Due to the current method of testing each VPN in turn, all today it’s finally ExpressVPN’s turn to be tested. Today I’d like to run a test of ExpressVPN on a Macbook/MacOS. If there’s time I’ll include a quick test in IOS/iPhone (only the results will be published), and if you’re an Android user you can leave a comment to let me know how you’re using it. Since it’s already the 26th of today and it’s almost October, hopefully the flip-flop restrictions will be looser this October. Well, let’s start testing!
Note: There will be a major firewall upgrade blocking operation at the end of September – beginning of October, so be aware!
Barry’s nag: I’ve been hoping to convey a message to my readers that the firewall will be around for the foreseeable future; with it, using any VPN or other tool in China is a dynamic process and there’s no one-and-done solution. That’s why I keep updating the [Daily Test] section. The purpose of the test is to tell you the real usage of the changed VPN at the moment, whether it is available or not, and I will tell you so. In order to speed up the testing, I will be running only SpeedTest tests on it as it is only a reference for the speed test.
Local Device and Network: Macbook/200M带/WiFi;
Speedtest Ping: 11ms; Download: 230Mbps; Upload: 16.7Mbps;
ExpressVPN Last 6 test reports: [See More]
Checking out multiple test reports can help you understand more effectively how this VPN works in the long run.
- ExpressVPN Mac/IOS Test in China-20201124 - Today I'm going to test ExpressVPN on Macbook and iPhone devices on telecom networks in mainland China. ExpressVPN has always been one of my favorite …
- ExpressVPN Win10 test in China-20201113 - It's been 8 days since I last tested ExpressVPN, and I've been using this VPN as a bellwether for the wall-flipping situation in mainland China. I've …
- ExpressVPN Win/IOS/Mac test in China-20201105 - Today I will test ExpressVPN’s circumvention in mainland China again. There are 3 devices for main testing and 2 test protocols. The specific test ste…
- ExpressVPN 3 Device Test in China-20201025 - Just now at around 12:00 noon Beijing time on October 25, 2020, ExpressVPN's officially recommended method of connecting to the wall in mainland China…
- ExpressVPN Win10/IOS in China Reviews-20201021 - The previous test of ExpressVPN was conducted on a Macbook, and the results showed that everything worked fine and that I could connect using the offi…
- ExpressVPN Mac lightway Test in China-20201014 - Today I updated the version of ExpressVPN in various versions and found the following screenshot showing the ExpressVPN version number in Macbook: 9.0…
ExpressVPN – MacOS Test in China:
Starting Time: Sep 26, 2020, 1:52 PM
The following servers from official recommend;
Protocol: Auto;
Hong Kong – 4: First success. (Time efficiency: 55s)
Speedtest Ping: 225ms; Download: 7.2Mbps; Upload: 1.71Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 2.4Mbps;
Japan – Yokohama: First success. (Time efficiency: 4s)
Speedtest Ping: 156ms; Download: 5Mbps; Upload: 1.55Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 1.6Mbps;
Singapore – Marina Bay: First success. (Time efficiency: 36s)
Speedtest Ping: 210ms; Download: 4.84Mbps; Upload: 2.28Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 2.7Mbps;
USA – Los Angeles – 5: First success. (Time efficiency: 2分18s)
Speedtest Ping: 163ms; Download: 9.27Mbps; Upload: 3.26Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 2.7Mbps;
Summary: The above test of the officially recommended method: “Auto protocol + 4 servers”, can successfully connect to the wall. The speed is not very fast, but it is not a problem for normal users. It is worth noting that the time efficiency of “USA – Los Angeles – 5” is quite long, taking more than 2 minutes. Next I will test the IKEv2 protocol.
