ExpressVPN Win10/Mac Test in China-20200817

According to ExpressVPN’s latest official announcement, the number of servers it officially recommends for use in China has increased from 2 to 5. Some readers wanted me to test ExpressVPN’s Bate version on the latest Lightway protocol, but since this is the first time I’ve tested it since the official server update, I’m definitely going to go with the official version, and I’ll take a separate sample of the Bate version. A time to test it for your information.

Local Device and Network: Windows10/200M/WiFi.
Speedtest Ping: 15ms; Download: 232.58Mbps; Upload: 37.71Mbps;

ExpressVPN – Win10 Connection Test:

Starting Time: Aug 17, 2020, 2:09 PM

The following are the officially recommended servers for testing, protocols used: Auto

Japan – Yokohama: First success. (Time efficiency: 55s)
YouTube Connection Speed: <100Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 97ms. Download: 9.1Mbps. Upload: 2.98Mbps.
FastS: 12Mbps.
⚠️: I’m wondering why the YouTube connection is so slow when SpeedTest’s speed tests are still good. All of them I tested with Netflix’s speed test tool, Fast, and they show good speeds. I’ll post all of their test results for your reference. For the server tests after that, I’m still focusing on YouTube + SpeedTest.

Singapore – Marina Bay: Failed. (Try once)
Hong Kong – 4: First success. (Time efficiency: 2m25s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 3800Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 232ms. Download: 10.33Mbps. Upload: 1.4Mbps.

USA – Los Angeles – 5: Failed. (Try once)
UK – Wembley: Failed. (Try once)

The following is the unofficial recommended method for testing, server selection: Random; the protocol used: IKEv2.

USA – Santa Monica: First success. (Time efficiency: 41s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 100Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 163ms. Download: 0.71Mbps. Upload: 11.24Mbps.

USA – New York: First success. (Time efficiency: 13s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 20000Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 240ms. Download: 35.36Mbps. Upload: 8.48Mbps.

USA – San Francisco: First success. (Time efficiency: 10s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 6300+Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 259ms. Download: 11.17Mbps. Upload: 9.17Mbps.

USA – Chicago: First success. (Time efficiency: 23s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 360Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 203ms. Download: 2.41Mbps. Upload: 5.52Mbps.

USA – Washington DC: First success. (Time efficiency: 21s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 6100Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 306ms. Download: 1.31Mbps. Upload: 4.61Mbps.

USA – Dallas: First success. (Time efficiency: 12s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 6500+Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 212ms. Download: 4.66Mbps. Upload: 5.75Mbps.

Canada – Toronto: First success. (Time efficiency: 10s)
YouTube Connection Speed: 6100Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 232ms. Download: 3.71Mbps. Upload: 12.55Mbps.

Mexico: Failed. (Try once)
Panama: Failed. (Try once)49.50
UK – East London: First success. (Time efficiency: 15s)
YouTube Connection Speed: <200Kbps.
Speedtest Ping: 209ms. Download: 0.99Mbps. Upload: 6.04Mbps.

Conclusion: I tested the latest 5 recommended servers in Windows 10, but their connection success rate and speed are not satisfactory. I also ran random tests using the IKEv2 protocol, mainly in the US, and it didn’t change much compared to before.

ExpressVPN Windows10 Version: 7.12.0(12);    
Protocol: Auto/IKEv2
Today’s Test Score: ★ ★ ★ ★

ExpressVPN – Mac Connection Test:

Starting Time: Aug 17, 2020, 4:03 PM

The following are the officially recommended servers for testing, protocols used: Auto

Japan – Yokohama: Failed. (Try once)
Singapore – Marina Bay: Failed. (Try once)
Hong Kong – 4: Failed. (Try once)
USA – Los Angeles – 5: Failed. (Try once)
UK – Wembley: Failed. (Try once)

The following is the unofficial recommended method for testing, server selection: Random; the protocol used: IKEv2.

USA – Santa Monica: First success. (Time efficiency: 2m30s)
Speedtest Ping: 158ms. Download: 2.15Mbps. Upload: 11.4Mbps.

USA – New York: First success. (Time efficiency: 10s)
Speedtest Ping: 221ms. Download: 5.75Mbps. Upload: 25.7Mbps.

USA – San Francisco: First success. (Time efficiency: 15s)
Speedtest Ping: 259ms. Download: 19.7Mbps. Upload: 35.1Mbps.

USA – Chicago: First success. (Time efficiency: 13s)
Speedtest Ping: 259ms. Download: 19.7Mbps. Upload: 35.1Mbps.

Summary: I tested ExpressVPN on my Macbook, and all of the recommended servers and methods failed, but when IKEv2 is used, it works fine.

ExpressVPN Macbook Version: 7.9.7 (8);
Protocol: Auto/IKEv2
Today’s Test Score: ★ ★ ★