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Which Connection Method to Choose
Updated
One RoyalShield account offers six connection methods: private network (Tailscale), Cisco (AnyConnect), OpenVPN, web proxy, sing-box and router. None is best on every network — the one that resists packet loss best runs on UDP and becomes the worst on a campus network that throttles UDP; the most stable one covers only the browser; the most convenient one needs a premium account. This guide puts all six in one table with strengths, costs and best use, then recommends by carrier and by device. One rule to remember: switch any time on the same account — if one fails, try another.
The six methods in one table
- Private network (Tailscale): log in once and stay online, switch region from the menu, devices on one account reach each other (a home NAS). Cost: runs on UDP, so it falls back to relays on UDP-throttled campus networks, and it fights another VPN over DNS. Best for many devices and set-once-and-forget.
- Cisco AnyConnect: TLS, indistinguishable from an HTTPS visit, best compatibility and steadiest on restricted networks; official or built-in client, no configuration import. Cost: all traffic takes the route, so inside China you run the split-routing script separately. Best for work laptops, iPhones, old devices and UDP-restricted networks.
- OpenVPN: one .ovpn file, import and connect; nearly every OS, router firmware and NAS has a client, and it can start at boot. Cost: UDP; on phones and laptops it is less convenient than the two above. Best for OpenWrt routers, Synology/QNAP NAS and Linux servers.
- Web proxy: only the browser takes the route, request by request with no long-lived connection, so it never drops; no client, no admin rights. Cost: browser only — video apps, games and system DNS bypass it. Best for work laptops, machines already on a corporate VPN, and unstable broadband.
- sing-box: the hysteria2 protocol resists packet loss and is fastest on lossy networks; QR-code import, one app (Hiddify) on all five platforms, split routing built in. Cost: UDP, so it fails on UDP-restricted networks, and Windows antivirus often flags it, needing an exclusion. Best for speed and lossy broadband.
- Router: the whole LAN takes the route; TVs, boxes, consoles and grandparents’ phones install nothing; the firmware has split routing and auto-updates. Cost: a flashable router or a pre-installed unit, and router access needs a premium account. Best for households, offices and devices that cannot run a client.
Pick the region by your carrier
The same method can differ several-fold in speed between regions because of your carrier’s exit to that region, not the server. Northern China Unicom: try Japan and Korea first; southern China Telecom: Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia) or Australia; other carriers (Mobile, Great Wall): the China entry — the client connects only to a domestic address and the domestic entry relays overseas, avoiding cross-border interference.
The red/yellow/green light on the region list shows each region’s live load; among several Japan servers, take the green one. Everyone is slow at the 8–11 pm national peak, and changing region then helps more than reconnecting.
Pick by scenario
- One phone, travelling: Cisco or sing-box — scan a code or enter an address and go.
- A company laptop with no admin rights: the web proxy; also the web proxy if you can install clients but a corporate VPN is already running.
- Dormitory or office network that throttles UDP: Cisco. sing-box, Tailscale and OpenVPN all use UDP and will be slow or drop.
- Broadband that keeps dropping, poor Wi‑Fi: the web proxy — there is no connection to drop.
- Speed on lossy broadband (old buildings, mobile data): sing-box.
- Many devices, configure once, a home NAS to reach from outside: the private network.
- Whole household, TVs, boxes, grandparents’ devices, an office: the router (premium account).
- A router that cannot be flashed but a NAS or Linux box at home: put the OpenVPN profile on that device.
- Watching Chinese video from abroad: any method with the China region; the three device-wide methods block IPv6 on the route side, while the web proxy cannot control IPv6 and is unsuitable for video.
Split routing: Chinese sites direct, others through the route
Only users inside mainland China need split routing; users abroad should use full mode, since splitting sends some sites the long way round. sing-box switches to “auto split” in the client, the web proxy in the extension, router firmware splits by default; Cisco and OpenVPN route everything after connecting and need the split-routing script from the Cisco section.
If a site fails in split mode, test in full mode first: if it opens, it is not on the list; if it still fails, the site itself is the problem.
When it fails, switch in this order
- Change region first. If another region connects, that one server is temporarily unreachable.
- Change network. If broadband fails, try mobile data and vice versa; interference differs between carriers.
- Then change method. If the UDP methods (sing-box, private network, OpenVPN) fail, switch to Cisco over TLS; if device-wide methods keep dropping, switch to the web proxy. Blocking of the three protocols is independent.
- Failing that, see the troubleshooting guide or ask in a support group with the method, region, error text and time.
FAQ
Which of the six is fastest?
On lossy networks sing-box (hysteria2); on clean networks the difference is small and the bottleneck is region and time of day, not protocol.
Can I use several at once?
On different devices, yes — one account allows 5 devices online sharing the same allowance. On one device, never run two device-wide methods together (say, private network and Cisco); they fight over DNS and routes.
Why the recommended order private network → Cisco → OpenVPN → proxy → sing-box?
It is ordered by how little you touch after setup: the private network logs in once and stays online, Cisco needs no import, OpenVPN imports one file, the proxy covers only the browser, and sing-box is fastest but needs antivirus exclusions. If you already know what you want, go straight to it.
Router or client — must I choose?
No. Use the router at home and a client on the phone outside; each counts as one device.
Which for Linux?
The private network, OpenVPN and sing-box all have Linux clients; Cisco on Linux uses the open-source OpenConnect; OpenVPN on Linux asks for credentials on the first connection. Servers and NAS are easiest with OpenVPN.
Related pages
- How we differ from other VPNs →
- What the private network (Tailscale) is →
- How to use OpenVPN and when to choose it →
- What a web proxy is and when to use one →
- Tencent Video or iQIYI Blocked Abroad? Fix It in 5 Steps →
- How to Choose a China VPN →
- Does Cisco AnyConnect Work in China? →
- Choosing a VPN Router →
- How to Import a sing-box Subscription →
- China VPN for Students Abroad →
- Free or Paid China VPN? →
- What the Router Firmware Does →
- How to Reach Us and Never Lose Contact →
- How to Recognise a Risky VPN App →
- Which Region Is Fastest from Inside China →
- For the TV and the Grandparents at Home →
- Watching Home Cameras and a NAS in China from Abroad →
- What to Do When iOS Cannot Install an App →
- Cannot Connect, Slow, or Dropping: What to Check →
- Setting Up for Business Trips and Travel →
- On a Company Laptop: No Admin Rights, Corporate VPN Already On →
- Many Devices, One Setup, No Redo on a New Phone →
- Routing a Synology or QNAP NAS →
- Routing a Linux Server and Command-Line Tools →