Is Surfshark Chicago server slow on Firestick in 2026? If yes, you’re not alone. Okay so I’ve been messing around with VPNs on my Firestick for like years at this point. And honestly, one thing keeps popping up everywhere—Reddit, forums, Twitter, wherever. Same complaint. Over and over. “Surfshark Chicago server is so slow at night I can’t even watch anything.”
Is Surfshark Chicago server slow on Firestick in 2026? If yes, you’re not alone.
Like 6PM to 10PM CST? Forget about it. People are talking about buffering, lag, the whole thing. Netflix just spins. It’s annoying.
I haven’t actually tested this week myself—life’s been busy—but I know what works and what doesn’t based on what people are saying. So I’m gonna break down how to test it yourself, why it’s actually happening, and what fixes people are saying actually work.
Let’s go.
Why Is Surfshark Chicago Server So Slow?
Alright so before we even start testing, you gotta understand what’s happening behind the scenes when you connect.
The Chicago server just gets destroyed during peak hours. That’s literally it. Between like 6PM and 10PM CST everyone in the Midwest is connecting at the same time. Everyone. HBO Max, Netflix, streaming whatever. The server gets totally congested. Bandwidth gets split between thousands of people trying to stream. Your speed just dies.
Now look, it’s not always Surfshark’s fault. I mean it kinda is but also… it’s math? One server can only handle so much. Add in that most people don’t even bother switching protocols or clearing cache, and you’re making the problem worse yourself with app bloat and using the slow default settings.
Like if you’re using Automatic or IKEv2 (which is what Firestick defaults to), you’re getting way slower speeds than if you just switched to Wireguard. The app’s cache builds up over months. It gets heavy. Performance gets dragged down. Your ISP might be throttling VPN traffic at those specific hours too. Could be a bunch of things honestly.
But the real culprit? Server load at night. That’s the thing. People on r/Surfshark have been complaining about this since 2025. Gets worse every year too, which is annoying.
How to Actually Test Surfshark Chicago Speed Yourself
Honestly don’t just take my word for it. You gotta test this yourself. Takes like 15 minutes and you’ll actually know what’s going on instead of guessing.
What you’re gonna need:
- Your Firestick (4K Max, regular Stick 4K, doesn’t really matter)
- Surfshark installed obviously
- Ookla Speedtest app (it’s free on Appstore, super easy)
- Write down your normal internet speed first without any VPN
- Like 15 minutes of your time
First: Get your baseline speed
Before connecting to Surfshark, just open Speedtest on your Firestick. Run it like 2 or 3 times and write down what you get. This is your actual speed without any VPN. Let’s say it’s like 450 Mbps or whatever. Write it down.
Also jot down:
- What time is it? (6PM? 8PM? Matters)
- Who’s your ISP?
- What are you actually trying to watch?
Then: Connect to Surfshark Chicago
Open Surfshark. Make sure it’s definitely set to Chicago (not some random server). Check what protocol it’s using—Automatic? Wireguard? Whatever. Write that down.
Wait like 10 seconds. Let it actually connect properly.
Now: Run Speedtest again with VPN on
Open Speedtest. Run it 2-3 times. Write down the results.
So if you got 450 before and now you’re getting 50? That’s a 90% speed loss. That’s bad. Something’s wrong.
If you’re getting like 100-150 Mbps? That’s actually normal for VPN. You expect to lose like 20-30% with any VPN on Firestick. It’s just how it works.
Try switching protocols
This part is kinda important actually. Go into Surfshark settings. Change it from Automatic to Wireguard (if they have it). Run Speedtest again. See if it’s faster.
Try IKEv2 too if they got it. L2TP if it’s available. Write down all the numbers.
One protocol might give you 80 Mbps, another might give 180 on the same server. Protocol actually makes a huge difference. People don’t realize that.
Test at different times of day
Run the same test at like 2PM, then 8PM, then 11PM CST. You’ll see the server load change based on time. 2PM is usually fast. 8PM is usually garbage. That tells you if it’s the server being overloaded or something else going on.
That’s the real way to diagnose this. Not guessing. Actually testing.
3 Fixes That Actually Work (People Say)
Okay so based on what people are saying actually fixed their problem, here’s what works.
Fix #1: Just pick a different server lol
Chicago’s congested yeah but Surfshark has like… St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Dallas, a bunch of other US servers. Just use one of those instead.
The whole point of Surfshark is you don’t need Chicago specifically. You just need a US IP. That’s it. HBO Max doesn’t care if you’re in Chicago or St. Louis—it’s all US content anyway. So if Chicago is crawling, just pick St. Louis. Boom. Usually way faster because not everyone’s hammering that server at 8PM.
