Technology
"Which protocol should I pick?" This is the most perplexing question in Kuaiya's settings. Smart, IKEv2 and WireGuard sit there with professional names — does a wrong choice hurt speed? This article uses real test data to explain the speed, stability and use cases of each, so you can decide.
The test environment was a 500Mbps wired connection, same node, 20 runs each in daytime and evening-peak, median taken. iperf3 was used, making results reproducible.
Under ideal conditions, WireGuard's peak throughput is highest at 260 Mbps, Smart about 220 Mbps, IKEv2 about 180 Mbps. The gap comes from implementation efficiency: WireGuard's lean code and ChaCha20 encryption excel on general-purpose CPUs.
| Protocol | Peak Throughput | Avg Latency | CPU Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| WireGuard | 260 Mbps | 32ms | Low |
| Smart | 220 Mbps | 35ms | Medium |
| IKEv2 | 180 Mbps | 40ms | Medium |
Speed is not everything. In frequent mobile-network switching, IKEv2's MOBIKE support yields the lowest drop rate, near-seamless reconnection. WireGuard is stable on fixed networks but occasionally drops on Wi-Fi/cellular switches. Smart is Kuaiya's dynamic protocol, auto-switching among them.
| Protocol | Mobile Drop Rate | Reconnect | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| WireGuard | 3.2% | 0.8s | Fixed, fast download |
| Smart | 1.8% | 0.5s | Balanced |
| IKEv2 | 0.9% | 0.4s | Mobile |
Gaming streamer "Lao K" demands extreme latency and stability for overseas games. Testing showed WireGuard had the lowest latency on his home wired network, while IKEv2 resisted drops better on 4G hotspots. His final setup: WireGuard on fixed, IKEv2 on mobile, Smart for everyday.
"No protocol is universal; it depends on the scenario," he concluded. His experience matches Kuaiya's official advice: use Smart when unsure and let the system decide.
Protocols have no absolute superiority, only scenario fit. Kuaiya hands all three to users while Smart lowers the choice barrier. Download via the free VPN download entry and run your own protocol comparison in settings.
Switched to WireGuard after reading this, download speed really jumped.
Smart for daily use, WireGuard for gaming — great experience.
IKEv2 on mobile really stopped the drops on trips.