The following server is random;
Protocol: IKEv2;
USA – Santa Monica: Failed. (Try once)
USA – New York: First success. (Time efficiency: 9s)
Speedtest Ping: 252ms; Download: 2.19Mbps; Upload: 2.05Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 400Kbps;
USA – San Francisco: First success. (Time efficiency: 45s)
Speedtest Ping: 259ms; Download: 3.93Mbps; Upload: 2.23Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 400Kbps;
USA – Chicago: First success. (Time efficiency: 10s)
Speedtest Ping: 203ms; Download: 3.8Mbps; Upload: 2.5Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 22Kbps;
USA – Washington DC: First success. (Time efficiency: 11s)
Speedtest Ping: 217ms; Download: 8.35Mbps; Upload: 1.98Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 1.9Mbps;
USA – Dallas: First success. (Time efficiency: 10s)
Speedtest Ping: 211ms; Download: 5.46Mbps; Upload: 2.98Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 1.3Mbps;
USA – Miami: First success. (Time efficiency: 73s)
Speedtest Ping: 226ms; Download: 3.79Mbps; Upload: 2.41Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 42Kbps;
USA – Los Angeles – 3: Failed. (Try once)
USA – New Jersey – 1: First success. (Time efficiency: 12s)
Speedtest Ping: 275ms; Download: 1.74Mbps; Upload: 2.53Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 130Kbps;
USA – Los Angeles – 1: First success. (Time efficiency: 78s)
Speedtest Ping: 154ms; Download: 3.21Mbps; Upload: 3.53Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 4.1Mbps;
USA – Los Angeles: First success. (Time efficiency: 5s)
Speedtest Ping: 214ms; Download: 18.1Mbps; Upload: 2.89Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 1.1Mbps;
Canada – Toronto – 2: First success. (Time efficiency: 2分23s)
Speedtest Ping: 235ms; Download: 10.3Mbps; Upload: 2.37Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 1.3Mbps;
Canada – Toronto: First success. (Time efficiency: 45s)
Speedtest Ping: 217ms; Download: 9.55Mbps; Upload: 2.91Mbps;
Netflix Fast: 60Kbps;
Canada – Vancouver: Failed. (Try once)
Canada – Montreal: Failed. (Try once)
Japan – Tokyo – 2: First success. (Time efficiency: 8s)
Speedtest Ping: 217ms; Download: 9.55Mbps; Upload: 2.91Mbps;
Netflix Fast: Can’t use the tool, But can open google and youtube;
Summary: Today I tested ExpressVPN’s IKEv2 protocol on a Macbook, and although the success rate was quite high, I personally felt that it took a bit longer than the previous tests with Time efficiency, and the speed seemed to be a bit less than before. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the big blockade in October. But on the whole, IKEv2 protocol still works fine in mainland China for connectivity over the wall. I’ll keep watching its actual usage as well.
ExpressVPN MacOS Version: 7.11.4 (4); Protocol: Auto/IKEv2
Today’s Test Score: ★ ★ ★ ★
ExpressVPN – IOS/iPhone Test in China:
Due to time constraints, the following tests on IOS/iPhone are intended to test the server connection success rate, not the speed, so that you can test as many servers as possible. This is done in the hope of understanding its current use of the wall over the various IOS servers.
Device: iPhone/IOS
Starting Time: Sep 26, 2020, 4:03 PM
Network: 200M/4G
The following servers from official recommend; Protocol: Auto
Hong Kong – 4: First success. (Time efficiency: 58s)
Japan – Yokohama: First success. (Time efficiency: 33s)
Singapore – Marina Bay: First success. (Time efficiency: 83s)
USA – Los Angeles – 5: First success. (Time efficiency: 70s)
The following servers is random; Protocol: IKEv2
USA – Santa Monica: Failed. (Try once)
USA – New York: First success. (Time efficiency: 5s)
USA – San Francisco: First success. (Time efficiency: 21s)
USA – Chicago: First success. (Time efficiency: 3s)
USA – Washington DC: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Dallas: First success. (Time efficiency: 12s)
USA – Miami: First success. (Time efficiency: 72s)
USA – Los Angeles – 3: Failed. (Try once)
USA – New Jersey – 1: First success. (Time efficiency: 3s)
USA – Los Angeles – 2: First success. (Time efficiency: 5s)
USA – New Jersey – 3: First success. (Time efficiency: 20s)
USA – Seattle: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Miami – 2: First success. (Time efficiency: 25s)
USA – Denver: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Salt Lake City: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Tampa – 1: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Los Angeles – 1: First success. (Time efficiency: 70s)
USA – New York – 2: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Hollywood: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Dallas – 2: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Los Angeles: First success. (Time efficiency: 6s)
USA – Atlanta: Failed. (Try once)
Canada – Toronto – 2: First success. (Time efficiency: 43s)
Canada – Toronto: First success. (Time efficiency: 29s)
Canada – Vancouver: Failed. (Try once)
Canada – Montreal: Failed. (Try once)
Hong Kong – 2: Failed. (Try once)
Japan – Tokyo – 2: Failed. (Try once)
Japan – Tokyo: Failed. (Try once)
Singapore – Jurong: Failed. (Try once)
Singapore – CBD: Failed. (Try once)
Australia – Sydney: First success. (Time efficiency: 67s)
Australia – Melbourne: Failed. (Try once)
Australia – Perth: Failed. (Try once)
Australia – Brisbane: Failed. (Try once)
Australia – Sydney – 2: Failed. (Try once)
Summary: These are the tests of ExpressVPN in IOS/iPhone. I tested it on servers in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia, all major regions. From these tests, you can get a general idea of how the IKEv2 protocol works in this device. However, it should be noted that due to the constant upgrades and changes in firewalls in China, the number of servers that can be connected will change accordingly. Therefore, the above tests should only be used for immediate reference. In the meantime, the officially recommended method is currently available.
ExpressVPN IOS/iPhone Version: 8.3.5(13231)；Protocol: Auto/IKEv2
Today’s Test Score: ★ ★ ★
