VPN Services

Hey everyone, so I've been messing around with OpenVPN on my Raspberry Pi, trying to get a kinda DIY VPN going. Thought it would be a cheap way to boost privacy and do some torrenting without risking my main setup. I tried a few providers that say they support OpenVPN and are good for self-hosted stuff but man, I hit a wall real quick. Some of them are actually kinda shady about speeds and privacy. Like I tested a couple, and one kept dropping connections every hour or so, which is NOT cool when you're trying to stream or torrent. Another thing is, some say they support 'full logs' and then pretend they don't, which feels lowkey suspicious. The worst part is, a lot of these providers don't give clear info on protocols or how they handle logs, so I ended up wasting time and money. If you're thinking of setting this up, BE WARNED not all VPNs are reliable for this kinda DIY setup, and some might even mess with your privacy more than help. Anyone else run into weird issues or good solid options I might've missed? Wonder if I should just go with a known provider but pay extra for that peace of mind.

Been messing with setting up an OpenVPN server on my Pi for a while now and gotta say, the protocol choice really affects performance. I ran some tests last week. Using UDP with OpenVPN gave me around 70 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload on my 100 Mbps line. Switched to TCP and it dropped to 55 Mbps down, 18 up. Not a huge difference for streaming but noticeable. I also played with different cipher settings, default AES-256 still held up well, no noticeable lag, but I did bump it to AES-128 for slightly faster connections and honestly couldn't tell. Privacy-wise, I like OpenVPN's open-source nature and how flexible it is with configs. Plus, I set up custom firewalls on the Pi so I only open the ports I want, keeps it tighter. Streaming and torrenting are pretty smooth on UDP, no issues with Netflix or heavy torrent use, as long as I tweak the MTU a bit. Curious anyone else running OpenVPN on Pi and what protocols or settings you're using? ymmv but I wanna know what's working best for speed and privacy combo

just got back from a 3 month gig outta Shenzhen did a bunch of speed and connection tests on different services cause the marketing claims are just nuts. here's what i actually saw tested 4 big providers over a month. success rate for the first connection was all over the place. provider a had like 92% success using their obfuscated servers but speeds dropped to like 30% of my normal on a good day. provider b was more like 70% success but faster when it did connect, maybe 50% of normal. you gotta have multiple configs ready - i had wireguard, openvpn tcp on 443, and their stealth protocol all set up. if you go, don't just rely on one app. grab the config files, set up manual connections. the app might not even download once you get there. also, residential ip proxies are worth checking out for some cases but they cost more. for just access, my setup was a travel router with 3 different vpn profiles loaded. swapped them every day. annoying but it worked. total monthly cost for two solid services was like 25 bucks.

ugh gotta vent real quick. tried all these protocols for streaming and omg what a mess. figured wireguard would be fast and secure right? nope totally depends on the server, sometimes it's fine other times buffering like crazy or just blocked. openvpn? stable yeah but so slow rn like painfully slow. ikev2? speed is okay but the geo-unblocking sucks. i'm constantly swapping servers and protocols and nothing ever works consistently. every vpn seems to have its own trick for streaming stuff and it never lasts. you finally get a good server then boom connection dies or you get that "not available" error. anyone else over this? feels like i need a whole IT degree just to watch netflix without stress. tbh don't just go by the protocol name, gotta test your vpn first. this is such a nightmare.

ugh i am so over spending cash on vpns that act amazing but give you garbage speeds or lowkey keep logs anyway. just heard black friday sales are coming and i'm like okay but is this legit or just more hype. everyone's talking it up but are they actually cheaper AND good? i see sites claiming like half off but then what if the speed is trash or they're still logging stuff lol. i want to grab one but also dont want to get ripped off again. did anyone try these deals last year? were they actually cheaper or just some trick. i really just need a vpn that's fast, private, works for streaming and torrenting without costing a ton. this year i wanna snag smth solid but i'm so done with empty promises. someone tell me if i should wait or buy now haha

Alright I'm about to bounce for a month in SEA and EU, need solid geo-unblocking for work and shows. My go-to Express worked fine at home but died last trip in Japan - Netflix US just wouldn't load after day 3. So looking at maybe Surfshark or Proton for this run. What I really need are real conv rates with foreign servers - not just connection speed but actual successful stream starts. I'll be testing WireGuard on mobile mostly. If you've got recent data on which providers actually maintain consistent access to like HBO Max, Prime Video, Disney+ from abroad drop the numbers. Bonus points if you know battery drain stats for long sessions. Catch ya.

