ExpressVPN unveils new home-grown ‘Lightway’ protocol

The new protocol is supposed to connect to networks faster, provide faster speeds, remain connected for longer and reconnect if you ever drop offline. It will also be open sourced, the company says.

The VPN service provider claims that Lightway connects to their network far more quickly than existing protocols, with “nine out of ten users” agreeing. (ExpressVPN)

Popular virtual private network (VPN) service ExpressVPN on Monday announced that they were launching ‘Lightway', a new, ‘next-generation' VPN protocol to enable faster, more secure and reliable connections for their customers.

ExpressVPN, which has supported traditional VPN protocols like Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for years now, has now announced yet another protocol, which it says it has built in-house, while using well regarded and audited cryptographic technology.

The VPN service provider claims that Lightway connects to their network far more quickly than existing protocols, with “nine out of ten users” agreeing. It also boats lower processor load and power consumption, better network reliability, plus automatic reconnection if your network drops unexpectedly, or if you switch from Wi-Fi to 4G when leaving your house. It also claims to use safe and audited protocols including the wolfSSL library, which has been around since 2006.

According to ExpressVPN, the Lightway protocol is extremely lightweight, and contains around a thousand lines of code, making it easy for experts to audit the software. ExpressVPN says it plans to release the source code of the protocol, or the ‘recipe' that goes into making the software. Getting the approval of experts around the world, including those in the field of cryptography and security would help bolster the company's claim of reliability and security.

Is this an apt representation of the Lightway protocol? Only time will tell.  (xkcd.com)

Is this an apt representation of the Lightway protocol? Only time will tell.  (xkcd.com)

As with all new protocols and standards that are released, recalling xkcd's timeless comic ‘Standards' is unavoidable. It remains to be seen whether the company's new protocol will be successful, but if you want to try it out, you can update your app on Android, Windows, Mac, or Linux or even on your router, and give it a spin right away.