10 Ways To Speed Up Torrent Downloads
Imagine being on the autobahn with the accelerator down and then you realize that you are driving a wrecked car. The plight is not so uncommon on the information superhighway too.
Torrent users would attest to the fact that half of our time is spent looking for ‘healthy’ torrents and the other half trying to download (and a bit of upload too) at the maximum speed. The former is mandatory; the latter thankfully is within the realm of tweaking.
If you are the one who thinks that your torrent download speeds could do with a boost then keep reading. Below, you’ll find a few tips on how to speed up torrent download speed.
Your ISP is where it starts
Choosing the right BitTorrent client
Go for healthy seeds and peers
Get through the firewall
Limit your upload rate
Go to a different port
Increase the number of Max Half Open TCP connections
Experiment with Protocol Encryption
Bandwidth and connections
Some common sense
Check the maximum download and upload speeds allowed by your ISP. Most ISP’s have specific bandwidths for both uploads and downloads. Obviously your torrent download speed won’t cross the cap set by the ISP. Go over to this article on Speed.io for broadband speed test and this one by Tina on ways to increase your connection speed. There are many other bandwidth testers like DSLReports which is included in the speed test within uTorrent.
Use the better clients out there like uTorrent, Vuze or the BitTorrent client itself. Wikipedia lists about 51 of them supporting the BitTorrent protocol. The choice of client used should always be updated to the latest version. The screenshots here depict uTorrent. The settings should be similarly configurable for other clients too. Mac users shuld also check our Transmission vs. uTorrent post
A peer is any computer participating in the download and upload of a torrent file. A seed (or seeder) is anyone who has one complete copy of the file being shared across the torrent network. A leech (or a leecher) is the person who does not have the complete file yet but has joined the network to download it. A leecher becomes a seeder when he downloads the entire file and then shares it across the network.
For high torrent speeds, the best bet is in numbers. The greater the number of seeders, the healthier the torrent and the better the chance of higher speeds. The rule of thumb says to choose the torrent files with a high number of seeders and preferably lesser number of leechers i.e. a higher seed-leecher ratio.
Firewalls can block all incoming BitTorrent connections coming through. To ensure otherwise, a firewall should be manually configured to accept the connections and let it through the client. Windows XP has the Windows Firewall. Configure the firewall installed to accept the connections by checking the BitTorrent client on the allowed list i.e. Options – Preferences – Connection – check Add uTorrent to Windows Firewall. Also, check the Windows Firewall exception (if you keep it enabled) in your client too. Shutting down the firewall is not recommended as it leaves the computer open to attack.
Note: If the home computer is behind a router, it also should be configured through the feature called Port Range Forwarding to enable torrent traffic. The router documentation should have specific information on this.
A peer to peer network is all about sharing alike, but an unlimited upload rate hits the download rate too. Using the speed tests, find out your maximum upload speed and then set your client’s upload rate (Global Upload Rate in uTorrent) to about 80% of your maximum upload speed. You can also try varying your upload speeds – keep it high initially and then gradually bring it down towards the middle of the download.
Note: Mind the speed units – it may be given in kilobits per second (kb/sec) or kilobytes per second (kB/sec). 1 kilobyte = 8 kilobit
The default port for the BitTorrent protocol is any between port numbers 6881-6999. ISPs throttle traffic on these ports as BitTorrent sharing involves high bandwidth usage. It’s easy to configure a different port in your torrent client. Use some number above 10000 to get around ISPs and also avoid problems with other applications. By default, the uTorrent port is randomized each time it starts. Set a specific port by not enabling the Randomize Port setting.
This figure specifies how many connections a torrent client should attempt to establish simultaneously at any given time. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or newer, limits this to a default of 10 as a barrier against virus multiplication. But that’s a bummer for torrent speeds as torrents too need a large number of simultaneous connections.
A patch has been available for a while from LvlLord which modifies the TCPIP.sys file in Windows to allow a higher number of TCP connections.
After running the patch, you have to set the number of connections in your torrent client. For example, in uTorrent go to Options – Preferences – Advanced – net.max_halfopen. Set any number from 50 to 100. But see that net.max_halfopen is set lower than the value set in TCPIP.SYS. Always check if it is still patched because Windows updates sometimes overwrite it.
Some ISPs love to act like Big Brothers and constrict bandwidth for P2P protocols. Protocol Encryption in most of the torrent clients helps to override this bandwidth shaping. Enable outgoing protocol encryption and put a checkmark on Allow Incoming Legacy Connections.
