dramatic hurricane clips, it’s important to separate truth from fiction.

«You have to be very discerning,» Senator Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, said. «You have to know what is good information from bad information. If you want to know where the storm is going, if you want to know what to do, you need to look for official sources.»

Dixon highlighted that the Jamaica Information Service, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management’s information sites and the Office of the Prime Minister page are resources for legitimate, timely updates.

Here are some ways to be discerning.

Check the source. If the video comes from an unfamiliar account, lacks a timestamp or carries no recognizable media branding, assume it is fake until verified. Also, look for the Sora watermark indicating it was made in OpenAI’s app, or read the comments to see if someone else has flagged the video as fake.

Ask yourself if it’s new and local. Does the geography match Jamaica? Is the footage recent? Many «Melissa» clips could actually be from past Caribbean or Gulf storms.

Cross-check before believing. Confirm through trusted outlets, like the Meteorological Service of Jamaica and the US National Hurricane Center, or established media like the BBC, Reuters or the Associated Press.

Pause before sharing. A viral video can cause harm if it spreads misinformation. Wait until a credible source verifies it before reposting.

Go local. If you’re in the affected area, rely on local emergency agencies, radio stations and city or county-level officials for evacuation and safety updates.

Monitor official alerts. For real-time instructions, stick with government channels and local emergency feeds. Your safety depends on accurate information, not viral content.

As AI-generated media becomes easier to produce, hurricanes like Melissa offer a preview of a new reality: one in which you can’t trust much of the information you see online.

Staying safe means being skeptical and diligent when looking for accurate and even lifesaving news.

Read also: What Is AI Slop? Everything to Know About the Terrible Content Taking Over the Internet

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 29 #605

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 29, No. 605.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one for English majors. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: «Nevermore!»

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Poem by Edgar Allen Poe.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

MOVE, RAVE, NOVEL, BACK, LACK, HACK, FEAT, HEAT, WING, SORE, ROSE, STAR, RATS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: