DEV Community

MAHER X
MAHER X

Posted on

Uqda Network vs Regular Internet: A Real-World Comparison 📊

#networking #privacy #cybersecurity #opensource

Uqda Network vs Regular Internet: A Real-World Comparison 📊

Ever wondered what the actual difference is between Uqda Network and regular internet? Let's compare them side-by-side using real network traces.

We often talk about the benefits of encrypted mesh networks, but seeing is believing. Let's look at what actually happens when you connect through regular internet versus Uqda Network.

The Test: Traceroute Comparison

Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that shows the path your data takes from your device to its destination. It reveals every router and network your data passes through.

Let's compare multiple connections to see the real difference:

  1. Test 1: Regular Internet to Home Server - Connecting to a home server using traditional IPv4
  2. Test 2: Regular Internet to Google - Connecting to a public service
  3. Test 3: Uqda Network - Connecting through Uqda's encrypted mesh

Test 1: Regular Internet to Home Server

The Path: 

Tracing route to 45.90.99.105
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.0.1
  2     1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.31.1
  3    28 ms    19 ms    28 ms  10.15.76.190
  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  5     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  6     *       29 ms    31 ms  217-25-123-170.static.upcbusiness.at [217.25.123.170]
  7    27 ms    27 ms    26 ms  217-25-123-78.static.upcbusiness.at [217.25.123.78]
  8    30 ms    33 ms    25 ms  217-25-123-47.static.upcbusiness.at [217.25.123.47]
  9     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 10    39 ms    56 ms    42 ms  sk-bts04a-rd1-ae-3-0.aorta.net [213.46.160.90]
 11    46 ms    46 ms    47 ms  sk-bts06a-rd1-ae-7-0.aorta.net [84.116.137.186]
 12    62 ms    46 ms    46 ms  de-fra11b-rc1-ae-3-0.aorta.net [213.46.160.85]
 13    49 ms    49 ms    48 ms  de-fra11b-rb1-ae-0-0.aorta.net [84.116.137.81]
 14    62 ms    62 ms    59 ms  liberty-ic.ae11.rt-qfx10k-fkt.de.eu.smartnet.network [93.90.74.31]
 15     *       47 ms    52 ms  cr2.eq.fra.datalix.de [38.97.56.3]
 16    84 ms    64 ms    61 ms  45.90.99.105

Trace complete.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

What This Shows:

16 Hops Total:

  • Your data passes through 16 different routers
  • Each router can potentially see your traffic
  • Multiple network providers involved
  • Complex routing path

Response Times:

  • First hop: <1ms (local network)
  • Middle hops: 19-62ms (various routers)
  • Final hop: 61-84ms (destination)
  • Some timeouts (*) indicate routers that don't respond

Test 2: Regular Internet to Facebook

The Path: 

Tracing route to facebook.com [31.13.84.36]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.0.1
  2     1 ms     1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.31.1
  3    28 ms    22 ms    23 ms  10.15.76.190
  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  5     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  6    18 ms    33 ms     *     217-25-123-172.static.upcbusiness.at [217.25.123.172]
  7    29 ms    18 ms    21 ms  217-25-123-80.static.upcbusiness.at [217.25.123.80]
  8     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  9    19 ms    32 ms    39 ms  80.156.161.47
 10    27 ms    18 ms    21 ms  facebook-ic-391706.ip.twelve99-cust.net [213.248.91.29]
 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 12    29 ms    27 ms    23 ms  psw02.vie1.tfbnw.net [173.252.66.60]
 13    20 ms    20 ms    22 ms  msw1ax.01.vie1.tfbnw.net [129.134.58.96]
 14    23 ms    26 ms    23 ms  edge-star-mini-shv-01-vie1.facebook.com [31.13.84.36]

Trace complete.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

What This Shows:

14 Hops Total:

  • Even connecting to a major service like Facebook requires 14 hops
  • Multiple ISPs and network providers involved
  • Complex routing through various networks
  • Variable latency (18-39ms range)

Key Observations:

  • Similar complexity to home server connection
  • Multiple timeouts indicate network issues
  • Routing through Facebook's network infrastructure
  • Final destination reached after 14 routers
  • Even major services like Google require 16 hops

Test 3: Uqda Network Connection

The Path: 

Tracing route to 201:63f8:831b:d439:beff:421a:e033:cdca
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    53 ms    81 ms    98 ms  201:63f8:831b:d439:beff:421a:e033:cdca

Trace complete.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

What This Shows:

1 Hop Total:

  • Your data goes directly to the destination
  • No intermediate routers
  • Direct encrypted connection
  • Simple, clean path

Response Times:

  • Consistent latency: 53-98ms
  • Much more stable than regular internet
  • No timeouts or connection issues

Security Implications:

  • Only 1 connection point (the destination)
  • No intermediate routers can see your traffic
  • End-to-end encrypted throughout
  • Direct path means fewer security risks

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Regular Internet (Home Server) Regular Internet (Facebook) Uqda Network
Number of Hops 16 routers 14 routers 1 direct connection
Response Time 16-84ms (variable) 18-39ms (variable) 53-98ms (consistent)
Path Complexity Complex (16 steps) Complex (14 steps) Simple (direct)
Security Points 16 potential intercept points 14 potential intercept points 1 encrypted connection
Network Providers Multiple ISPs involved Multiple ISPs involved Direct peer connection
Visibility All routers can see traffic All routers can see traffic Only destination sees data
Reliability Depends on 16 routers Depends on 14 routers Depends on 1 connection
Encryption Only to destination (if HTTPS) Only to destination (if HTTPS) End-to-end always
Timeouts Multiple (*) Multiple (*) None

What This Means in Practice

Regular Internet:

The Journey:

  1. Your device → Local router
  2. Local router → ISP gateway
  3. ISP gateway → Backbone network
  4. Backbone → Multiple transit networks
  5. Transit networks → Regional networks
  6. Regional networks → Local provider
  7. Local provider → Datacenter
  8. Datacenter → Destination server

At Each Step:

  • Router can see your traffic (unless encrypted separately)
  • Router can log your activity
  • Router can be compromised
  • Router adds latency
  • Router can fail

Total Risk:

  • 16 different points where something could go wrong
  • 16 different entities that could see your data
  • Complex path means harder to secure
  • More latency from multiple hops

Uqda Network:

The Journey:

  1. Your device → Destination (direct encrypted connection)

That's It!

