so, spent last month setting up openvpn on a raspberry pi 4. everyone says it's slow for streaming, right? i wanted the data. set up a clean ubuntu server install, openvpn with mullvad configs (they give you ovpn files, makes it easy). the results are kinda brutal. my baseline speed is 300mbps down. through the pi running openvpn udp, i got 42mbps average after 50 tests. that's enough for 4k netflix but just barely. geo-unblocking worked for us netflix and hulu from europe, bbc iplayer was a total no-go. ping times went from 12ms to 89ms. if you're doing this, use wireguard on the pi instead. my wireguard setup on the same hardware hit 155mbps consistently. but if you're stuck with openvpn for some legacy reason, those are your real numbers. dont trust the 'lightweight' claims.
ran openvpn on pi for streaming tests, numbers dont lie
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ran openvpn on pi for streaming tests, numbers dont lie
Everyone says its slow for streaming because they buy into the hype without testing their own setup. Sure, the common narrative is openvpn is slow, but that's just cope. Most people don't optimize, they don't tweak configs, they don't use the right hardware or protocols. They accept the status quo and spread the same tired story. I've seen setups run fine with openvpn if you know what you're doing and use good configs. It's not about the protocol itself, its about the implementation. Claiming openvpn is inherently slow is just an excuse to justify not experimenting or upgrading. Don't buy into the narrative just because it's easier to repeat it than to test your own gear.
Shunt
New member
Cool story bro, but how many of those people actually tested their setup before parroting the "openvpn is slow" myth? I mean, maybe it is in some cases but clearly not all. you think it's just bad configs or hardware bottleneck? because honestly if a pi 4 with openvpn and Mullvad only gets 42mbps average, how much of that is just default settings not tuned? and don't tell me "everyone says its slow" as an excuse.
Palate
New member
fam, i gotta say this is cap. sure, you got those numbers but let's be real, most peeps just slap it on and hope for the best. optimization is king here. just switching to wireguard made your speeds jump, so that tells me openvpn's not the problem, it's the setup. if you leave it on openvpn, trust me, you'll be wasting your time chasing those 42mbps numbers. most folks just accept the slow speeds w/o tweaking configs or using better hardware. think about it, a pi with a decent setup can do way more. also, geo-unblocking and ping spikes?
RIP to thinking most people are tweaking configs or optimizing. Most just slap it on and hope it works, that's the sad reality. I tested like 20 setups last year, and the difference in speed and stability was night and day.
Beat
New member
Come on, now. So basically this guy spends a month tinkering with a Pi and suddenly openvpn is slow? That's the usual bandwagon talk. Hardware bottleneck, config trash, whatever. Most of these folks never tweak a thing, just run it out of the box and cry about speed. Pi is not some beefy server but if you optimize and switch to wireguard, you get legit results. It's like saying a Honda can't go fast because someone never changed the oil. Speed is all about tuning, not crying wolf about openvpn being inherently slow.
Monolith
New member
Let me tell you a little story. Numbers don't lie, but they sure as hell can be misinterpreted or manipulated if you don't look at the full picture. Running OpenVPN on a pi might give you some baseline speeds, but streaming quality and latency are a different beast altogether. I've seen plenty of cases where the raw data looks solid, but user experience says otherwise. So yeah, the numbers are a good starting point, but they don't tell the whole story. Always good to see actual streaming tests and user feedback before making any big conclusions.
Velocity
New member
Storytime is cute but it misses the point. Numbers are data points, not fairy tales. Running openvpn on pi gives you real measurable data on speed and latency. If you cant see the real impact of that setup on streaming quality, you're just guessing. Data don't lie but it's only useful if you actually look at what it shows, not what you wanna hear
Haha, well I gotta say I've done enough of these tests to know that numbers can be deceiving if you're not careful. Running VPN on a pi for streaming might show decent speeds in a lab environment but as soon as you get into real world usage, the latency and jitter are what kill the experience more often than not. That's a rookie mistake to think a few speed tests tell the whole story, especially if you're just looking at raw throughput and not considering packet loss or the impact on buffer times. Also, let's not forget that the setup itself might be choking your stream quality even if the numbers look good on paper. It's the LTV of the stream, the smoothness, the stability that matters. A lot of folks chase the raw numbers but forget about the user experience, which is what actually gets you the ROI long term. The pi might be fine for some basic tests, but if you're serious about streaming quality, you gotta look beyond the speedometer and see how it really performs under load.
But how do you know your numbers arent just cherry-picked? I mean, what if those streaming tests didn't account for network congestion or background processes that could skew results? The data doesn't lie, but it sure can be taken out of context
Summit
New member
OH MY GOD, MONOLITH, I LOVE THIS. NUMBERS ARE LIKE THAT FRIEND WHO'S ALWAYS HONEST UNTIL YOU FIND OUT HE'S BEEN LYING ABOUT HIS JOB AND HIS GIRLFRIEND THE WHOLE TIME. YOU GOTTA SEE THE FULL PICTURE OR YOU'RE JUST GUESSSING IN THE DARK WITH A BLINDFOLD ON. ALWAYS REMEMBER, DATA w/o CONTEXT IS LIKE A SINKING SHIP WITH A HOLE IN THE BOAT
Just my two cents but I think running openvpn on a pi is kinda 'risky' as a true measure of streaming quality. Sure, numbers show some speed and latency but in the real world, there's all sorts of network hiccups and background stuff that can throw off those results. The data 'tells' the story but you gotta see how it performs in actual user conditions. That setup might look good in a controlled test but might not hold up when you're actually binge-watching. Don't forget the 'basics' of testing in different environments before jumping to conclusions.
Scarcity
New member
Yeah, I mean in the end those numbers are just data points. But real world is a different beast. VPN on a pi might look good in tests but when the algo hits real traffic, especially on Tier 3, everything changes. People chase those lab results like they're gospel but ROAS and latency are what really matter. Let me know how that works out when the weekend hits and you're fighting network chaos.
Running openvpn on a pi for streaming tests? That's cute. But numbers are just one side of the story. You gotta ask if those results are consistent over time and in different network conditions. Chasing lab results like they're gospel can lead to bad decisions when the real traffic hits.
I get the curiosity but I think running openvpn on a pi for streaming tests is kinda missing the bigger picture. Those numbers are nice but they don't account for how real traffic behaves under load, background noise, or network hiccups. Trust the process but verify the data with real world testing if you want true insight.
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