VPN Slowing Down Your Internet?
Here's Why (And How to Fix It)
Key Takeaways
VPNs add noticeable latency by routing all traffic through remote servers
Split tunneling routes only work apps through VPN, everything else goes direct
You can fix this manually with route commands or automatically with SplitTunnel
Why VPNs Slow Everything Down
You're connected to your work VPN and suddenly Netflix buffers, Spotify stutters, and video calls lag. Sound familiar? The culprit is simple: your VPN is routing ALL your internet traffic through a corporate server, often hundreds of miles away.
When you connect to a typical VPN, every single packet—whether it's a work email or a YouTube video—takes a detour through your company's data center. This adds latency (the time it takes data to travel) and often reduces bandwidth (how much data can flow).
Traditional VPN: All traffic goes through the corporate server, even personal browsing
The Real Problem: All-or-Nothing Routing
Most corporate VPNs are configured with 'full tunnel' mode. This means once connected, 100% of your traffic goes through the VPN—even traffic that has nothing to do with work.
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Streaming services (Netflix, YouTube, Spotify) route through corporate servers
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Personal browsing adds load to company infrastructure
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Video calls suffer from the extra hop
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Downloads are throttled by VPN bandwidth limits
IT departments configure full-tunnel VPNs for security reasons—they want to inspect all traffic. But this comes at a significant performance cost for employees.
Solution 1: Manual Route Commands
If you're comfortable with the terminal, you can manually add routes to bypass your VPN for specific destinations. Here's how to route your local network traffic directly:
# Route local network directly (bypasses VPN)
sudo route add -net 192.168.1.0/24 -interface en0
# Route a specific IP directly
sudo route add -host 8.8.8.8 -interface en0These routes are temporary and will be lost when you disconnect from the VPN or restart your Mac. You'd need to run these commands every time you connect.
Solution 2: Use SplitTunnel
SplitTunnel automates this process and makes it persistent. Instead of manually managing routes, you simply select which apps should use the VPN and which should go direct.
Download SplitTunnel from splittunnel.app and install it on your Mac
Add your work apps (Slack, company tools) to the VPN route
Add personal apps (Spotify, browsers) to the direct route
Done! Routes persist across VPN reconnections and reboots
SplitTunnel works alongside your existing VPN client—Cisco AnyConnect, GlobalProtect, OpenVPN, or any other. You don't need to change your VPN setup.
How Much Faster Is Split Tunneling?
The improvement depends on your VPN server location and your internet speed, but users typically see:
Significantly reduced streaming latency
Elimination of video call stuttering
Full bandwidth for downloads (no VPN throttling)
Local network devices (printers, NAS) work again
Frequently Asked Questions
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