iTop VPN Speed Test Results: Complete Data & Analysis

Technical Explainer: Understanding the Data

1. Important Note about "Provider": In our results, you might see providers like "Amazon," "Akamai," or "M247." This is normal. When the VPN is on, the speed test sees the VPN exit node's ISP, not your home ISP (Virgin Media). This proves the IP mask is working.

2. Close vs Far Server Tests: To be fair, we run two types of tests:

• Close-Side (Real Performance): Connecting to a US VPN and testing against a New York server. This measures the max speed you will actually get.
• Wrong-Side (Routing Verification): Connecting to a US VPN but testing against a UK server. This forces data to travel across the ocean and back, proving the server's physical location via high ping.

Baseline Analysis

Our test line is stable and performing slightly above its advertised "500 Mbps" tier. This confirms that any speed loss in the following tests is purely due to the VPN encryption overhead and not local network congestion. We are starting with an optimal environment.

Local Analysis & Observations

What This Means For You:

For Gamers: The ping increase was minimal (only ~12ms added). This is excellent. You can game on local UK servers without feeling any input lag. The connection was stable with no spikes across the 3 runs.

For Content Creators: The most impressive stat here is the upload speed. We saw zero loss. In fact, the average upload speed (52.78 Mbps) was slightly higher than the baseline due to variance. This makes iTop perfect for uploading large video files to YouTube or streaming to Twitch securely.

The "Speed Cap" Observation: We noticed a hard ceiling around 370 Mbps. While this is fast, it represents a 32% drop from our 545 Mbps baseline. If you have a Gigabit connection, iTop might bottleneck you, but for everyone else, it is more than fast enough for heavy daily use.

USA Analysis & Observations

What This Means For You:

For Streamers (Massive Win): The US servers (New York) were actually faster than the local UK servers (377 Mbps vs 370 Mbps). This is rare. It means you can stream US Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max in 4K from Europe without any buffering, just as if you were sitting in Manhattan. The peering routes iTop uses are clearly optimised for media.

For Privacy Advocates: The "Wrong-Side" ping test of ~160ms is the "receipt." It physically proves the traffic went across the Atlantic ocean and back. iTop is using genuine bare-metal servers in the USA, not virtual locations.

For Gamers: Even though the speed is high, the ping (93ms) is dictated by physics. You should avoid playing competitive FPS games (like Call of Duty or Valorant) on US servers from the UK, as you will be at a disadvantage compared to locals.

Australia Analysis & Observations

What This Means For You:

The Physics of Distance: We saw a 78% drop in download speed. While this looks drastic, it is expected when tunnelling to the other side of the planet. Data physically cannot travel faster than light.

Usability Check: Is 118 Mbps usable? Absolutely. It is 4x the speed required for 4K streaming. You can easily watch Australian TV (like 9Now or ABC iview) from the UK or US without stuttering.

Integrity Check: The "Wrong-Side" ping of 541ms confirms this is a real server in Melbourne. If iTop were faking it, the ping would have been much lower. This proves they have a global infrastructure.