How can I test the performance of the VPN to my remote shack?

m5kvk

I use Zerotier to connect my home Lan to that in the remote shack. As such it's completely private and I can't use speedtest to test it.

Any ideas on how I can?

Mike-VA3MW

You want to look for iPerf and run it on both ends in a client server type of setup. Make sure you run multiple threads. This is one of most favourite network tools.

And, for fun, try it on WiFi.

Be careful, you might not like the answer.

https://youtu.be/Fb4LeAuXd7k?si=mTORJF8vhpCojdxt

m5kvk

****. I used to use iPerf to debug network links. Must make a note this time.

Mike-VA3MW

let us know how it goes.

m5kvk

I use Home Assistant to manage the remote shack, so I installed the iperf3 integration and set up an iperf3 container on a docker server here at home. I was already using speedtest on the internet connection.

Here are the results after a few days:

Oddly, the VPN seems to have more bandwidth, however this doesn't make sense. I suspect that it is an artifact of using different tools to test each link.

Mike-VA3MW

it might actually indicate that you are being throttled on the non-VPN data movement.

Keep digging.

m5kvk

Good point, and you’re right.

I was forgetting that - because I am behind a CGNAT firewall - access to the Internet from the remote shack is via another ZeroTier VPN tunnel to a virtual server in the cloud. Otherwise, Flexlink doesn’t work.

I’ll turn off the latter VPN tunnel for a couple of days to remove that.

Mike-VA3MW

Would you mind writing up your ZeroTier setup at some point? Or, if it was someone else, can you post a link? I would be interested in reading that.

m5kvk

Will do.

I thought it was already there on https://garethhowell.com/wp/using-smartlink-to-access-my-remote-shack/ but it doesn't go into detail on the ZeroTier configuration.