10 Tips and Tricks for Private BitTorrent Sites
The first thing to notice when you join a private BitTorrent site is the eye-popping quality of the torrents. Each one is carefully culled, hand-picked through a strict moderation process. However, before you start hammering away on that download link - here are a few things you need to know.
On private torrent sites, everything revolves around ratios. A 1:1 ratio (or 1.0) means that you’ve downloaded exactly the same amount of data as you’ve uploaded. Thus a 0.80 ratio indicates that you’ve uploaded less than you’ve downloaded, which is hurtful to the health of the torrent. Inversely, a 3.0 ratio means you’ve uploaded 3 times more data than you’ve downloaded. Strive to achieve at least a 1.0 ratio - each site will have specific consequences for members who maintain a ratio of less than this. Attain a ratio over 1.0 and the rewards shall follow you into the P2P afterlife.
If you’re brand-new to a private site, it will be difficult in the beginning to acquire a 1.0 ratio. Luckily, users are given a ‘grace’ period to achieve this. Since there are so many more seeds than leechers (a total flip-flop from public BT sites), it becomes harder to upload to others - due to the fact that there are fewer people to share with.
So why go through all the trouble to keep an honest ratio? Because deep down, you’re an upstanding denizen of file-sharing society! Aside from that shameless pat-on-the-back, good ratios offer many perks, including an upgraded account on the tracker (i.e. VIP status), higher download speeds, free “invites” for your friends, and no waiting periods associated with accounts in arrears.
Here are Ten Tips to get your ratio in top-shape as fast as possible:
1. Start out with Smaller Files
Initially, opt for smaller (i.e. under 1 GB) files for downloading. This gives you a greater chance of someone coming along after you and downloading the same torrent (and you’ll be able to upload to them). Obviously a 700MB movie file will be more appealing to other site members than a 30GB ‘Blu-Ray’ rip.
2. Jump on the ‘Newly Released’ torrents
This is a great tip for increasing your ratio in a hurry. Camp out in your favorite private BT site, and refresh the torrent listings frequently. Newly added entries will have many more leechers than seeds, so you’ll be able to share (upload) more data. To maximize this tip, select smaller files - the “TV Episode” category works great for this.
3. Select Files that have a High ‘L’ or upload number
This is important. When selecting torrents, base your initial selections on a high number of leechers (the more, the better). This will ensure you have many avenues to upload to during (and after) the transfer. When starting out on a new private BT site, we would even go so far as to say that you should download torrents that you don’t want - just start grabbing torrents that have lots of leechers. Once your ratio get over the 1:1 (1.0) mark, delete them.
TIP: If one of your seeding torrents remains popular, leave it running in µtorrent permanently. This will always help to boost your upload ratio.
4. Avoid ‘Zero-Leech’ torrents
When you’re new to a private site, steer clear of the ‘zero-leech’ torrents - it is impossible to increase your share ratio when there are no other downloaders. When viewing a list of torrents, look for the “Leecher” column (or just “L”) and avoid anything that has a zero ( “0″ ) in it. After your account ratio has become relatively stable, now is the time to snag whatever you want.
5. Leave some tasks running in uTorrent
After the completed download of a torrent, leave the task running (as a seed) in µtorrent to increase your upload statistics. Don’t delete (or move) the files of a running task! You can, however, extract (unRAR) the files, or copy the files from one place to the next. In the event of a movie/video file - you’ll be able to “burn” or “extract” the *.avi file (or even play it on the PC) without affecting the seeding torrent.
TIP: Always keep a few things running as ’seeds’ in your BT client. If you notice that they aren’t uploading, replace them with newer ones.
6. Go for the ‘Freebie’ downloads
Many private sites will offer “free” torrents that won’t count against your download statistics (thus, your ratio will remain unchanged). Grab these freebies - especially when searching for torrents on a new account.
7. Use ‘Credits’ to purchase…
A popular feature among superior private BitTorrent sites is the addition of a ‘credits’ feature for account holders. Credits can be used to ‘purchase’ VIP status, increased sharing ratios and other perks. Not all sites are the same, but some credits can be acquired just from staying active in their IRC channel, or from just having the torrents available for download in your BT client.