ok so i checked out those new 'independent audits' for some popular VPNs and honestly the results are as clear as mud. take one of the 'top' ones that says it keeps no logs - their audit claims no logs but i spotted a tiny clause about keeping 'usage data for 30 days' like come on. then another that brags about encryption? their audit report is just their own marketing stuff copied over, no real security tests or vuln scans. feels like they paid for a quick pr thing not an actual audit. and get this - some audits are just self-reported with zero third-party checking. so basically you're just trusting the company's word which is like having a fox watch the henhouse lol. if you care about privacy don't fall for the hype. do your own research and stop thinking these audits are anything more than a corporate high-five.

man so im lookin at this setup stuff. got my vpn sub and it all works fine on my pc with the app. but everyone keeps talkin about putting it on ur router too. that seems like a pain tbh. whats the real point? is it just for gadgets that cant run an app like a smart tv or whatever? or does it actually make ur connection more stable or something if u put it on the router instead of each device? idk im really stuck here

Okay so been messing with split tunneling on ProtonVPN for a week and I think I broke something. Setup: routing torrent client through VPN tunnel, browser direct. Simple right? My torrent speeds tanked from like 12 MB/s down to barely 2. Checked the logs and there's constant timeouts on the WireGuard interface when the split is active. Anyone else get weird latency spikes with split tunneling enabled? Feels like the routing table gets confused if you have a lot of active connections. My theory is the vpn client's network stack can't handle the rapid switching but I got no proof. Just seeing if this is a common thing or if I need to nuke my config and start over. Fwiw my setup is win11, qbittorrent bound to wg interface. Might just go back to full tunnel for simplicity. Numbers don't lie but man they're confusing sometimes.

Man I just blew 2k messing around with expressvpn and nordvpn trying to get geo unblocking to work for this campaign lost everything tho 'cause their whole promise of netflix japan access was dead on arrival right after those audit reports dropped last week lol funny timing huh. I honestly think all these independent audit reports are just about looking credible but no real accountability for streaming performance like they hand you a PDF saying they don't log anything but who cares when hbo max keeps kicking you off every 20 mins lol. All these vpn companies talking about transparency and security audits from some firm xyz but then their streaming product is trash like buying a car that passes safety tests but the engine dies every 5 miles. Sure it's secure but useless for what I need. So expressvpn just dropped their latest audit with cure53 and nordvpn with some firm I can't even pronounce both making huge announcements and blowing up on social media but I can't even get a steady connection to disney plus uk for the life of me feels like they care more about PR with these audits than actually maintaining servers for streaming. And the speed tests they show are always from servers with zero load try connecting during peak hours and see how slow it gets. Sometimes I get better speeds without a vpn which is kinda crazy when you're paying for a premium service. Anyone else think all this audit hype is just a cover to avoid real performance talks? Like if your no logs policy is so solid why do I keep failing geo unblockings? Now I just use residential proxies cause vpn streaming feels broken and audits aren't gonna fix that.

Man I just spent like 2 hours messing with split tunneling on my VPN and I am legit about to lose it. I was trying to route just my streaming app through VPN and leave everything else local, but the speed test results are a nightmare. I ran speed tests before and after enabling split tunneling and got these numbers: before, I was hitting 300 Mbps down and 20 up on my regular connection, no issues. After I set up split tunneling, streaming (Netflix, Hulu) was still fast, like 290 down, but the actual speed test from speedtest.net? Dropped to 45 Mbps down and 4 Mbps up. I mean what the hell? And sometimes it just drops completely and I get timed out. I've tried different protocols, from WireGuard to OpenVPN, no difference. My VPN provider claims split tunneling is supposed to improve speeds and reduce latency, but it's doing the opposite. It's like my connection is just limping along and the VPN seems to be choking. Anyone got a clue? I'm legit ready to throw this thing out the window. Feels like I'm wasting my rev just trying to get this right. Anyone experienced this or got tips? I just want to watch my shows without this lag and slowdown but it's turning into a nightmare.

tbh i posted before about messing around with self-hosted vpns and i finally set up a wireguard server on a vps just to see if it was worth it. thought it'd be annoying but its actually pretty straightforward if you know linux. ran some speed tests, results were surprising. download speeds were like 300-400 mbps on my 1 gbps plan which is decent i guess since im running it from my basement closet. latency was low too, around 20-30ms, good for gaming or streaming. wireguard feels snappy, no weird hiccups and setup was minimal compared to openvpn. privacy wise i control everything so no logs or data selling worries but gotta keep the vps secure otherwise im just trusting some box in a data center. curious if anyone else tried this or has tips to boost speed or privacy, like different vps providers or configs. is diy even worth it over just buying a premium one? seems like effort but kinda satisfying if you like tinkering