This fixes it for like 70% of people complaining. The real problem is just that one server’s overloaded, not that Surfshark sucks. Other servers work fine honestly.
Fix #2: Change the protocol
Most Firestick defaults to Automatic which just means IKEv2. It’s stable but like… slow for streaming.
Switch to Wireguard if they got it. Wireguard is way faster for streaming. People are saying they get like 2-3x speed improvement just from switching the protocol. It’s wild.
How:
- Surfshark > Settings
- Find Protocol or Connection Type
- Change to Wireguard (or WireGuard Pro if available)
- Reconnect
- Test again with Speedtest
Check the difference. For tons of people this one change just fixes everything. It’s crazy you don’t think about it more often honestly.
Fix #3: Clear the cache and reinstall the whole thing
Your Surfshark app’s been running for like months. Cache builds up. The app gets slow and bloated. Sometimes you just gotta start fresh.
On Firestick:
- Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications
- Find Surfshark
- Clear Cache
- If nothing changes, Uninstall it completely
- Go to Appstore and reinstall
- Log back in
Takes like 5 minutes. Fixes about 30% of slow issues because the app itself is the problem, not the server.
Try these in order. Most people say they find the answer at #1 or #2.
Should You Use Surfshark on Firestick in 2026?
Yeah honestly I think you should. But like… there’s a thing.
Surfshark is actually fast when the server’s not overloaded. It’s reliable. It doesn’t have weird Firestick problems like some VPNs do. The price is decent. Customer service is pretty good from what I’ve seen.
The Chicago server at like 8PM? Yeah it’s not great. But that’s not really Surfshark’s fault you know? It’s more like “too many people connecting to one server at once” which literally every VPN has. All of them.
The cool part is Surfshark lets you jump servers super easy. You’re not locked into Chicago. You can just switch to St. Louis and boom way faster. That’s actually the feature people don’t realize matters.
My take? If you’re cool with spending 2 minutes switching servers or protocols then yeah Surfshark is good. If you want one magic server that’s always fast without doing anything, well… no VPN can do that during peak hours. Nobody.
Final Thoughts
Okay so the Chicago slowdown at night is legit. People have been posting about this on Reddit since 2025. Gets worse every year during the 6PM-10PM CST thing.
But here’s the thing—it’s fixable. You got options. Switch servers, change protocol, clear cache. Usually one of those works.
Don’t just sit there with a buffering Netflix and blame Surfshark. Actually test it using the steps I showed. Maybe the problem isn’t even Surfshark. Could be your ISP throttling, your app being old and bloated, or you just need a different server.
Test it properly. Try different protocols. Test at different times. If after all that Surfshark Chicago is still garbage, then yeah switch to something else. But most people find it works once they actually mess with the settings.
Let me know if you test this and what actually fixed it for you.
FAQ
Q: Is Chicago always gonna be slow?
A: Nah. It’s fine during the day like 2AM to 6PM. Gets congested when everyone comes home and starts streaming at night. That’s just how servers work honestly. Every VPN has this problem.
Q: Why should I bother testing instead of just trusting what people say online?
A: Because your internet, your ISP, your Firestick model, the time of day—all that stuff matters. My speeds might be totally different from yours. Speed tests are super specific to your situation. You gotta test it yourself.
Q: Is Wireguard always gonna be faster than IKEv2?
A: Like usually yeah for streaming. But sometimes it depends on your ISP and network stuff. Some people actually get better speed on IKEv2 honestly. That’s why you gotta test both. Don’t just assume.
Q: If I use St. Louis instead of Chicago, will Netflix still work?
A: Yeah obviously lol. Netflix just cares that you got a US IP. It doesn’t care what city. Use any US Surfshark server for US Netflix. All the same content.
Q: What if I try all this and it still sucks?
A: Then maybe your ISP is throttling VPN traffic or something’s wrong with your Firestick hardware. Try running Surfshark on your phone or PC at the same time and see if it’s fast there. If phone is fast and Firestick is slow, it’s a Firestick thing. If it’s slow everywhere, then yeah it’s Surfshark or your ISP doing something.
Disclaimer: I haven’t personally tested Surfshark Chicago this week. This article is based on common user reports from Reddit r/Surfshark and r/VPN communities, and general troubleshooting methodology. Results vary by ISP, device, time, and location. Test yourself using the steps above before making any VPN decisions.
ShieldNetLab.com – VPN Testing & Troubleshooting
Last updated: July 2026