ExpressVPN has introduced Lightway Turbo, a new feature designed to significantly enhance VPN speeds by expanding bandwidth without sacrificing performance.
This latest innovation leverages a multi-tunnel system, which creates multiple pathways to VPN servers, allowing faster data transmission. Additionally, ExpressVPN has integrated Data Channel Offload (DCO) into OpenVPN, further improving bandwidth efficiency and overall speed.
A Major Leap in VPN Performance
Pete Membrey, Chief Research Officer at ExpressVPN, emphasized that speed is crucial to a seamless VPN experience.
“Speed is an integral part of the entire VPN experience, and we’re always striving to deliver a fast, seamless, and secure browsing connection. To achieve that, we constantly innovate at ExpressVPN to find the best ways to improve performance while prioritizing security and privacy,” Membrey stated.
With Lightway Turbo enabled by default, users benefit from multiple network tunnels working simultaneously, increasing bandwidth and significantly boosting download and upload speeds. Internal tests indicate performance improvements of up to 330%.
How Lightway Turbo Works
Lightway Turbo has been optimized using Rust, a modern programming language known for its security and efficiency. This enhancement allows ExpressVPN to maintain low latency while increasing bandwidth, resulting in faster and more reliable connections.
“With Lightway Turbo, we’ve engineered a solution that increases bandwidth without compromising on latency,” Membrey added. “Users have been asking for lightning-fast speeds that maintain real-time performance, and this update delivers exactly that.”
OpenVPN Gets a Major Speed Boost
In addition to Lightway Turbo, ExpressVPN has improved its OpenVPN protocol by integrating Data Channel Offload (DCO). This new method allows OpenVPN to process multiple data streams at once, leading to major performance improvements.
Himmat Bains, Head of Desktop Apps at ExpressVPN, highlighted the significance of this update.
“A portion of our users continue to rely on OpenVPN, and we’re fully committed to enhancing their experience—no matter which protocol they prefer,” Bains said. “With DCO implemented on OpenVPN, internal tests have recorded up to a 2000% increase in performance on UDP traffic. This is a complete transformation of what OpenVPN can deliver, and we’re excited to roll this out to our users on Windows—for a better, faster-performing VPN experience.”
What This Means for ExpressVPN Users
With the introduction of Lightway Turbo and OpenVPN DCO, ExpressVPN is delivering significant speed improvements to all users, regardless of their preferred protocol. These advancements ensure faster browsing, smoother streaming, and more efficient online security, reinforcing ExpressVPN’s position as a leader in the VPN industry.
