Download Speed Slow when connected to work VPN

[#1]

Hi,

When me and my partner WFH we use two different connections.

We both work for different companies and I use a Citrix Workspace connection which gives download speed of over 1gb.

My partner uses a VPN as provided by their company; download speeds are limited impacting files downloading.

Broadband speed tests of both use cases were provided to the IT dept who advised to contact the network provider to unblock the ports - Plusnet advised that no ports are blocked.

[#2]

@naylaks90 

Broadband speed tests of both use cases were provided to the IT dept who advised to contact the network provider to unblock the ports - Plusnet advised that no ports are blocked.

Blocked ports would prevent the VPN from working t all, it wouldn't affect the speed.

My partner uses a VPN as provided by their company; download speeds are limited impacting files downloading.

The download speed over a VPN is dependant on the upload speed of the VPN server!

[#3]

Broadband speed tests of both use cases were provided to the IT dept who advised to contact the network provider to unblock the ports - Plusnet advised that no ports are blocked.

Blocked ports would prevent the VPN from working t all, it wouldn't affect the speed.

[#4]

My partner uses a VPN as provided by their company; download speeds are limited impacting files downloading.

The download speed over a VPN is dependant on the upload speed of the VPN server!

[#5]

It would be worth checking that the MTU and MSS is correctly set for the type of VPN being used,

as a mismatched MTU or MSS can cause fragmentation and poor throughput.

[#6]

No surprise office IT blamed the ISP, they always do because to first line support VPNs are the dark arts that they can never help with and so do not want to log a call that stays open for weeks.

The reality is many office VPNs are governed, the last one I used was limited to 20 - 25Mbps to ensure it survived 
on a Friday morning when everyone is submitting time sheets / weekly reports.

[#7]

@naylaks90 

Assuming this is a Plusnet Hub Two, it is unlikely to divide bandwidth evenly between the two VPN connections. Both users share the same broadband connection, and whichever traffic is demanding bandwidth can consume more of it. 

The Hub Two’s LAN ports are Gigabit Ethernet, so a genuine speed above 1 Gb cannot normally be delivered to a wired device through that port. The Citrix figure may be measuring traffic within the remote Citrix environment rather than the actual home broadband connection.

A router supporting SQM or suitable QoS could manage congestion and prioritise traffic, as previously reported plusnet or the Hub two to not block ports.

It would be handy to know the broadband package you have and confirmation you are using a Hub two.

[#8]

Moderator's note:
Thread moved from Broadband to Everything Else