8. Do NOT try to ‘cheat’ the Private Trackers
There are a variety of ratio cheating tips available out there, but don’t be tempted. Trackers are fairly sophisticated and ever-evolving. If you get caught cheating, you won’t even be warned - it’s a permanent ban for you and bye-bye for good.
9. Set a proper Upload Limit
Setting a proper upload limit in the BT client makes all the difference! You’ll want to supply a high enough limit to maximize uploading, but not have it eat into your download bandwidth. The general rule is to set it at 80 - 85% of your upload limit. To figure this out, visit www.speedtest.net and conduct the simple test. Results are shown in kilobits, so divide the result by 1/8 and then multiply that by 0.85. This will give you the proper number in KB/s (KiloBytes).
In µtorrent, go to OPTIONS > Preferences… > Connection and enter your upload rate. Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes. While your in that same ’settings’ page, make sure to use a port number from the good list (e.g. 49152 - 65535).
10. And if all else fails…donate
Most sites allow for monetary contributions to keep up with the server costs. If you enjoy a particular site immensely but cannot seem to be able to approach a decent sharing ratio (due to turning off your computer at night, going to work, or sharing your computer with your kids, wife, husband or siblings), think about donating. In most cases even a not-so-generous gratuity will robustly affect your account status - plus you’ll feel good about helping out the BitTorrent community.
Other Tips - Follow ‘The Rules’
Yeah, we know: you hate rules! That’s why you probably moved out of your parents’ basement. Rules are probably why some turned to P2P.
Nevertheless, rules are an important aspect to private BT sites - they ensure healthy torrents and blazing-fast download speeds for all. Each site will have their “rules” posted - the link is usually not hard to find. Below are some general rules / tips that pertain to any private BitTorrent site:
Use an ‘Accepted’ BitTorrent client
Not all private trackers are the same - and each one has different rules in regards to which BitTorrent client is on the “allowable” list. Most sites recommend µtorrent, but only specific versions (or builds) of it. If you stick with v1.6.1 or the latest version v1.7.7 (recommended), you can’t go wrong with ANY private site (avoid any versions in between these numbers). And do not use BitComet on private trackers.
Proper BitTorrent client configuration:
Many trackers recommend that you disable DHT and Peer Exchange (PEX) in your BT client’s settings. To do this in µtorrent, go to OPTIONS > Preferences… > and select the BitTorrent tab. Remove the three checkmarks that pertain to DHT and PEX (see image below):
Do not ‘Hit & Run’ a Private BT site:
A ‘Hit & Run’ (or H&R) is when someone joins a private tracker, and downloads as much as they can before making off without uploading to a proper ratio. While this practice is frowned upon even on public sites such as mininova.org, it is deplorable to private sites. This can (and sometimes will) lead to your IP address being banned from the site - forever.
Stick within these guidelines for HAPPY Torrenting!
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Yeah that math is wrong. It’s X * (1/8) * .85.
I’d love to add my n00b comment to this n00b article, but unfortunately, I’m NOT a n00b like the writer or half of these other posters are.
Word of advice to all those reading - use Google and do some ACTUAL research, taking what TF advises with a grain of salt. There is much more content available on all the public sites vs private, which makes you ask yourself, “why bother with private?”
I’ve got a 5.8 ratio on one private site, and 3.5 on the other - do I use them much? Nope! I use PizzaTorrent and YouTorrent to find everything I need, and it’s never let me down since I started using it.
NOTE TO TF: You need some new writers who:
a - have a clue as to what they are talking about, and therefore don’t have to;
b - pretend like they do!
This site is going downhill fast…
I PWNZ ALL TEH N00BZ!
I cheat at all the private trackers I use, they cannot catch me. You can try but a simple IP change within seconds and I’m back. Fuck Torrentleech.
Don’t feed the trolls.
https://feedthe.net/
this state the obvious…. :/
another tip… don’t download if you arent gonna watch it/use it…
That will grant you a nice ratio soon…. :P
I use several private torrent sites and building a good ratio isn’t that hard. A 0.5 ratio is all that most sites require. Just be careful to maintain an acceptable ratio starting out and seed all torrents for at least 48-72 hrs. Take advantage of freeleach and double up periods. If you like the site donate some money. You will get nice perks and help the site cover server costs. Read the rules/faq of any private site that you join.