At This Step:

  • Direct encrypted connection
  • No intermediate routers
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Minimal latency
  • Simple and secure

Total Risk:

  • 1 connection point (the destination)
  • Only destination can see your data (and it's encrypted)
  • Simple path means easier to secure
  • Less latency from direct connection

Security Analysis

Regular Internet Security:

Potential Vulnerabilities:

  • 16 routers that could be compromised
  • Multiple ISPs that could monitor traffic
  • Transit networks that could intercept data
  • Complex path makes security harder
  • Each hop is a potential attack point

What Can See Your Data:

  • Your local router
  • Your ISP
  • Backbone network operators
  • Transit network providers
  • Regional network operators
  • Datacenter network operators
  • Destination server

Protection:

  • HTTPS encrypts data to destination
  • But all routers can see metadata
  • Connection info is visible to all
  • IP addresses visible to all

Uqda Network Security:

Potential Vulnerabilities:

  • 1 connection (the destination)
  • Direct encrypted path
  • No intermediate routers
  • Simple path makes security easier
  • Only destination is a potential attack point

What Can See Your Data:

  • Only the destination (and it's encrypted)
  • No intermediate routers
  • No ISPs in the path
  • No transit networks

Protection:

  • End-to-end encryption always active
  • No metadata visible to routers (there are none)
  • Connection info encrypted
  • IP addresses are part of encrypted mesh

Performance Analysis

Regular Internet Performance:

Latency Breakdown:

  • Local network: <1ms
  • ISP network: 1-28ms
  • Backbone: 19-62ms
  • Transit: 25-56ms
  • Regional: 46-62ms
  • Final: 61-84ms

Issues:

  • Variable latency (16-84ms range)
  • Some timeouts (*) indicate problems
  • Multiple hops add cumulative delay
  • Network congestion affects multiple points

Reliability:

  • Depends on 16 different routers
  • If any router fails, connection breaks
  • Complex path means more failure points
  • Harder to diagnose problems

Uqda Network Performance:

Latency Breakdown:

  • Direct connection: 53-98ms

Advantages:

  • Consistent latency (53-98ms)
  • No timeouts
  • Single hop means minimal delay
  • Direct connection means less congestion

Reliability:

  • Depends on 1 connection
  • If connection fails, network routes around it
  • Simple path means easier to diagnose
  • Self-healing mesh finds alternative paths

Real-World Implications

For Privacy:

Regular Internet:

  • 16 different entities can see your traffic
  • Multiple ISPs can log your activity
  • Complex path makes tracking easier
  • Harder to maintain privacy

Uqda Network:

  • Only destination can see your data (encrypted)
  • No ISPs in the path
  • Direct connection makes tracking harder
  • Easier to maintain privacy

For Security:

Regular Internet:

  • 16 potential attack points
  • Multiple networks to secure
  • Complex path means more vulnerabilities
  • Harder to secure end-to-end

Uqda Network:

  • 1 connection point
  • Direct encrypted path
  • Simple path means fewer vulnerabilities
  • Easier to secure end-to-end

For Performance:

Regular Internet:

  • Variable latency (16-84ms)
  • Multiple hops add delay
  • Network congestion affects multiple points
  • More complex = more things can go wrong

Uqda Network:

  • Consistent latency (53-98ms)
  • Single hop means minimal delay
  • Direct connection means less congestion
  • Simpler = fewer things can go wrong

Why This Matters

The 16-Hop Problem:

When your data travels through 16 routers:

  • Each router is a potential security risk
  • Each router can see your traffic
  • Each router adds latency
  • Each router can fail
  • Complex path is harder to secure

The 1-Hop Solution:

When your data travels directly:

  • Only 1 connection point
  • Only destination can see data (encrypted)
  • Minimal latency
  • Simple path is easier to secure
  • Direct encrypted connection

Key Takeaways

Regular Internet:

  • ❌ 16 hops = 16 potential security risks
  • ❌ Complex path = harder to secure
  • ❌ Multiple ISPs = more visibility
  • ❌ Variable latency = inconsistent performance

Uqda Network:

  • ✅ 1 hop = 1 encrypted connection
  • ✅ Simple path = easier to secure
  • ✅ Direct connection = less visibility
  • ✅ Consistent latency = better performance

Conclusion

The difference is clear:

Regular Internet:

  • Complex path with 16 routers
  • Multiple security risks
  • Variable performance
  • Harder to secure

Uqda Network:

  • Simple direct connection
  • Single encrypted path
  • Consistent performance
  • Easier to secure

The Bottom Line:
Fewer hops = fewer risks = better security = better privacy.

Uqda Network's direct encrypted connections eliminate the 16-hop problem, giving you a simpler, more secure, and more private way to connect.

Made with ❤️ for a more private internet

Learn more:

Have questions? Drop a comment below! Want to test it yourself? Try Uqda Network today! 🚀

Top comments (0)