OpenVPN very slow with MTN300 v2

kajaout · 2019-09-14T12:30:53.067Z

Hello Folks,

I need your help please regarding this issue.
I have a router GL inet MT300N v2 with firmware 3.0.25.
I have very very slow speeds when I connect to an NordVPN account using OpenVPN client.

I did following tests:

1- connect my PC to MT300N by RJ45, speedtest results = 47 MB/s
2- connect my PC to MT300N by RJ45, connect to Nordvpn server using OpenVPN client, speedtest results = 8 MB/s !!!
3- connect my PC to my home router, run NordVPN windows appli, connect to same Nordvpn server, speedtest results = 41 MB/s

This leads me to think that there is an issue with my MTN300N v2 config

Could anyone please advise how to solve this performance issue ?

Thanks a lot in advance

leone88 · 2019-09-14T13:15:31.304Z

I think it is the limit of gl.inet. With normal internet I have 45 / 50mb, with nordvpn on gl. Inet I have 8 / 12mb

kajaout · 2019-09-14T15:46:19.973Z

Thanks a lot for your answer dear @leone88
Anyone else could please confirm or advise if there is a workaround ?
Going down from 45 MB to 8 MB seems abnormal to me !

Thanks a lot

jeffsf · 2019-09-14T17:30:10.074Z

kajaout:

Anyone else could please confirm or advise if there is a workaround ?

OpenVPN on a MIPS-based, router SoC from any vendor is going to be limited to the 10-20 Mbps (aggregate) range without SQM, around 10 Mbps or below with SQM. This is a hardware limitation, not a Gl.iNet limitation.

GL.iNet seems very up-front about the possible performance. See, for example, the GL-AR750S, which runs a faster processor (QCA9563 at 775 MHz vs. MTK7628 at 580 MHz), where they suggest 17 Mbps performance with OpenVPN.

Workarounds:

Use WireGuard – On MIPS-based devices it is roughly 3x faster
Buy a faster (ARM-based) router (would get you into the 20-30 Mbps range)
Use a dedicated SBC or VM to run OpenVPN and pass the traffic through it
Use a dedicated SBC or VM as your router and use the GL-MT300Nv2 as an access point only

kajaout · 2019-09-14T19:05:40.636Z

Many thanks dear Jeff for your fruitful help.
Would you please help me with the steps to configure WireGuard ?
I could not find a document explaining in detail how to configure it on GL router for NordVPN …
Also, if there is another VPN that supports it, I would love to try it

Thanks a lot

jeffsf · 2019-09-14T19:36:12.710Z

On a couple of your questions:

SQM (bandwidth shaping) is not enabled by default. It is a package that some people choose to add and configure that can reduce latency (“lag”) when either the line or the SoC is close to its limits.

For configuring WireGuard, in general, there are some good instructions at WireGuard Client - GL.iNet Docs

I can’t comment on how to configure WireGuard for a specific, commercial provider as I run my own servers. You might look at

OpenWrt Forum – 10 May 19

Solved: nordvpn OpenWrt wireguard client

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I can’t comment on other commercial WireGuard providers.

kajaout · 2019-09-14T19:44:13.760Z

Thanks so much dear Jeff for your outstanding help
One last Q please, you mentioned that without SQM I should have 10-20 MB and I am having only 8 MB by default. Any idea why please ? How could I improve to 15 or 20 please ?

Thanks

jeffsf · 2019-09-15T05:54:18.358Z

My words were not precise. Their intent was to say that for a MIPS-based SoC, you’re not going to reliably get more than somewhere in the 10-20 Mbps range. There are 400 MHz and even slower MIPS-based SoCs that will probably never get close to 10 Mbps with OpenVPN.

Basically, the rates you’re getting are probably all you can get out of the chip in the device for OpenVPN.

Since the router needs to do more than just run the VPN (receiving packets, deciding where to send them, NAT, sending packets), a 25% slower CPU means more than a 25% slower VPN. I have never tested a device in that speed range for OpenVPN performance, only faster ones.

You can save a little bit when you need the speed by doing things like:

Don’t log into the web interface
Don’t run anything you don’t need to on your router (file sharing, torrents, … )

kajaout · 2019-09-15T08:42:02.148Z

Fair enough, many thanks dear Jeff for your explanations and great support
All the best

alzhao · 2019-09-19T09:56:39.598Z

Please check our new model.

It runs OpenVpn client up to 97Mbps in our test. I does not have WiFi now.

gl-inet.com – 8 Jan 19

GL-MV1000 / Brume

The Brume product line is popular for powerful and pocket-sized edge computing wireless gateways with fast VPN speed for IoT.

antifascista · 2019-09-19T10:55:14.742Z

Hi,
In the future it will have wifi on board?