NordVPN is one of the most prestigious VPNs with some of the best technological advancements in the industry. A few years ago, the company decided to up its game and introduce an in-house protocol called NordLynx. What is NordLynx?
It is a proprietary VPN protocol developed by NordVPN to increase your privacy and security while significantly boosting performance. The protocol is based on WireGuard, which is a lightweight protocol compared to OpenVPN or even IKEv2.
People are interested in finding out what is NordLynx, how it works, and whether or not it’s better than traditional options like IKEv2, OpenVPN, PPTP, IPSec, and other protocols. Today, we’ll answer all of these questions to give you precise information about this revolutionary addition to NordVPN’s features.
What Is NordLynx?
In my review of NordVPN, I talked about everything you should know about this provider, including its selection of protocols. There, I mentioned NordLynx as one of the best protocols around, along with Lightway, which was developed by ExpressVPN.
Essentially, NordLynx is a protocol that aims to tick all the boxes. OpenVPN, the most popular protocol, focuses mainly on security and stability, while its performance isn’t the best. IKEv2 tends to be a bit faster but it’s also focused on security as a great OpenVPN alternative.
Then, we have the WireGuard protocol which is the newest of the bunch. WireGuard is the backbone of NordLynx and this protocol is famous for its lightweight nature. WireGuard is an open-source protocol with fewer lines of code compared to OpenVPN.
This makes it much easier to maintain and even improve. Moreover, WireGuard is WAY faster than OpenVPN and brings significantly shorter connection times, providing its users with instant connections rather than OpenVPN, which takes 5-6 seconds to connect to the server – sometimes more.
To explain what is NordLynx, we need to explain what is WireGuard and we already did that. NordVPN took WireGuard which, in the beginning, had some issues with anonymity due to the way it worked. The provider used this protocol to ensure blazing-fast speeds and instant connection times.
Then, it combined WireGuard with bank-grade security, strong encryption, and other security improvements to craft a solution that’s going to be both FAST and SECURE which no other protocol can achieve, except for Lightway.
How Does NordLynx Work?
NordVPN is surely one of the safest VPNs around and the way NordLynx works surely proves that. As said, it’s based on WireGuard which usually has around 4,000 lines of code, whereas, OpenVPN is very complex and requires at least 15 times more!
As a result, WireGuard not only improves the overall performance but also saves your battery if you’re using it on a phone, tablet, or laptop since it requires less power to run. A minute ago, when explaining what is NordLynx, I mentioned that WireGuard has an issue with anonymity.
Basically, this protocol works by giving you a static IP address, which means you get the same IP each time you connect. However, to achieve this, your original IP address must be stored on the server. If that server is compromised, your original IP address can be stolen and your privacy jeopardized.
To fix this issue, NordVPN used WireGuard and modified its code to introduce a new system called Double NAT, which stands for Double Network Address Translation. The system works by authenticating users using an external database.
As such, your original IP address isn’t shared with the VPN server, which is further improved by the fact that users get a random IP address in addition to a static IP each time they connect. It’s easy to realize that the Double NAT system does a phenomenal job of preserving your privacy.
This external database that NordVPN uses is subject to the zero-logs policy, which is verified two times by PricewaterhouseCoopers, so it’s guaranteed that the provider will store NO identifiable information on its servers.
And that’s how NordLynx works. Essentially, it’s the WireGuard protocol with a Double NAT system, which improves upon the security aspect by avoiding storing your original IP directly.
This is why it’s so great at achieving neck-breaking speeds, rock-solid security, and uncompromising privacy simultaneously.
How to Use NordLynx
If you’re wondering how to use the NordLynx protocol, it’s pretty simple. However, you should keep in mind that this protocol is available only in NordVPN, so you can’t use it with any other provider. If you don’t have NordVPN, I suggest using the button below to get it.
By clicking on the red button above, you can claim NordVPN’s cheapest deal and save money on its 2-year plan. Beware that the provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for ALL plans, so if you’re dissatisfied or you don’t need it anymore, you can be reimbursed in the first 30 days.
The protocol is available on every platform, but if you know how to use NordLynx on one platform, you’ll know how to use it on any other, as the process is exactly the same. I’m using this VPN on Windows, so I’ll show you how to use it on this system – once again, the process is identical for all platforms.
- Download and install NordVPN on your computer after you’ve subscribed to it.
- Open the app and sign in with the credentials you provided during the subscription process.
- Click on Settings, which is represented by a small Gear icon in the bottom-left part of the screen.
- In Settings, click on “Connection.”
