I live about 40 miles away from Buffalo, so I use that Surfshark server also. I just tested my speed on my laptop with the VPN connected, and it was 358Mbps (wireless). Using Analiti to test my speed on my FS4K, connected to the same wireless network and the Buffalo server, I get 31Mbps. This further confirms my suspicion that the reason for the slower speed is hardware related, since the device (FS or computer) has to encrypt/decrypt the data with the VPN. The slower FS speed is because there isn’t enough processing power (CPU) to encrypt/decrypt the data “real time”, hence the slowdown.
I have Xfinity and get the same readings as you
The company is called “Ookla” and I’ve used them for years. Yes, they have both an app and a website.
App is called “Speedtest by Ookla” and it can be dl’d from the Google Play Store for Android.
Their website is https://www.speedtest.net/ and it works very well also.
Reboot your router? Works for me.
Yes, but I’m comparing speeds on the same devices. It used to be about a 60% drop in speed when using Firestick 4kpro, but now is a 90% drop on the same device and same TV. Something else is happening that causes this.
I follow docsquiffy.com and his recommendation is to force stop but to not dump cache. I’ve been doing that for a couple weeks and have noticed a bit of an improvement.
Question for BobC?
How can you say my issue is device processing power/ability related? As I said earlier…
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3 different devices ( FS 4K MAX, Onn 4K & FS 4K)
showing same poor reduction in speed NOW when they ALL averaged 80 - 85 for last 6 months? -
Used 3 different VPN’s (Express, SS & Proton) and they All give almost identical results?
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No additional apps have been added to these devices in the last 6 months. I don’t see where the processing demands would be any greater now than it was 6 months ago when my speeds averaged 80 - 85 Mbps when using my VPN…
I am also having same problem, using IPVanish, with VPN off I am getting 375mbs, with VPN on it drops to 20 to 30 mbs, started about a month ago, same thing on firestiick 4k and firestick 4kmax. I use the analiti app. I will keep following this thread hoping someone finds the answer.
The reason I suspect that the speed difference between my laptop and FS4K is that both are connecting to the same network, and both give similar results without the VPN. There is a huge difference in processing power (CPU) and memory (RAM) between my laptop and FS. My laptop uses an Intel i5-7440HQ (2.8GHz quad-core CPU, 32GB RAM). As I’ve mentioned before, a VPN uses encryption and decryption when sending/receiving data. If there isn’t enough processing power to handle the encryption/decryption processes in “real time”, it will become the bottleneck and limit the VPN speed to the maximum speed that the encryption/decryption can be processed.
If the speed reduction when the VPN is enabled was due to the VPN service speed, I would expect that a computer and FS would give similar results. However, since they don’t, then the difference must be due to the hardware differences.
I tend to agree with your thinking…and heres my reason. I have a friend with decent 100mb down speed but kept having issues streaming on devices but not his computer. So what I did was setup a pc(simple server) to drag in his iptv via ethernet and on a vpn set up on that pc only. Now the pc has what the other devices want so we stream it locally via wifi and no vpn needed on the various devices since the pc has already handled that. The result was buffer free streaming to all devices. The pc handles the heavy lifting putting the other devices with less power at ease 
So everyone using a FS (weak processer) will have this issue???
I don’t think so…
I tend to believe that the issue here IS NOT the FS or Onn 4k processing capabilities because if that was it, I never would have averaged 80 - 85 Mbps in the past and now around 30 Mbps…
Did All of my devices suddenly have some type of electronic stroke to put them in a condition where they now have less processing power than they did in the past when my speed average was 80 - 85 when using VPN?
I am sure that there are many, many FS useres that are getting well above 30 Mbps while using VPN … (I was one of them before this issue)
I have seen post where some FS users were getting as much as 120 Mbps with FS while using VPN, so at this point, I’m not convinced my device processing is the culprit in this case.
Thanks for your input
Make sure you clear the cache on all your apps. Sometimes I get some real bad buffering on fire stick 4K Maxx due to the cashe getting loaded up and need to be clean. It also affected my downloads.
Did you change any settings in your router like setting up a wireguard vpn. Asus routers with this set up and disabled will affect vpn speeds. Just a thought.
While I agree hard wired is the most stable, with wifi6, 6e and the high tech routers now out on the market, some wifi will give faster speeds than ethernet given the right set of conditions. I would always recommend testing both in case someone’s particular setup works differently than the results you posted.
Here is a portion of an article “8 Factors that Affect VPN Speed” from zenarmor.com:
- CPU/RAM
A VPN does not require disks with a high transfer rate or vast quantities of storage. Since a VPN primarily encrypts data, you will want a powerful CPU to decrypt it. If you are interested in AES encryption, the optimal setup consists of either a CPU or GPUs. Currently, there are servers that offer AES-NI support and have hardware-level performance acceleration.
Due to the time required for data packets to go back and forth, VPN traffic is taking longer than normal. A VPN’s speed may also be impacted when it is encrypted. If your device’s CPU and Internet connection are both fast, its performance will be enhanced.
Generally, it is preferable to utilize a faster CPU if you can improve performance. However, most routers perform poorly due to their RAM. If you increase your RAM, you will have access to more threads, which is crucial given the volume of network activity between devices and torrent sites.
This is both true and untrue lol. I’ll grant you Wifi 6E can be faster than traditional wired “Gigabyte Ethernet” connections using older CAT5 cables which has transfer speeds around 1 gbps. WiFi 6E has been clocked consistantly around 1.2 gbps so absolutely it can be faster.
However…
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If you’re going to look at the most current wireless technology than you must also look at the most current wired technology as well, which is CAT6E or CAT7 ethernet cables, rated at 10 gbps transfer speeds. That’s 10x as fast as CAT5 cables, and apx 5x faster than a WiFi 6E connection. Wired is still the faster/fastest option.
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In order to maximize a WiFi 6E connection both the router/WAP and the wireless device must be WiFi 6E enabled. If you’re wireless device is not WiFi 6E compatible then you will only achieve at most WiFi 5 connection speeds, which is slower than a CAT5 wired connection.
Miki, the speeds you listed, are they with a VPN or not? I get ~ 250+ on my FS4K with Surfshark VPN disabled, and 30+ with it enabled. Your speed sound right without a VPN, but if they are with a VPN, what VPN were you using?
I forgot to mention this, but the speed drop is only on my firestick. Running vpn on my computer is almost as fast as without.
I guess that is what makes it all the more annoying.
Results:
456.8 computer no VPN
442.6 computer with VPN
313 Firestick no VPN
35 Firestick with VPN
Robini, like you, I also get 300+ Mb/s with Surfshark enabled on my laptop and only 1/10 of that on my FS4K. I’m not really complaining, since 30 is more than adequate for streaming. I only chimed in to try to explain my theory as to why the FS was so much slower than the laptop, with both connected to the same WiFi network.
I agree with your statement regarding the WiFi antennas. However, without the VPN, the FS speed, while lower than the laptop, is still over 8X the speed of the FS with VPN, whereas the laptop speed is virtually the same with or without the VPN (same WiFi network, Surfshark VPN, and VPN server location).