Hopefully by now you’ve seen my previous article discussing Microsoft’s free VPN directly from the Edge web browser.
In this article I will document whether there is a noticeable performance impact when using the Microsoft Edge Secure Network VPN offering.
To test this, I will take the following approach:
- Use a network that is already being utilised. The idea is that the VPN will likely be used on a network that is already being used by others
- Measure the average speed of the connection without a VPN. Results should provide the latency as well as the download and upload speed
- Measure the average speed of the connection with a VPN. Results should provide the latency as well as the download and upload speed
Speed test without the Microsoft Edge VPN
Note
Speed Test 1 Results
Speed Test 2 Results
Speed Test 3 Results
Averages for all tests performed
Average Download Speed: 250.78 Mbps
Average Latency: 14 ms
Average Upload Speed: 25.81 Mbps
Speed test with the Microsoft Edge VPN
Once the VPN is enabled, we are routed via Cloudflare as mentioned in my previous article. This can be seen here.
Speed Test 1 Results
Speed Test 2 Results
Speed Test 3 Results
Averages for all tests performed
Average Download Speed: 260.9 Mbps
Average Latency: 13 ms
Average Upload Speed: 25.81 Mbps
Conclusion
At the time of testing and based on the results of the test, it would appear that the performance was better while using the Microsoft Edge VPN. While latency wasn’t much different, upload speeds remained the same. However, while connected to the VPN, download speeds appeared to be better by approximately 10 Mbps.
While users will only get a 5GB allowance per month, if you are on the road and looking to secure your connections and potentially browse to selected websites quicker, the Edge VPN might come in handy.
Let us know if you have used the Edge VPN and what your thoughts are.
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