A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, is a way for internet users to secure their internet browsing experience. The manner in which a VPN works is by bypassing a client’s association through another location, basically concealing their IP address and getting their confidential data. VPNs have seen a meteoric rise in popularity as people move to secure their private information in this digital age.
They have also begun to adopt VPNs as a way to access blocked or otherwise geo-restricted content. In this race to adopt VPNs, gamers certainly haven’t been left behind. On the contrary, gaming VPNs have seen a rise too. These VPNs are designed specifically to help improve latency and your overall gaming experience.
So, if you are a gamer using a VPN, here are some brilliant tips to optimize your VPN and get the best gaming experience:
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5 Quick Tips To Optimize A VPN To Improve Your Gaming Experience
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Speed Matters
The first thing you need to do to optimize your VPN is to check your internet connection. Certainly, it makes sense to optimize the thing that the VPN will grab onto before moving forward. There are a thousand and one ways to check your speed and throughput, many popular online speed testing services can tell you exactly the kind of speeds that you are getting.
Checking this is necessary to ensure that there are no pre-emptive issues with the internet connection itself before activating the VPN. It is also recommended to check your OS for any background apps that are unnecessary, bloatware, or otherwise eating up essential bandwidth.
When taking this initial step, it is usually a good idea to restart your computer, router, and any other related devices. Sometimes, even a soft reset can get rid of certain issues. Though, it is recommended to contact your ISP if you run into any issues.
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Be Mindful Of Location
As explained at the start of this article, a VPN works by bypassing your internet connection through another server in another location. These servers can be located anywhere in the world. All VPNs will offer you a choice in which location you can use to bypass your internet through and establish a VPN connection.
While gaming, this turns into a significant decision as you will need to pick a location nearest to the servers of the game you want to play. This limited distance will guarantee low latency and fewer chances of lag and a dropped connection.
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Control Encryption
Encryption plays a huge role in the efficiency of a VPN connection. The encryption process essentially works by taking your private information and scrambling it so that unless someone has a key to that scrambling, they aren’t able to read it.
You want to make sure that your encryption standard isn’t too high. The higher it is, the more time it takes for the target server to unscramble it, reducing connection efficiency. Therefore, we recommend keeping your connection 128-Bit encryption rather than 192-Bit or 256-Bit, as those options can heavily reduce connection efficiency.
That said, it doesn’t mean that you’ve to compromise on security. Just choose a VPN service that maintains a good balance between security and speed, allowing you to have smooth and secure gaming on a PC that takes your gaming experience to the next level.
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Internet Protocol Settings
There are two standard internet protocols. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The TCP protocol is the default because it ensures that all data is transferred appropriately without any loss. But this also means that the TCP protocol is slower.
In contrast, the UDP protocol relies less on perfect data transference, less overhead, and, therefore, faster speeds.
Therefore, it’s advised to select the fastest VPN protocol that doesn’t slow down your connection and provides optimal speed for gaming.
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Traffic Segregation
The final step to optimizing your VPN performance is to segregate your traffic. This ensures that only selected data runs through the VPN tunneling. If all your data runs through the VPN, it can lead to throttling. Therefore, VPNs segregate your traffic and can improve performance by only encrypting selected data via Split Tunneling.
This feature splits your device’s traffic and transports it via two routes – one through a VPN-encrypted tunnel and the other through your regular ISP network. As a result, you will experience an enhanced speed performance during your gaming sessions.
To Wrap Up
VPNs ultimately provide security and assurance to you that your data is safe. They also let you access content from all around the world without any restrictions. VPNs also help you improve your gaming performance, allowing you to play without any latency issues.
With these brilliant tips, you will surely get the best VPN experience and will conquer the gaming summit in no time.
