So I recently moved to PA from TX. I am currently still working for my employer out of Dallas, Texas. My work uses a VPN client called CATO. The App currently connects me to the “fastest” connection to a CATO VPN. Currently, that is NY. The problem I have is the Cato App chooses for me where to connect. I can not pick which tunnel I am connecting to.
I see in the options of the CATO app to manually connect to a PoP by typing in the server name, but its locked and needs IT approval. I asked IT for the Dallas server name, but they are refusing to give it to me. They keep on claiming if my connection to the NY tunnel is “fast” (currently 15 ms of ping) that its the fastest I will get. The IT guy is being kind of a dick and said to me that I should look for a new job if I am getting frustrated with my computer lagging when opening files from the server.
To me, it makes NO SENSE for my computer in PA to connect to the NY tunnel so CATO can connect to the Dallas tunnel so I can connect to my company’s server back in Texas. To me, it makes WAY MORE sense to just connect directly to the same tunnel my company’s server is connected to minimize lag to my company’s server.
Is this thought process just flat out wrong of me and I should just find other ways to minimize lag? I think my internet speeds are just fine (300down 40 up).
If it is correct that it will help by connecting directly to the Dallas tunnel I want to skip my IT rep and just go to the head of IT, but want validation before I do.
Honestly, doesn’t seem worth it to me. Even if you were right on your assumptions, as an employee, I’d be more concerned with following the policy of the company. The company doesn’t offer you the ability to choose your tunnel.
I guess you could install another VPN client on your computer to connect to a Dallas server first, through which CATO App would likely, but not guaranteed, connect to “your” tunnel secondly. But you would have a few problems 1) all traffic is double encrypted; workaround VPN then corporate VPN, slowing things down, and 2) workaround VPN may use the pathway through NY since it is indeed the fastest and 3) explaining to your boss, or IT, or both, why you’re spending so much time and energy on a problem of milliseconds, which doesn’t seem to be the reason you were hired there in the first place. My company doesn’t allow employees to install non-authorized software on work computers, for very good reasons, so that could be a fourth red flag.
There’s going to be extra network hops just by virtue of you living further from Dallas than you did before, but those extra hops apply to both the CATO network and any hare-brained solution you think up. And CATO is probably better equipped to solving that problem than you. If you do end up “beating the system” then the IT guy may be right, in that you’re working in the wrong job
Sorry, to dig this up from three years ago. Best bet is to connect to the local POP. Cato POPs are connected to each other directly and do not traverse the “normal” internet. Anyway, hope that helps.
The thing is it’s not against policy his response is “no because I just know it’s not going to be faster”
I know we have a list he is just not letting me try because “he knows better” I’m also very annoyed he won’t even let me try. It’s easy as him opening an excel file copying and pasting a few cells into an email and letting me try
Ok great but my question is about the server location. Also my ping to the NY server doesn’t really matter. The server I am downloading and uploading files to is located in Dallas. But Cato if forcing me to connect to NY.
So my original question will it help to connect to Dallas directly
Even if you were to coerce the IT guy into letting you do it, you are still going to have lag. There is no “direct route” to Dallas. Your uploads and downloads are going to go through many, many hops to get back and forth. It’s not like you’re suddenly going to see a gigantic speed increase by connecting to the Dallas server. All Internet traffic goes through multiple servers to get back and forth–servers owned by other corporations along the line.
