Hello everyone.
I have a pretty strange problem and I wonder if I can get some help from you in here.
I have an OP6 that runs on Lineage OS 16.0. I also have an OPO, running on the same ROM. I am mentioning this because it is relevant.
I have used nordVPN with both phones on Lineage 16.0 and it worked absolutely fantastic, until about 2 or maybe 3 weeks ago, when it suddenly became impossible to use VPN.
The symptoms are:
Very long lag when trying to open web pages, with any browser (have tried Firefox focus, duckduckgo and chrome. Once the connection is established though, the loading speed is almost ok. But it can take up to 15-20 seconds for the page to even start loading.
Even longer lags when doing speedtest, with the app. It has even taken 3 minutes trying to connect to the server. Once the connection is made, the speeds are very high, from a 100/10 connection I get like 90/9 while through VPN (98/9,7 without VPN). However, it has even registered speeds as low as 0,6 dl while on VPN.
Often the connection is totally dead with VPN on, I mean I have to disconnect and reconnect to even get a reaction.
So, I pretty much don't have internet when I use nordVPN, because most apps don't even see a connection. Spotify for example doesn't even bother waiting longer than the lag (I guess), after a few seconds it gives up and the "no internet connection" text shows up down there.
I contacted nordVPN support. I spent about 3 hours on their chat, trying all the troubleshooting tricks with them, which I already had tried anyway, because there is a very comprehensive troubleshooting guide on their site. It didn't help.
Then their advanced technical support contacted me with instructions to use obfuscated servers (didn't solve the problem). I was then encouraged to try and connect to their servers through strongSwan, another vpn client, in order to see if the problem was with their app. The problem persisted though, even with strongSwan, which led both them and me to the conclusion that the problem is on my side.
Now, the reason why I suspect Lineage is that the problem began on both phones at the same time, and it was after an update. I'd like to mention that I have tried both on my WiFi and on my mobile data, which I guess proves that the problem isn't with my connection either.
So, I was wondering, can it be something that went wrong with an update? Something that can be fixed at a future update?
My last resort now is to try a different ROM, which I am not very happy about, because I am very satisfied with Lineage.
Thank you very much in advance for your time.
Best regards,
Nasos