Those who use VPN all day long on smartphones/tablets....question....

[Holbs]

I use the free Radius VPN server that comes with my Ubiquiti UDM router. It works 100% for my needs to log onto my home network's UI3 during a Blue Iris MMS text/.jpg alert while out grocery shopping or after driving somewhere. The setup I have running: Blue Iris will send a MMS with .jpg picture of alert when 2 specific outdoor cameras are triggered via IVS & Dahua human AI detection. I then fire up my VPN connection on my Pixel 4 Google Fi smartphone, and connect to my home network's UI3 to see what's up. Not exactly super fast of a response but it works. After seeing what triggered the alerts (kids on bike or FedEx man), I log off my VPN and back to normal cellular network use. For some reason, I am very spooked at leaving my VPN connected when in my work environment 8 hours a day of driving around doing service calls (no free wifi environments so all cellular networks). I pay Google Fi a small amount for limited download (4GB, I believer) as I am not a power user and I have a day job to concentrate on.
I was thinking about the delay/response time of firing up the VPN, Chrome, and then UI3. Maybe, I should get the Blue Iris mobile app for Android to do faster alerts and quick visual identification and leave VPN on when at work for 8 hours? I have no idea what kind of data is used up. Not to mention, how leaving VPN running all the time affects other network programs (gmail, chrome browsing, etc).
Those who use VPN all the time, are you in a wifi environment where you are not using cellular network? If not, how much data flows back and forth?

 

[StarAPI]

I run Wireguard 100% of the time, everywhere but my home WIFI. Hard to say how much "extra" bandwidth it uses as it will get everything logged to it. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the following site, but it claims a 4-5% increase in usage when using Wireguard.

Does a VPN Use Data? VPNs & Mobile Data Explained (top10vpn.com)

Comparatively, others use much more. Not a VPN guru, but have been very happy with the Wireguard solution I am using, it runs on a Pi Zero W, I think I paid around $10 for it.

 

[JNDATHP]

@Holbs - we have iPhones and use an always on VPN with our UniFi radius server. My wife, who hardly uses any data by browsing, etc. uses about a hundred megabytes a month.

 

[Holbs]

@Holbs - we have iPhones and use an always on VPN with our UniFi radius server. My wife, who hardly uses any data by browsing, etc. uses about a hundred megabytes a month.

I guess I can give it a trial run and keep eye on bandwidth usage for 24 hours or a full week. Never ran all day with the radius server. Hope it stays connected Gives me a reason to purchase another Blue Iris thing...the not so great sounding Android app!

 

[Holbs]

@Holbs - we have iPhones and use an always on VPN with our UniFi radius server. My wife, who hardly uses any data by browsing, etc. uses about a hundred megabytes a month.

For my Pixel 4 smartphone, to use "always-on" VPN, it says I must set up a DNS server. Else, the VPN on the smartphone times out after 5-10 minutes. Did you setup a DNS? Or you using something other than the default VPN program that comes pre-installed on a smartphone?

 

[wittaj]

@Holbs - does your phone carrier allow you to receive the 10second gifs or MP4 via MMS or push notifications - that might be enough to get a handle on if you need to VPN or not?

 

[Holbs]

@Holbs - does your phone carrier allow you to receive the 10second gifs via MMS or push notifications - that might be enough to get a handle on if you need to VPN or not?

hmm...how would one find out? aha! I'll PM you

 

[sebastiantombs]

I use OpenVPN on an Asus router and an Android phone. I don't keep it open all day but it is open for a few hours, say four to six hours, at a time a few times a month. I don't see any large spikes in data use from using it, and it stays connected even if the phone switches from GSM to Wifi when it sees a Wifi connection I use. Seems very seamless for me anyway.

 

[JNDATHP]

For my Pixel 4 smartphone, to use "always-on" VPN, it says I must set up a DNS server. Else, the VPN on the smartphone times out after 5-10 minutes. Did you setup a DNS? Or you using something other than the default VPN program that comes pre-installed on a smartphone?

I wanted something easy so my wife wouldn’t get frustrated so that is why I went with the Always On. The program is for iPhones and actually allows for Always, Manual and WiFi. I got the program for the Ubiquity forum.

I registered a domain name and use Dynu to update the WAN IP.

 

[Holbs]

I wanted something easy so my wife wouldn’t get frustrated so that is why I went with the Always On. The program is for iPhones and actually allows for Always, Manual and WiFi. I got the program for the Ubiquity forum.

I registered a domain name and use Dynu to update the WAN IP.

registered a domain name. sounds simple. I'll have to look into it. $7 a year type of thing? I just wonder what I can do with Ubuntu on this i7 NUC I have laying around.