I agree with 54 and 61. Everyone wants to achieve ‘elite status’ by having an 0mg0nz0rz ratio over 1.0, so all everyone does is upload and seed. Very few download, and when they do it’s when the site admins put a/some torrent(s) on free leech, then practically the whole site goes and downloads that in hopes of being able to seed it later. It’s a catch 22, really. Speeds are really fast, but with no one downloading, people who are in it for the fundamental purpose, that is, to share (Not just one way, but bi-directional, give and receive, the principle of bit torrent), get screwed in the end due to bad ratios. Then what do the elite bastards at the top say? To upload new torrents. There’s nothing wrong with this, don’t get me wrong, but to say this in the aforementioned situation only gets the community in deeper shit.
I’ve already seen a few private sites that I was part of become victim to this and were ultimately shut down. It naturally affects infant private sites, in which members quickly try and upload as much as they can (Whether or not it is really theirs, but usually that doesn’t matter) so that they can achieve ‘elite status’ and be regarded as a regular member there from its early days. All the new users do this, refusing to download and keep the ‘economy going’, so then the new members who intend on doing the /actual/ thing that the site was designed for, sharing (not achieving elite status), get fucked over because as much as they download, the elite greedy bastards just get higher up with their ratios, the poor members then turn around expecting to share what they have just downloaded with others, only to see that no one else is downloading.
Bit Torrent is like an economy, guys. You have to keep it flowing. What would happen if a few richest people in the world kept all the money they got, that is, they didn’t spend it on anything, they just kept it. They would keep receiving money, more and more, but they wouldn’t spend. Think about it.
The ratio system is fundamentally flawed. There’s the issue that it’s supposedly impossible to have everyone in a site have a ratio of over 1.0, the discrimination of speeds. What if your upload speed is lower than someone else’s? But this system is the best we have right now, and some sites acknowledge that this system is flawed and so they try to help out the people that are being affected, be it by relaxing ratio requirements, implementing point systems, or something else. My argument isn’t necessarily with the ratio system, it’s with the culture that surrounds it, the desire and urge to get the highest ratio for reasons of prestige.
I find that even with huge ratios in your favour, private sites with bad admin will stick kick you off and provide no good reason as to why you were booted.
I was recently kicked from a site for having 2 accounts on 1 IP. On a wired network of 1 PC and 1 user - me! When I quizzed the support team about it, I was told quite rudely that it wasn’t their problem and I should just leave. My 109 gig of “credit” gone just like that.
So, its public trackers all the way for me, unless the staff are half-decent - in which case I’ll seed for them as much as they need me to.
I want to upload files to a friend in Costa Rica, and can’t figure out how. I’m old. That’s usually advantageous for many accomplishments, large experience base and all, but stodgy and cumbersome in this particular case, where you kids rule! It doesn’t seem as simple as what I’ve been able to glean from the few self-help sites I’ve found. Anyone care to help with suggestions other than gfy? ‘Would greatly appreciate it!
The whole idea of bittorrent is tit for tat sharing. Leeching is not possible without giving back proportionally to demand.
Private trackers achieve nothing other than forcing people to seed files even where demand is low. If nobody wants the file, and the original uploader is no longer interested in seeding it in the first place, why bother?
Note: You don’t divide by 1/8th - but you can multiply by 1/8th or divide by 8!
#82 - I think that’s why many private sites limit the users to, say 10,000 or even less. When you look at the tracker stats, you can see they aren’t anywhere near server capacity. Keeping it small keeps them out of the spotlight, regardless of the “private” aspect to these sites.
Also, so many people are hell-bent on keeping a huge ‘buffer’ which is totally useless when the site folds. Totally pointless, IMHO.
I would love a waffle or what invite if anyone is feeling generous..
even bitsoup if someone might?
thank you
byroncoughlin@gmail.com
“3. Select Files that have a High ‘L’ or upload number”
This can be dangerous advice - many large torrents on private sites have ‘partial seeders’ that are listed as leechers. ie. users who are seeding 1 episode of a season pack, etc - they are listed as leechers, but aren’t.
It’s a very common mistake for new users to get themselves in a hole by grabbing these torrents.
Wow, I am surprised at how many ignorant/lazy people post comments on this site. I really don’t know why I should be surprised as the US education system is probably the worst of any developed nation…I’m assuming most posters are from the US?
