Anyone got any info?
Wireguard app Vs mullvad app
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I am looking for basically the same with Wireguard with Proton VPN config vs Proton VPN app mainly for the battery consumption. Is there any additional privacy setup I should follow? I have scoured internet for this and haven't found working solution (yet).
I like Mullvad a lot. They are very user friendly, easy to pay... Also, from what I have heard from them, they seem to be the most trustworthy of the VPN's to choose from. This guy explains why... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th79uRcexfQ
Not sure what the benefits of using wireguard with mullvad would be, although I see that as an option inside the app the set up somehow. Seems to be just another unnecessary step and could make it more complicated unnecessarily but I'm no expert.
Subliminal yeah so for me, the difficulty I find is it's hard to research because the moment you type in "wireguard" everything comes up explaining the wireguard protocol.....but what I'm trying to find out is by using the wireguard App....but importing a mullvad configuration, or proton configuration etc....will it still be secure, private, and what are the disadvantages?
One of the main disadvantages I have discovered is the mullvad app automatically regenerates a new wireguard key .... Where as when you use a configuration file set up, you need to manually make a new configuration file, with a new key
But a configuration file imported to the wireguard app allows multi hop feature, which currently isn't available on mullvad android
Wireguard app you need to package a config for each server if I recall correctly.
Mullvad app is dead easy to use and has been fairly reliable. I don't see why you'd trust a VPN with your traffic but not its app.
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blicero I am now using Wireguard app for Proton VPN and benefit from increased speed and it is much lighter on the battery than their app. Setting up tunnel from scratch took some digging around the internet, but I am not complaining. Only thing I am missing is the data usage notification, but I can live without it.
To be honest I trust the mullvad app, but the android version doesn't come with multi hop yet. They said last year they have plans to add the feature to the mullvad app but it hasnt happened yet.
Using the wireguard app allows me to import a configuration file that works with multi hop
Hello, I have used both and I now use the Wireguard app. There are both pros and cons.
Both are available on Playstore and F-droid, that is great. Wireguard app is quite barebones and lightweight but on purpose. To use the Wireguard app you need to generate configs on the Mullvad website and import them manually, but I think there is a QR scanner feature that makes importing configs easy (so no need to transfer files to your phone - just scan a QR code and the config is imported). Personally I generated a couple of Mullvad configs: one Swiss, one Swedish, one Multihop. But with these configs you are stuck on the server that you selected when generating the configuration. Generally if you are using VPN just for privacy, you don't really need all the servers and countries that Mullvad offers, just a few configurations that work for you. Another bonus of the Wireguard app is that you can also import other (non-Mullvad) configs: I have actually managed to set up a Wireguard VPN for my home network and a Wireguard VPN for me and my coworkers. Once you get these up, they are super reliable and Wireguard is a superior protocol to OpenVPN.
What you get with the Mullvad app: an app that is really easy to use but a bit bloated (personally I don't need a fancy UI that shows me where I am connected to on a map of the world). But you can choose countries and servers at will. Tired of Switzerland and suddenly want to pretend you are in Romania? Just click on the map and it "just works". If you were using the official Wireguard app, you'd first have to visit the mullvad website, generate a new romanian config with a specific server, import that into the app, etc. But with the Mullvad app you are stuck using Mullvad, you can't import any 3rd party configurations.
TL, DR:
Both +: Open-source apps, available on Playstore and F-droid, reliable
Mullvad +: Ease of use, instant freedom of choosing every country& server Mullvad offers
Mullvad -: A bit bloated, locked to Mullvad servers
Wireguard +: Lightweight, not locked to Mullvad: can import 3rd party configs
Wireguard -: Not so intuitive, have to generate separate configs on Mullvad.com and import them
Hey, and also, if you are interested in setting up a Wireguard VPN to your home network (a strong recommendation is a static IP from your ISP), I can give you some suggestions if you ask.
csqn Thank You for your very thoughtful, useful response and generous offer!!
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[deleted] Thanks for discussing this, Sarge. Some questions, please. How have you determined that the Wireguard app has increased speed? I'd guess that it is internally more simple than the Proton app, and therefor quicker to start up and to get connected, but once a tunnel is established is there a significant difference in "speed"? err... how significant? I'd guess you might be pitting two different protocols, or possibly the same wireguard protocol and server via two different apps!?
Same question for battery. I'd guess that the Proton app goes through some gyrations at startup time (especially if you select "smart" protocol determination, and look at the eye-candy); but if a wireguard tunnel is specified for each, and no advanced analysis (protocol and routing) is performed, is there still a higher battery useage?
Sigh......to me this begs the question of the value of Proton's "advanced" connection analysis - i.e. does it at start-up and periodically poll connection options (protocol and routing) and change protocol/routing when servers slow down or a better tunnel can be established?
Also a factor would be the duration of your tunnel: occasional tunnel, or "always tunneled". And the amount of data transmitted.
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newbie24689 I have just done some speed testing of ProtonVPN vs Wireguard. When you leave protocol on smart (auto), it is definitely using Wireguard (UDP or TCP). OpenVPN UDP bit slower (about 60%), TCP way slower, Stealth slowest (30 times). So from comparison of the battery usage ProtonVPN vs Wireguard app, I conclude the battery drain must be coming from the fancy UI and inner workings of ProtonVPN (the app).
csqn sooo I got an email from mullvad, this is what they said
__Hi,
The VPN tunnel itself would be exactly the same.
Our app sets strict firewall and routing rules to avoid leaking any
traffic outside of the VPN tunnel.
The native WireGuard app does not do this in the same manor as our app._
Can anyone else shed some light on this? Will you be at more risk using the wireguard App instead of the vpns own app?
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There is no additional risk but the two apps handle this in a different way.
Since the Mullvad app is more complex you get quite a few settings that you can easily toggle in the menu. I'm sure that the default settings correspond to what is described in the e-mail.
But this "strict firewall and routing rules" feature has actually been built in the Android OS since version 7.0 and is called Always-on-VPN:
Android can start a VPN service when the device boots, and keep it running while the device or work profile is on. This feature is called always-on VPN and is available in Android 7.0 or higher. [...] To force all network traffic through an always-on VPN, follow these steps on the device: [...]
So the Wireguard app does not have this feature built-in and configurable separately but expects you to configure it in Android system settings like described here and here. I would consider this to be more in line with the Graphene OS philosophy.
Anyways, if you are using Mullvad VPN services, whatever the app and protocol (official Mullvad app, Wireguard app, you could even be using the older OpenVPN app), you can always test that everything is safe here. As long as everything is green, you are safe and everything is the same no matter which app/protocol you are using. Be aware that the WebRTC part is handled by the browser, not the VPN app.
Judging by your questions, I think you should probably start with the Mullvad app and then explore the Wireguard app only if you find the official app slow or draining the battery too much or that you sometimes require a separate non-Mullvad configuration like I do.
Another bonus of the Mullvad app that I forgot to mention before is that it provides an easy way to check how much time remains on your account and can notify you if your subscription is expiring. I think you can even top-up your account in-app. Basically once you install their app you will theoretically never have to visit their website again as everything can be done in it. With the Wireguard app you will still have to visit their website quite often.