{"id":47735,"date":"2023-04-05T09:11:46","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T13:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=47735"},"modified":"2023-08-21T12:20:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T16:20:42","slug":"fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/47735\/","title":{"rendered":"Turbocharge your VPN"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>VPNs are becoming more and more popular: a secure, encrypted connection is needed these days not only by travelers, but also gamers, streamers, crypto investors and even fans of foreign TV shows. And that\u2019s why the VPN industry is developing rapidly. But did you know that just by updating your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/vpn-secure-connection?icid=gl_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder____vpn___\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">VPN application<\/a> and configuring it a bit you can significantly increase the speed, convenience and security of your connection? You will after reading this post!<\/p>\n<h2>New protocols<\/h2>\n<p>When you turn on a VPN connection you establish an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/vpn-what-you-need-to-know\/14468\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">encrypted connection<\/a> to one of the VPN provider\u2019s servers. This is done to change your public IP address and to protect your connection from prying eyes on the local network. For many years, all VPN services offered a choice between the old and not very secure <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Point-to-Point_Tunneling_Protocol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PPTP<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Layer_2_Tunneling_Protocol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">L2TP<\/a> communication protocols, and the newer yet slower <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/OpenVPN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">OpenVPN<\/a> protocol \u2014 which is more secure in terms of encryption.<\/p>\n<p>But recently some new VPN protocols have appeared. For example, there\u2019s the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vpnreports.com\/hydra-catapult-protocol-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Catapult Hydra<\/a> protocol used in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/vpn-secure-connection?icid=gl_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder____vpn___\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection<\/a>. It\u2019s the record holder for speed, and thanks to this protocol <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/vpn-secure-connection?icid=gl_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder____vpn___\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">our VPN<\/a> recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/ksc-wins-av-test-2022\/46586\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">won a comparative test of leading VPN solutions.<\/a> Due to the proprietary nature of the Catapult Hydra protocol, security researchers have raised questions about its security and privacy. However, a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pango.co\/application-security-audit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">independent audit of the Catapult Hydra source code<\/a> found no critical vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Another popular protocol to look out for is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wireguard.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WireGuard<\/a>. It\u2019s also faster (much more so than OpenVPN) at transferring data, has minimal latency, and provides an instant connection. At the same time, its source codes are open, so it can be found in many VPN services, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/vpn-secure-connection?icid=gl_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder____vpn___\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What to do: <\/strong>update the application and\u00a0 select the correct protocol in the VPN client settings on each device. Speeds in descending order go like this: Catapult Hydra, WireGuard, OpenVPN. Other protocols don\u2019t provide sufficient security \u2014 especially for financial transactions.<\/p>\n<h2>Optimal servers<\/h2>\n<p>The key thing to look out for when choosing a VPN service is the number of servers it has and their location. The more servers \u2014 the greater the chance of a good connection.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s logical to choose a server based on your needs: either as close as possible to your actual geographical location, or located in the region whose websites you plan to visit.<\/p>\n<p>So, if you\u2019re using a VPN for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/online-gamer-threats\/4474\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">safe gaming<\/a>, you should choose a VPN server in the same country where the game servers are located \u2014 this will ensure a faster, more stable connection.<\/p>\n<p>When watching foreign media content, servers located in the country where the content is streamed also tend to provide a more stable connection.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes municipal or government services aren\u2019t available from abroad for various reasons. In this case, the right VPN server helps residents of the city, or citizens of the country, get the information they need while away from home.<\/p>\n<p>What can happen is the nearest server being overloaded and its connection speed drops as a consequence. In this case it\u2019s worth trying other servers in the same region. By the way, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/vpn-secure-connection?icid=gl_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder____vpn___\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Kaspersky VPN<\/a> outperforms most competitors not only in terms of speed, but also in terms of the number of available servers: 99 locations in 80 countries, with more than 2000 servers deployed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What to do:<\/strong> update the application regularly and check for an updated list of servers. Choose the best VPN server for your tasks, taking into account the geographical proximity to the required online services.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_47766\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2023\/04\/05090311\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers-01.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-47766\" class=\"size-full wp-image-47766\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2023\/04\/05090311\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers-01.jpg\" alt=\"Fully up-to-date, Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection has just under a hundred server locations around the world, and also features a convenient dark theme.