Name: NordVPN: You're Getting a Speed Boost, Thanks to WireGuard Implementation
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NordVPN: You're Getting a Speed Boost, Thanks to WireGuard Implementation

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PCMag editors select and review products . If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.is getting an upgrade that’s poised to dramatically increase internet speeds on the service: It's now widely implementing the WireGuard protocol.&nbsp;On Wednesday, the company began rolling out the WireGuard implementation via a software update to the NordVPN client for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. In the settings menu, you’ll now find an option to turn on “NordLynx,” the company’s spin on the protocol.&nbsp;The open-source is essentially next-generation akin to 5G; it requires less computer code, and can also substantially boost the download and upload speeds over the existing OpenVPN standard.&nbsp;Last year, NordVPN began experimenting with the protocol by adding it as an option in the company’s Linux-based VPN app. We and we were blown away by the speed increase. As Max Eddy put it: “Using WireGuard has no significant negative effect on speeds. It's almost like the VPN isn't there.”NordVPN ran over 256,000 speed tests in weighing whether to adopt the technology. “In a number of internal tests, NordLynx significantly outperformed the other two VPN protocols — IKEv2 and OpenVPN,” the company said.&nbsp;It plans on publishing the speed test data on Thursday. (The are now up.) But in the meantime, NordVPN says the protocol can in some cases boost the download and upload speeds by 100 percent.&nbsp;However, WireGuard is still technically an early stage software release. So for now, NordVPN is sticking with OpenVPN as the default protocol over its VPN service.In addition to the speed increases, WireGuard uses newer encryption standards. Still, NordVPN did have one privacy concern with the technology; the current version of the protocol will take your computer’s and store it on the VPN server to which you connect.&nbsp; So technically, this would keep a running log of who's been connecting to a server, a violation of the company's no-logs&nbsp;.&nbsp;&nbsp;To avoid this, NordVPN added another layer to its WireGuard implementation, called the “double NAT (Network Address Translation) system." It works by temporarily generating and assigning new IP addresses for your computer during each VPN session.&nbsp;“The double NAT system allows us to establish a secure VPN connection without storing any identifiable data on a server,” NordVPN said in a &nbsp;describing the system.Although the company is starting to roll out the new NordLynx option today, it may take a few days to arrive to the NordVPN app. Stay tuned for our review.How a VPN WorksSign up for SecurityWatch newsletter for our top privacy and security stories delivered right to your inbox.This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our and . You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!AdvertisementEditors' Choice

PCMag editors select and review products . If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.is getting an upgrade that’s poised to dramatically increase internet speeds on the service: It's now widely implementing the WireGuard protocol.&nbsp;On Wednesday, the company began rolling out the WireGuard implementation via a software update to the NordVPN client for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. In the settings menu, you’ll now find an option to turn on “NordLynx,” the company’s spin on the protocol.&nbsp;The open-source is essentially next-generation...

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Michael has been a PCMag reporter since October 2017. He previously covered tech news in China from 2010 to 2015, before moving to San Francisco to write about cybersecurity. He covers a variety of tech news topics, including consumer devices, digital privacy issues, computer hacking, artificial intelligence, online communities and gaming. You can reach him at michael_kan@pcmag.com

NordVPN: You're Getting a Speed Boost, Thanks to WireGuard Implementation

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