- In the “VPN Protocol” section, which is the first one, click on “Auto (Recommended)” and select NordLynx from the drop-down menu.
- Connect to the server of your choice. NordVPN will now use NordLynx for all your connections.
© 01net.com - Warning: If you want to use NordVPN’s obfuscated servers, you must set the protocol either to Automatic or use OpenVPN TCP. We recommend keeping the protocol to Auto (Recommended) but if you want to use NordLynx strictly, this is the way to do it. Although, in 99% of the cases, NordVPN will use NordLynx even if the protocol is set to Automatic.
NordLynx vs OpenVPN Speed Test
To see how NordLynx compares against OpenVPN in terms of speeds, I decided to do a small speed test. NordVPN offers both protocols but it doesn’t offer IKEv2 on Windows, so my comparison is limited to these two protocols.
The first thing you’ll notice when switching from one to the other is just how fast NordLynx is in terms of connections. OpenVPN takes about 3-6 seconds to connect to the server, while its competitor connects to the server instantly.
In terms of performance, there is a difference but it’s not as big as you’d expect it to be because this VPN is very fast no matter which protocol you use. Still, just for experimental purposes, I’ve provided you with the speed test results using both protocols.
NordLynx/OpenVPN UK Server:
NordLynx/OpenVPN US Server:
NordLynxOpenVPN Australian Server:
According to the speed test results, NordLynx is indeed faster than OpenVPN and I used OpenVPN UDP to ensure I got the best speeds.
As expected, NordLynx and its WireGuard base do an extremely good job of providing fast speeds and instant connection times, more so than OpenVPN.
Bottom Line
Thanks to our in-depth explanation, you now know what is NordLynx and how it works. The proprietary protocol developed by NordVPN surely represents a big leap in performance, security, and privacy, and along with Lightway, it’s one of the biggest achievements in the VPN industry.
For those wondering if NordLynx has any downsides, our team hasn’t been able to find any. Sure, some people will say it’s a new protocol, but it’s actually not. NordLynx was introduced in 2020, so at the time of writing this article, it’s already a few years old.
So far, NordLynx has shown no concerns regarding privacy and security, let alone speeds and performance. As such, we’re talking about a highly capable VPN protocol with amazing results on both desktop and mobile devices that you can enjoy by using NordVPN.
FAQ
To make sure you’re fully informed about what is NordLynx Protocol and the way it works, let’s answer a few more questions.
NordLynx no internet access, what should I do?
If you have no internet access while using this protocol, consider switching to OpenVPN or setting the protocol to Automatic. Sometimes, you’ll see your WiFi icon showing no internet access while using NordLynx but that isn’t necessarily the case.
This error is shown because you aren’t connected to the internet. Strangely, this issue is fixed by opening your browser and going online as you’d normally do, in which case, everything will work normally. If you have a “real” issue and the NordLynx tunnel won’t work, that’s something else.
You can switch to another protocol, update your NordVPN app, or try to change the server you’re using. The issue might not lie directly in NordLynx but rather another factor that prevents the VPN from connecting properly.
The server you’re using might be under maintenance or your internet connection might have a particular issue. In any case, NordVPN’s 24/7 live chat support is always available, so feel free to contact it if you have an issue you can’t resolve.
How to disable NordLynx?
First of all, we see no reason to disable NordLynx since it’s a great protocol. But if you want to avoid it and stick to OpenVPN, you just have to select OpenVPN UDP or OpenVPN TCP as your main protocol in the Settings menu.
Open Settings, select Connection, and find “VPN Protocol.” From the drop-down menu, select another protocol you want to use and NordLynx won’t be used. On Windows and macOS, you can use OpenVPN instead, while iOS/Android systems offer IKEv2 as one of the best protocols for mobile devices.
Is NordLynx free?
Well, it’s technically not free. However, it came as a free upgrade for NordVPN users, so those who already subscribed didn’t have to pay anything on top of their subscription. Still, it can’t be used for free and you need to get NordVPN first.
The good news is that you can use NordVPN for free for 30 days thanks to a 30-day refund policy. So if you want to test it out, you can do so without losing a single dollar as long as you get a refund.
Is NordLynx available in other VPNs?
At the moment, no. It’s highly unlikely it’ll become available, as this is a proprietary work of NordVPN, hence the word “Nord” in the protocol’s name. Think of it as WireGuard but vastly improved to the vanilla formula, which the company is proud of.
We don’t think it’ll sell its patent to any other service. WireGuard is open-source and everyone can alter and tweak it to its liking. Therefore, the NordLynx version of WireGuard can only be found in this VPN.
