The proxy connects but everything is slow
Slow is a different problem from broken, and it needs a different order of attack. Work down this list and you will usually find the one link that is holding everything back.
Work through it in order
- Change node: try two or three nodes in different regions from the same subscription. One slow node and all nodes slow are completely different conclusions.
- Do not trust latency alone: the test measures handshake time, not bandwidth. An 80ms node can still cap out at 2Mbps.
- Check the Connections page: confirm the domain is going through the node you think it is. A mis-matched rule sends traffic the long way round — see Custom rules.
- Change how traffic is captured: test the system proxy and TUN mode separately. In some environments the gap is large.
- Rule out your own line: close the client, connect directly and test your raw bandwidth. If that is slow, no node will save you.
Things people overlook
A load-balance group spreads connections across nodes, which can make a single-threaded download slower rather than faster — see Proxy group types. Evening peak congestion is real: the same node can differ several times over between afternoon and midnight. And HTTPS scanning in antivirus software decrypts every connection, so turning it off often produces an immediate jump.