\" width=\"540\" height=\"1061\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-47766\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fully up-to-date, Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection has just under a hundred server locations around the world, and also features a convenient dark theme.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Protecting all devices and the entire network<\/h2>\n<p>Every VPN service has clients for Windows, iOS and Android, but software manufacturers sometimes ignore Mac computers. However, there is an effective solution not only for Macs, but also for Smart TVs, game consoles, and smart-home devices that don\u2019t support VPNs themselves. This is a VPN security setting on your router that allows you to route all traffic from any device on your home network through the VPN.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/vpn-secure-connection?icid=gl_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder____vpn___\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">our VPN<\/a> can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/how-to-use-vpn-on-routers\/48410\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">work on a router<\/a> \u2014 and it has a \u201cnative\u201d Mac version as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What to do:<\/strong> Make sure that all your devices are running through a VPN, especially those which you use to conduct financial transactions.<\/p>\n<h2>Advanced settings<\/h2>\n<p>At first, almost all VPN applications worked on the principle of a simple switch: turn on\/turn off. But in real life this isn\u2019t always convenient. For example, a smartphone owner wants to always protect a crypto wallet application with a VPN, and doesn\u2019t want to work with finances through an unencrypted connection; meanwhile, some online stores require that the VPN be turned off. Some people may also need to ensure that not a single byte goes into the network without encryption.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, modern VPN applications offer settings such as <em>Split Tunneling<\/em> and a <em>Kill Switch<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Split Tunneling<\/em> lets you choose applications that always work through the VPN, or, conversely, without it. It\u2019s convenient, for example, to use two different browsers: one that provides access to sites through the VPN, and the other directly.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Kill Switch<\/em>, on the other hand, prevents any data from being sent if the VPN connection is unexpectedly interrupted \u2014 say, when the device connects to another network. This can happen, for example, when your smartphone automatically switches from cellular data to known Wi-Fi networks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/vpn-secure-connection?icid=gl_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder____vpn___\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection<\/a> supports both features.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_47767\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2023\/04\/05090326\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers-02.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-47767\" class=\"size-full wp-image-47767\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2023\/04\/05090326\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers-02.jpg\" alt=\"Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection settings for Android.\" width=\"540\" height=\"1065\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-47767\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection settings for Android.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What to do:<\/strong> configure the VPN individually for those applications that need it, or, conversely, disable the VPN for certain applications. Use different browsers to simultaneously access sites with and without a VPN protocol. If protecting your traffic is essential, enable the <em>Kill Switch<\/em>.<\/p>\n<input type=\"hidden\" class=\"category_for_banner\" value=\"ksec\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to set up modern VPN services to significantly speed up the connection and access new content securely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2722,"featured_media":47757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[4433,1478,43,131,709,4432],"class_list":{"0":"post-47735","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-products","8":"category-tips","9":"tag-catapult-hydra","10":"tag-openvpn","11":"tag-privacy","12":"tag-tips","13":"tag-vpn","14":"tag-wireguard"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/47735\/"},{"hreflang":"en-in","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/25482\/"},{"hreflang":"en-ae","url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/20915\/"},{"hreflang":"ar","url":"https:\/\/me.kaspersky.com\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/10714\/"},{"hreflang":"en-us","url":"https:\/\/usa.kaspersky.com\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/28086\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/25784\/"},{"hreflang":"es-mx","url":"https:\/\/latam.kaspersky.com\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/26154\/"},{"hreflang":"es","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.es\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/28614\/"},{"hreflang":"it","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.it\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/27691\/"},{"hreflang":"tr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.tr\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/11401\/"},{"hreflang":"fr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.fr\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/20396\/"},{"hreflang":"pt-br","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.br\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/21052\/"},{"hreflang":"de","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.de\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/29977\/"},{"hreflang":"ja","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.co.jp\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/33538\/"},{"hreflang":"nl","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.nl\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/28823\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/31795\/"},{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/fastest-vpn-wireguard-hydra-servers\/31480\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/tag\/vpn\/","name":"VPN"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2722"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47735"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48840,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47735\/revisions\/48840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}