Anyway, it’s obvious that most of those who comdemn private trackers and their strict rules have neither used a quality private tracker nor did any kind of research on the subject (it might take 5-10 min). There are numerous reasons that private trackers exist, following are some of those reasons:
- increased security (perceived)
- limited bandwidth (small server)
- a general desire for consistency in quality and new content (likely reason #1)
- highly specialized content (AOM, anyone?)
- “forced” sharing - ratios (this thread proves that there are quite a few leechers out there)
Now, this is only a small list of the many reasons why a tracker should choose to remain private. These reasons have absolutely nothing to do with elitism. On the contrary, I would argue that most trackers are the exact opposite with vibrant and helpful communities.
one thing to note, when i refer to a private tracker, I generally mean those that are invite only. Open signups kind of defeat the purpose of a private community, as anyone can still sign up, thus compromising (perceived) security and possibly lowering the overall quality of the site. I wholeheartedly agree that private trackers are necessary (if only to fill a niche) and this guide, though a little misinformed, is generally good in schooling new members in good torrenting etiquette.
I know there are many of you who claim to be able to get the latest and greatest files off of public trackers. That’s perfectly fine, but there are still many people who want to max out their line downloading the latest episodes, movies, etc. Both serve a purpose, but please people do a bit of research before posting such ignorant rubbish. It hurts my eyes and brain to have to read anything that looks like it has been written by an illiterate child. Sorry, if I sound insulting, but I can’t believe their are so many people out there that would fail to read this post in its entirety to figure out that perhaps I am only joking or maybe checking to see how many will read the entirety of this post after reading the initial inciting paragraph. Well, I guess we’ll see if anyone bothers to respond.
In any case, decent article for those with no familiarity to private trackers and it must have been a slow news day.
I’m on a handful of privates and the most important bit of advice is RTFM! So many little freaks turn up leech their boots off and then you see them in the shitlist forum “Boo hoo, why’d I get banned and shitlisted?”, ‘cos Mummy and Daddy never told you “you get ought for nought”, you gotta give to receive, it’s called being a responsible and caring member of a community.
Sorry, but 5 mins to read the trackers rules when you do get in, will save you so much grief. You little leeches, don’t you think that some of the private SysOps (there’s an old term! ) talk to each other? You get banned in one you never know, but your little old IP might well be doing the rounds on a tracker blacklist, think about it…
[quote=Fuzzypig] I’m on a handful of privates and the most important bit of advice is RTFM! So many little freaks turn up leech their boots off and then you see them in the shitlist forum “Boo hoo, why’d I get banned and shitlisted?”, ‘cos Mummy and Daddy never told you “you get ought for nought”, you gotta give to receive, it’s called being a responsible and caring member of a community.
Sorry, but 5 mins to read the trackers rules when you do get in, will save you so much grief. You little leeches, don’t you think that some of the private SysOps (there’s an old term! ) talk to each other? You get banned in one you never know, but your little old IP might well be doing the rounds on a tracker blacklist, think about it…
I’m on a handful of privates and the most important bit of advice is RTFM! So many little freaks turn up leech their boots off and then you see them in the shitlist forum “Boo hoo, why’d I get banned and shitlisted?”, ‘cos Mummy and Daddy never told you “you get ought for nought”, you gotta give to receive, it’s called being a responsible and caring member of a community.
Sorry, but 5 mins to read the trackers rules when you do get in, will save you so much grief. You little leeches, don’t you think that some of the private SysOps (there’s an old term! ) talk to each other? You get banned in one you never know, but your little old IP might well be doing the rounds on a tracker blacklist, think about it…[/quote]
QFT
OFFICIAL aXXo Forum: http://www.aXXoForum.com
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“so divide the result by 1/8 and then multiply that by 0.85. This will”
Math problem. [(number shown)/(1/8)]*.85 == (number shown)*8*.85
https://feedthe.net/
SCT SUCKS!
85 Mar 24, 2008 at 03:26 by AlphaseeQuote Alphasee
Note: You don’t divide by 1/8th - but you can multiply by 1/8th or divide by 8!
——————————–
by the way division by 1/8 is multiplication by 8, basic non-us high school math :P
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