Why has FS Total VPN such a poor performance ?
I have a full fiber connection from ISP to home (distance 2 km), my rig is cabled to the ISP modem, tested withOokla speed test:
no VPN 960/580
Cyberghost VPN 540/460
Eset security VPN same speeds
FS total VPN 340/380
Location France, VPN servers in Paris
I am very disappointed with FS cataplut hydra based protocol: I need a better server in Paris which is 210 km from my home town
Accepted Answers
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Hello @yeoldfart
Thank you for your confirmation.
Thank you for reaching out. To help us investigate further, we kindly ask you to send an email with your findings to beta@f-secure.com.
We appreciate your cooperation. Let us know if you need any further assistance.
Thank you, and have a wonderful day.
Firmy
Community Manager | F-Secure Community
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Answers
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Hello @yeoldfart
Thank you for your question.
May we confirm that you are referring to the beta version or the production app? Hydra-based protocol is only available in the beta version at the moment.
Thank you.
Firmy
Community Manager | F-Secure Community
🔐 Strengthening digital security through knowledge and collaboration
🌐 Explore our User Guides | Knowledge Base for self-help resources
💻 Empower yourself with Cybersecurity Insights and protect what matters -
New features of F-Secure VPN(as part of Total) were released in writing only in 25.2,technically we wait them to appear shortly as part of the 25.2 release.I'm not sure does the release include improvements of France F-Secure Vpn traffic,at least wirequard protocol is going to be added..Usually it´s more efficient to name the VPN-gw:s you encounter performance problems. Looks like there is not any continuous performance testing either..
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I have this trouble of slow VPN since November in Portugal using VPN connected to Portugal or Spain or France and even worse if connected to servers in Finland or Sweden. But VPN has now become the least of our problems since the 25.2 release.
I have bought F-secure and used it ever since 1998. I have a TOTAL 2 years subscription for 9 computers and I bought F-Secure but all the sudden I get huge performance problem and it is because the product I bought is now not the same but AVIRA!The CPU problem 25.2 release is not one computer but several. AND they worked fine until this upgrade except for the VPN.
This is VERY serious what is going on under the hood.
Image if you bought a BMW with a BMW-motor and all the sudden you had a BMW with a Fiat motor and moreover with less power… who would have to accept this.
I cannot even get quick help to downgrade to a working TOTAL! -
I am wonderibg who took the lead ? Avira ? on another hand the Paris server probably adds to the the poor perfermonce, whatever Hydra oe Wiregard ara working, I am currently testing another safety combo: I have the choice between 3 servers in Paris plus one in Marseille 1000 km south away from my rig with better perfs
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I am truly flabbergasted by what is happening to us.
After being a good client for 26 years I get help but not by any means a solution that solves our problems, no help to downgrade neither money back. I am sadly forced to and have now done my research for alternatives to both antivirus VPN. The combo I will test is a super lightweight still efficient antivirus from Slovakia and a VPN from Sweden said to be very lightweight and fast. Before Avira started to change what i bought Fsecure was always a secure, lightweight and fast program located within the EU jurisdiction (so none are american - no backdoor collection of info) and now instead of protecting us all the sudden it became such a problem. Unbelievable! -
I am not arguing but just wondering why the guys @ FS do not routinely test the servers they pay for ? I could name those used by Eset in my country they are equal those used by ExpressVpn or Cyberghost and their kins.
I had to resolve my self not to use FS vpn, even with wireguard, sad.
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Hello,
As feedback from my side: VPN performance is much better than before. This includes both speed and reliability.
My experience is based only on beta versions. And accordingly, previous implementations of OpenVPN, OpenVPN(TCP) and IKE2v (three or whatever it was available servers). And current Hydra, WireGuard, OpenVPN, OpenVPN(TCP) (quite a few available servers). I am not a very active user and cannot evaluate all usage scenarios, but only the most basic ones. Sometimes I see some strange speed drops or some strange effects, but I can't say for sure who or what is causing it.
Of course - likely - it is far from ideal and what is desired by many. But I don't think that somewhere or something is significantly better (especially if it is not a solution from a company that only does VPN business).
Also, I do not see the direct line between VPN and Avira.
And what about Avira and AV/BP: well, their engine was used before. Now, that engine is also used with a full toolkit. I don't really feel the difference now, which wasn't the case before. In terms of trust or quality.
Avira as company also uses this toolkit. It is just happened to be made by them as well. I don't really see it as 'being Avira'. Since F-Secure also do utilize .NET technology - does it mean, that F-Secure is now Microsoft-made solution or whatever?
I like the comparison with cars, but the comparison was not really spot on.
The main point is if their Terms and Privacy Policy are still alright for you. And then if quality of protection or services are still fine (which I do not think hugely different now).
as for impact on my old PC - I can't trace any additional troubles. partially, it is better now. But I surely miss a lot of stuff from pre-25 (19.9) versions.
Sorry for my English.
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Hello Ukko
Glad to read your post 😀 it reminds me of the time we were both testing the new Ultralight !
I do condone your point of view, however seen from here I suspect the server located in Paris to be the culprit and I do not want to "loose" an extra chunk of bandwidth if I were a g a user !
On another hand it would be fair if if the guys @ FS would take the time to check this point.
See you buddy
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Glad to read your post 😀 it reminds me of the time we were both testing the new Ultralight !
I'm glad to read your posts as well :) and reminders of good time are always great.
I do condone your point of view, however seen from here I suspect the server located in Paris to be the culprit and I do not want to "loose" an extra chunk of bandwidth if I were a g a user !
that's very true.
by the way, it is worth noting that my speed is quite low as it is... so I am probably just not hitting the ceiling of the provided capacity (and if I were to lose a significant portion of the bandwidth, that would certainly be VERY undesirable).
