Does VPN help with ISP throttling during streaming? — complete guide

DNSfixer

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Jul 3, 2018

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702

• Aug 22, 2020

• #1

Opening this discussion to share what I've learned and hear from others with similar experiences.

 

RouterRob

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Aug 16, 2020

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697

• Aug 23, 2020

• #2

My ISP throttles streaming during peak hours. Can VPN actually help?

 

AdminSarah

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Jan 22, 2010

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• Aug 24, 2020

• #2

Yes, in cases of specific service throttling. Here's how it works.

 

TVboxPro

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Oct 12, 2015

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1,610

• Aug 25, 2020

• #3

ISP throttling works by identifying traffic patterns from specific services.

 

BufferBuster

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May 2, 2016

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• Aug 24, 2020

• #4

When you use a VPN, the ISP sees only encrypted traffic to a VPN server, not streaming traffic.

 

KevinNet

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Oct 24, 2018

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• Aug 25, 2020

• #5

They can no longer throttle specific streaming services because the content is encrypted.

 

MAG_Mitch

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Sep 27, 2013

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1,270

• Aug 26, 2020

• #6

This is a legitimate use of VPN for streaming — circumventing unfair traffic shaping.

 

jake_m

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Mar 3, 2010

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• Aug 28, 2020

• #7

How do I know if my ISP is specifically throttling streaming vs just having general congestion?

 

AdminSarah

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Jan 22, 2010

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• Aug 25, 2020

• #8

If fast.com is significantly slower than speedtest.net, streaming is being throttled.

 

TVboxPro

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Oct 12, 2015

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1,610

• Aug 26, 2020

• #8

Run a speed test to a fast.com server (Netflix's CDN) vs a speedtest.net server.

 

SandraFix

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May 9, 2020

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• Aug 28, 2020

• #9

Also compare speeds with and without VPN during peak hours.

 

MeshMaster

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Mar 16, 2019

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• Aug 29, 2020

• #10

If speeds to streaming CDNs improve with VPN, throttling is confirmed.

 

mark_wifi

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Aug 8, 2013

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• Aug 30, 2020

• #11

Which VPN protocol is best for streaming without excessive speed loss?

 

MAGuser_Roy

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Apr 25, 2012

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607

• Sep 3, 2020

• #12

WireGuard has the lowest overhead. OpenVPN is slower. WireGuard is recommended.

 

CarlDigital

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Sep 11, 2019

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• Aug 27, 2020

• #13

Some VPN providers have optimized servers specifically for streaming performance.

 

MaryLogin

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Jan 5, 2019

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• Aug 26, 2020

• #14

VPN will add some latency. For on-demand content this is fine. For live sports it's usually acceptable.