With protocol encryption, ISPs find it difficult if not impossible to detect that the traffic is coming from BitTorrent. Experiment with enabled, disabled and forced options because you could be getting better speeds with encryption disabled. Non-encryption makes a torrent connection compatible with someone who is not using encryption but as a minus it makes the torrent detectable to an ISP with a bandwidth restricting policy.
Your BitTorrent client’s settings options will let you enter figures for –
Global maximum number of connections gives the maximum number of connections that a BitTorrent client can make for any P2P exchange. Setting this too high does NOT mean higher speeds. Setting it too high would take up useless bandwidth and too low a figure would miss out on peers. For my 256kbps connection, I have a setting of 130.
Maximum number of connected peers per torrent gives the maximum number of peers that a BitTorrent client can connect to for any P2P exchange. Experiment by setting this number close to the available peers for a particular torrent. For my 256kbps connection, I have a default setting of 70.
Number of upload slots per torrent gives the maximum number of peers that a BitTorrent client will upload to for any P2P exchange. A low setting may affect downloads. For my 256kbps connection, I have a setting of 3.
uTorrent has a Speed Guide which handily calculates the figures for a particular connection.
Most BitTorrent clients allow us to view the individual files in a download. You can selectively disable the download of files you don’t think necessary.
Familiarize yourself with the customization settings of your particular client available in the Help files or at the website FAQs.
Some useful resources:
BitTorrent User Guide
uTorrent FAQ
Vuze FAQ
Optimizing the speed of torrent downloads is a lot of trial & error and a bit of patience. Do you have some tips to speed up torrent download speed? Any that you have successfully tried out? Maybe we can put some wind beneath the wings with your comments.
(By) Saikat is a techno-adventurer in a writer's garb. When he is not scouring the net for tech news, you can catch him on his personal blog ruminating about the positves in our world.
This is a great guide, should help out the newbies definitely!
(Comments wont nest below this level)Thanks for posting those tips. I have been looking for such tip from quite some time. It would be helpful if post similar article on viewing Youtube videos faster also.
(Comments wont nest below this level)That’s an idea. Thanks Vansy…will work on that.
The torrents in your screenshot are for Seven Pounds with Will Smith. Next time try solid blocks of color to obscure text.
(Comments wont nest below this level)is this a joke? A patch from LvlLord is a freaking virus.
(Comments wont nest below this level)awesome
That’s what is called a false positive according to the site and many forums too.This is what the site itself says –
Some AntiVir Software vendors added the patcher into their virus-definitions. The patcher is often detected as ‘Tool/EvID’. But as a first info:
The patcher ist NO VIRUS.
Some virus and trojanwriter uses the same technique to increase the limit. After that its easier for them to spread to other computers in the internet. This runs without knowledge of the user. So he is not informed about what’s going on.
With the patcher here, every user can decide on his own if he wants to change the file and if yes how high the limit should be. Also the user will be warned if he chooses to high limits, as already infected machines will spread existent viruses and trojans easier to the net. So everybody can choose on its own and is not forced to. The patcher itself does not contain malware.
The virus-notification therefore should be seen as an information that this program contains the functionality to increase the limit. If that program is not known or has not been installed you can delete it.
Another great post by the team. Thanks guys!
I used Tip #9 and it inmediately boosted my download speed from 26kbps to 32kbps.
Thanks!
(Comments wont nest below this level)If you are using Utorrent set your upload speed to 6kbps, setting it to 5 will limit your download speed but 6kbps won’t.
(Comments wont nest below this level)I hope you turn the UL speed back to ‘unlimited’ or whatever after the download is finished otherwise it’s not a very nice tip
Wow, well done dude could not have done better myself.
RT
(Comments wont nest below this level)http://www.anonymity.eu.tc
For point #1, you might make use of the recently made public M-Lab tools. You can test your ISP for speed and protocol limiting.
M-Lab, ISPs finally with metrics
(Comments wont nest below this level)Teehee DSL Reports.. it hasn’t been called that for years! It’s BroadbandReports.com now, and has been for a good 3-4 years
(Comments wont nest below this level)rtorrent
(Comments wont nest below this level)Protocol encryption won’t help. The nature of the traffic itself identifies the protocol. It’s a bit like having a stealth fighter with a radar signal the size of a seagull, but how many seagulls travel at over mach one?
