Express VPN firmware via 68 U

[royarcher]

Since I have been using an express VPN router ( RT AC 68 U) which is about 2/3 months, I have had maybe two dropouts. The speed has gone from about 5 Mbps to about 30 Mbps. I am using the same locations , either la 3 or Atlanta, that I used to use VIA my RT AC 88 U so how do they do it? I am, obviously, not very knowledgeable about this stuff but I am impressed. What's the difference between an express VPN router and an express VPN location via either Merlin firmware or Asus stock firmware? I would have thought that a VPN tunnel is what it is so how do they increase the speed so much?
PS I only pay for 50 Mbps so again I am impressed

 

[eibgrad]

I don't know what you were using for firmware before, or why it was down to 5Mbps, but for that particular router, ~30Mbps is its *normal* upper limit. I should know. I've been using the RT-AC68U for YEARS, and that's exactly what I typically have seen over that time. It's one of the reasons a couple years ago I moved my OpenVPN client to a small form-factor PC. Now I'm limited by the VPN provider (most I've ever seen is ~230Mbps from a variety of VPN providers, w/ ExpressVPN specifically in the 80-85Mbps range). That's w/ an ISP provided ~600Mbps.

So it sounds to me more a case of something wrong w/ the old firmware/configuration than any credit due to the new Express VPN firmware.

P.S. If you use DD-WRT and WireGuard (one of the best implementations available at this time), I've seen as much as 111Mbps w/ that router.