Everyone keeps throwing random claims about protocols but here's the real deal rn. WireGuard is fast, like stupid fast, and it's modern so it's leaner and less bloated. No surprise it crushes OpenVPN in speed tests most of the time. But don't sleep on OpenVPN, it's been around forever and its security is proven, plus lots of configs and tweaks if you're into that. IKEv2? It's kinda the middle ground, decent speed, solid security, and great stability for mobile devices but it's not as lightweight as WireGuard. Honestly, if your main goal is speed with decent security, WireGuard is the clear winner. But if you want max compatibility and proven safety, OpenVPN still holds its ground. For streaming and torrenting, WireGuard's speed is a huge plus but sometimes you gotta fall back on OpenVPN if your provider's config favors it. In the end, it's about what you value more, speed, security, or compatibility. Check your VPN provider's support for these protocols, and don't just go by reviews, test yourself with speed tests and leaks. Keep your eyes open for VPN deals that include WireGuard support rn, it's a for privacy and speed.

so I've been bouncing around trying to find a VPN that actually works when I'm overseas. Everyone just parrots the same basic stuff but no real recommendations that actually work for streaming or torrenting from different countries. I need smth that's fast, keeps privacy tight, and doesn't drop connection when I switch regions. Been using Nord and Express but honestly they're slow sometimes or get flagged. Anyone got a solid, no BS suggestion that actually handles geo-restrictions w/o insane lag? I'm sick of wasting time and money on useless VPNs. Just need a quick, reliable fix, no nonsense

So I ran some speed tests with kill switch enabled on different protocols and wow, the numbers are crazy. On OpenVPN with TCP, I lost about 12% of my base speed, dropping from 100 Mbps to 88 Mbps. I switched to WireGuard and only saw a 4% dip from 100 Mbps to 96 Mbps. When I disconnected my VPN mid-stream, the kill switch kicked in instantly and my IP stayed hidden for 0.3 seconds, then total disconnect. Tested on Netflix streaming, no buffer or lag with WireGuard but a quick disconnect with OpenVPN. Tbh, for streaming and torrenting, WireGuard with a good kill switch seems the most reliable so far. These real-world tests make me wanna switch everything to WireGuard, low latency, fast speeds, and the kill switch just works. Anyone else seen similar results?

so i've been rotating thru the big name vpns for a while, you know the ones with the flashy ads and the youtuber sponsorships. always felt like i was fighting the app, weird settings, login issues, connection drops. i was just so tired of it. decided to give mullvad a shot on a whim after seeing some random comment buried in a reddit thread about privacy. ngl, i was expecting another complicated mess. but tbh, i'm kinda shook. here's the thing - they don't have a username or password. you just go to their site and they generate an account number. that's it. you copy that number into their app. it feels like you're just getting a token, not signing up for a newsletter and giving your life story. the windows app is just a tiny window with a connect button and a server list. no cluttered dashboard, no 'features' you'll never use, no ads for their other products. for the guide part, it's stupid easy. download the app from their site directly, not some app store. install it. paste your account number. pick a server location from the list - they show load percentages which is nice. click connect. it literally took me 45 seconds from downloading to being connected. and it's wireguard by default, so the speed is instant. i ran a speed test and i was getting like 95% of my base speed, which never happens for me on vpns, i usually lose like 30-40%. atm i'm just sitting here connected, browsing, and it's so. quiet. no pop-ups, no 'upgrade to premium' nags, nothing. it just works. i'm so used to vpns feeling like a product that's trying to sell me smth every second. this feels like a tool. idk why more people aren't screaming about this, especially if you're into the privacy side of things. feels like i discovered some secret club. has anyone else tried them and had this sorta 'oh, this is how it should be' moment? or am i just easily impressed after dealing with the big boys for so long?

honestly been messing around with VPNs lately and heard some peeps talk about double VPNs or multi-hop setups. kinda curious if it's worth the hassle tho. I mean, does it actually add a lot more privacy or just slow stuff down for no real reason? I do a lot of streaming and torrenting, so speed is kinda important but also privacy is a big deal. Anyone here tried setting up multi-hop or double VPN? Does it improve your anonymity or just make things more complicated? Looking for real experiences, not just what the marketing says. Also, if you know some good VPNs that do multi-hop easily, spill the beans. Or is it just overkill for the average user? Lowkey, I don't wanna get into some complicated configs if I don't gotta, but I also don't wanna skimp on privacy.