Knowledge Base

Remote FileMaker performance depends on the entire connection between your workstation and FileMaker Server, not just the speed advertised by your internet provider. Wi-Fi quality, upload speed, latency, VPN configuration, and the design of the specific screen or process can all affect response time.

When you work outside the office, FileMaker traffic must travel through your internet provider and often through a VPN before reaching FileMaker Server. Even a fast internet plan can feel slow when latency is high, because many FileMaker actions require multiple exchanges with the server. 

Remote performance depends on more than the advertised download speed. Low upload speed, Wi-Fi interference, packet loss, mobile hotspots, and brief connection interruptions can delay data transfers or force FileMaker to retry requests.

Layouts with many related records, unstored calculations, portals, large images, or complex conditional formatting may perform adequately on a local office network but slowly over a remote connection. Large reports, exports, and record-by-record scripts can also magnify the effect of network latency.

Test whether the issue occurs on a wired connection, a different Wi-Fi network, or without other high-bandwidth activity such as video calls and cloud backups. 

Tell us whether every part of the solution is slow or only particular layouts and processes, since that distinction helps separate connection issues from solution design. 

Depending on the cause, improvements may include adjusting the VPN, improving the home network, moving processing to FileMaker Server, or optimizing layouts and scripts. Portage Bay Solutions can review the affected workflow and determine whether the primary limitation is the remote connection or the solution itself.