(Comments wont nest below this level)Use the new utorrent 1.9 beta.. with UTP… Very Fast!..
(Comments wont nest below this level)Something to note, though most modern torrent clients allow “selective downloading” of files (I.E. pick what you want only) – this hurts the torrent life as a whole….for example, if everyone is just loading up the latest “Boy Band torrent, and selecting to download only “That Hit Song They Heard on MTV”…..
(Comments wont nest below this level)It’s funny, you have a section at the end called ’some common sense’ but haven’t used any when making your guide. Specifically point 7.
is the bas assumption
It does, yes, but 8 connections being established at any one time is PLENTY. At best, you’ll gain by this 5-8 seconds over the ENTIRE torrent, all in the first 60 seconds. On the other hand, the amount of people that need help with their system, because they’ve applied this ‘patch’ (needlessly) and its screwed up their TCP stack, means theres often quite a few every day that come to the µTorrent IRC channel, looking for help.
This ‘patch’ doesn’t help, and isn’t needed, unless your connection is over 50Mbit upload, where it MIGHT be needed.
Go ahead giving bad advice though, because what does it matter to you? Its people like me, and the utorrent support staff that end up cleaning up your mess.
(Comments wont nest below this level)Good work! But does anyone have tips about how to tweak Vuze under Leopard?
I found Vuze to be much faster than any other client i use on Mac, but i don’t know why.
(Comments wont nest below this level)The item number 7, Increase the number of Max Half Open TCP connections, is only for windows XP.
For vista see the following:
Site 1
Site 2
(Comments wont nest below this level)Biggest help for torrent downloading behind a router, open the port you’re using in step #6 on your router. This can mean the difference between 60 and 600KBps easily.
(Comments wont nest below this level)number three shows some blurred out text. It’s not blurred out good enough. The movie is Seven Pounds and the one with the highest seeds reads “Seven Pounds[2008]DvDrip-aXXo”
Not that it’s a surprise that the highest seeds of a dvdrip belong to aXXo. Point is blur a little more guys
(Comments wont nest below this level)y’all should try Deluge. it’s an underappreciated but kickass torrent client. fast, lightweight core functionality with extensibility via optional plugins. its claim to fame is being notably resistant to Comcast’s torrent throttling.
(Comments wont nest below this level)Interesting tips.
For movies, I’d recommend using VideoLan to watch the a partially downloaded file, so you can check what is really coming down to you hard disk.
I remember this one time when an allegedly piece of software turned out to be a XXX movie. (Which I erased immediately, of course).
Not really a speed-up tip itself, but can save your time and bandwith for other downloads.
By the way… What is it with all this CSI fever about which text is hiding in the blurred image?
DM
(Comments wont nest below this level)Thanks…I follow the tip you mentioned…though I preferably do not download split and rar-ed files.
i am a little new to torrents but i am running utorrent and bit torrent i use the same torrent download on both programs and split the files for both. this seems to help the files out.
(Comments wont nest below this level)nice post. i’ll try this too =)
(Comments wont nest below this level)Hay nice post keep it up man
for torrent downloading Visit : http://www.torrentdownloads.net
(Comments wont nest below this level)I prefer Sharezilla.
(Comments wont nest below this level)Awesome guide ! After changing some options which you stated my DL jumped from 15kbs to 190kbs ! ! My 3gig DL isnt gonna take 2 weeks anymore. <3
(Comments wont nest below this level)Thanks man, great guide. Enabling outgoing encyption instantly brought me from less than 120kb/s to a constantly 280!
(Comments wont nest below this level)Its really good,thaks
(Comments wont nest below this level)great guy ..thnxs so much
(Comments wont nest below this level)i had 1.5 mb/s download speed but suddenly dropt to 1.0 kb/s, and is not increasing.
(Comments wont nest below this level)Terrible guide..
(Comments wont nest below this level)Better way is to use trackers to increase torrent speed .. just add them to the existing torrents .. here is how to
http://www.vnoma.com/2009/12/increase-utorrent-download-speed-use.html
enjoy ..
(Comments wont nest below this level)Thanks for this…trying this out now.
damn works!
(Comments wont nest below this level)thanks a lot for the tips. I really don’t like the second half of the tips. so plz make them user friendly.
(Comments wont nest below this level)Thanks for the tips…it was well written and it really helped me to increase my torrent speed…
(Comments wont nest below this level)