OpenVPN on Raspberry Pi: Protocols, speeds, and privacy stuff

[Haste]

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

 

[Gaze]

different angle: I think a lot of folks overlook that UDP is usually faster because it's less overhead, but TCP can be more reliable if you got network issues or strict firewalls. ymmv depending on your network stability. I personally stick with UDP for speed but switch to TCP if I need more stability.

 

[Flex]

just my 2 cents: I think UDP is usually faster but can be less stable if you got a crappy connection or lots of firewalls, so if uptime matters more than speed TCP might be better ymmv.

 

[Nebula]

Been doing this 2 years, and honestly I've found TCP can be just as fast on stable networks, especially if you tweak the window sizes and keep the connection solid, so I think it's not always about raw speed but stability too

 

[Girder]

Careful with your expectations on speeds, especially with older Pi models, encryption overhead can really slow things down. I've seen some folks get decent privacy with TCP but struggle with UDP for better speeds. Just test different protocols and see what suits your needs best.

 

[Flow]

yo, just a heads up - openvpn doesn't really do "privacy stuff" on its own lol. its just a tunnel, the privacy depends on your setup and logs. had a buddy think vpn magic fixed all his privacy issues, but it was just a tunnel, not a shield lol.

 

[Beacon]

had a buddy swear openvpn fixed all his privacy probs and it was just a tunnel lol. end of the day, ur privacy depends way more on ur config and logs than the VPN itself. it's a tool, not a magic shield

 

[Snapshot]

last week i tried a few, found that even switching protocols messes with my speeds a lot lol. anyone notice if udp is really worth the hassle over tcp?

 

[Haste]

Appreciate the heads up on speeds and privacy stuff, guys. Yeah, older Pi models can choke on encryption overhead, so don't expect lightning fast. And totally agree, OpenVPN's just a tunnel privacy depends on your setup, logs and how you config it. It's not magic, it's a tool.