On another hand it would be fair if if the guys @ FS would take the time to check this point.
surely they are willing to do so. the only difficulty is how to do all this so that everyone is happy.
still - if you haven't written them your observations, it's better to do it by email to beta@f-secure.com
it is easier (as I think) to keep for them 'certain case' on-going in a coordinated discussion (with you). Just to outline your local experience and what could have been better.
cheers, again!
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Now when we were sadly FORCED to uninstall F-secure antivirus after 26 years because they unexpectedly switched the much better working protection motor to the Avira one( to us this made it unusable). Not the newest but still fast good computers with Win10 pro (Sony Vaio Pro 13 SVP-13 SVP 13 i7 4500U 8GB Ram 256GB SSD) now since March overheating due to the Avira switch.
At the moment of uninstalling F-secure we are given the option but did not tick to uninstall the VPN ( yes it was a choice). But all the same this uninstalled ALSO the VPN part (Freedome) anyway.
F-secure support "we are not on the same page" tells me this isn't a bug (why is it then an option!) because they have been migrated in March 2023 BUT we payed for 10 subscriptions of F-Secure Antivirus and 10 Freedome AND we paid them separately in November 2023.Now this is not exactly the same abuse as the abuse Microsoft was fined hundreds of millions € for several times, but still abusive to sell us a product we couldn't know they were going to bundle; then make the Internet Security part unusable by changing the motor to Avira one and now when we are sadly Forced to leave F-secure after 26 smooth working years we cannot even stay only with the VPN product which we paid for separate.
When consumers are forced to take the second product and can’t remove it, switch, or easily use alternatives, it is seen by EU as anti-competitive.
And this is what they do also here. And once, as now has happend here, one part in the bundle stops being usable (because they changed what we bought to another anti-virus motor essentially another product we opted not to buy) it has from a consumer perspective the unforeseeable consequence that the other paid for product is simply eliminated.(The European Commission found that what Microsoft by bundling its Internet Explorer (IE) browser with Windows was abusive towards consumers by Limiting consumer choice and also limit competition. This made it harder for other companies to get users, investment, or traction. Microsoft was fined multiple times once they were fined €561 millions. Part of it was market position but part of it was consumer are hindered from using alternatives, it this is seen by EU as anti-competitive.)
Imagine this: You've been a loyal BMW customer for 26 years. You walk into the dealership and buy another BMW — one with a BMW engine, as always — and you also purchase a trailer from the same seller. No surprises, no fine print. But then, without warning, the car you receive suddenly has a FIAT engine.Not only were you never told about the switch, but the FIAT engine turns out to be completely substandard. It doesn’t perform like the BMW engine you paid for — in fact, it consumes
20% more fuel. It's inefficient, it's flawed, and worst of all, it's not what you agreed to buy.When you raise the issue, you get
no help. No solution, no replacement, no accountability. You fight — you spend your time, your energy, your patience — trying to get what you actually paid for. But you're met with silence and indifference. You obviously can'thave it this way.And as if that weren’t enough, the seller then comes back and says they’re
taking the trailer away too— the one you paid for, the one that has nothing to do with the engine problem. Why? Just becausethey decidedso. Unilaterally. Without reason, without warning.Let me ask you this:
Who would agree to a worse engine than the one they bought — one that burns 20% more fuel?Who would accept losing their trailer just because someone else suddenly changed their mind, long after the purchase?
I am truly flabbergasted. This isn’t just a poor customer experience — it’s a
breach of trust, adenial of rights, and ablatant disregard for what was promised and paid for. -
S
Sorry if you think so- I am not : I do hate trolling. We do have the this problem with fan whining getting hot since the upgrade due to CPU drawing ~20% and I was told they were not aware of others something I find this strange since we have several with the same and it disappears when closing F-Secure so at least someone will not feel as alone as we are when complaining for good reason. In that sense it should be helpful to people who have not yet but might realize they have the same problem. My sole intention is to show that the ARE performance problems and that I am very disappointed and a bit bitter no solution available. To have to uninstall THE program I had in all computers always that I've recommended like an ambassador to friends and on jobs abroad for straight 26 years because it WAS good.
Moreover I can update that the support has agreed to downgrade to only VPN so at least we will have SOME use of what we paid for. That might also be a solution to others finding themselves in this awkward situation. -
Now
Support is helpful but there are limits to what they can do. The story is too long. Started in last November with bad VPN speeds, especially when connected to Sweden Finland Spain. I tried to do what was I was asked to but some failed others complicated and wanted them to do whatever they could to fix it and thought they were going to do so when in end of March this overheating problem appeared. This latter came with 25.2 & 25.3 update and problems with the scanning hanging and after this stealing 20 % CPU essentially from the "new" antivirus protection "Endpoint Protection Service" from Avira which apparently works in pair with or lauches a DNS Client Services Host. Doth appear / disappear and together they steal CPU in a way never seen before on different models of our Vaio computers.
After 3 weeks we are ok again with the Cpu part (bc we uninstalled the antivirus and now use only the VPN part (where hydra is in use now -before I think it was Open VPN).
I just tested the download speed and it seems to work fairly ok 50-75 Mbps ..except for long ping times when Nordic countries. But sorry to say upload is very limited (when the VPN is turned on) now (it is below or at best around 1Mbps)
Any suggestion from anyone regarding which of theses protocol is the best or fastest?
Possible are these 4 options: Hydra, Wireguard, Open VPN or Open VPN TCP.
My laptop Vaio Spec: Win 10 pro with latest update
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz 2.10 GHz (yes its old but still performed fairly good before the CPU problem)
RAM 8,00 GB (7,90 GB free)
238 GB SSD Intel
Placa Gráfica Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 (32 MB)
