Optimize Your BitTorrent Download Speed
BitTorrent can be fun, as long as you get decent speeds. Not satisfied with your current speeds? These suggestions might help to optimize your download pleasure
1. Hack the max half-open TCP connections
If you’re on XP sp2, your TCP connections are limited to a maximum of 10. This might hurt your downloading speed because it wont let you connect to as much peers as you want. It is supposed to slow down viruses because their spreading strategy is to connect to a high amount of ip numbers, but it could cripple your torrent downloads.
A nice way to fix this is to download this patch.
Note: Some people report that their antivir reports the patch to be a Virus, This is not the case. Check out http://www.lvllord.de/ for more details on this
The patch allows you to set the maximum allowed connections to any number you want. Any number between 50 and 100 is ok (more is NOT always better).
Next you need to configure your torrent client to allow 50-100 max half-open TCP connections
uTorrent: Options > Preferences > Advanced options > net.max_halfopen
Bitcomet: Options > Preferences > Connection > max half-open TCP
Now you’re ready to go…
A third point of interest is that some “windows updates” revert your tweaked tcp connections back to 10. So it’s wise to check this every now and then. You can check this by going to (in windows xp) Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer > System… Look for event 4226 (sort by event).
For more details about Windows XP SP2 and Event ID 4226 read David Kaspar’s excellent post
If there are a lot of daily occurences it’s likely that the max amount of half-open tcp connections was set back to 10. Or you’re infected with some nasty spyware…
2. Torrent Client Configuration
In order to apply these tips you need to know your maximum up- and download speed. You can test your bandwidth over here (stop all download activity while testing). Also make sure that you applied the tips provided in our previous posts.
Note that there’s a difference between kb/s (kilobits/second) and kB/s (kilobytes/second). To be precise, kB/s = kb/s divided by 8. In this tutorial we use kB/s (like most torrent clients do). This means that you might need to calculate your max speed in kB/s yourself if the speedtest only gives you the results in kb\s (so divide by 8 then).
Settings 1-4 can be found in the options, settings or preference tab of most torrent clients.
1. Maximum upload speed
Probably the most important setting there is. Your connection is (sort of) like a pipeline, if you use you maximum upload speed there’s not enough space left for the files you are downloading. So you have to cap your upload speed.
Use the following formula to determine your optimal upload speed…
80% of your maximum upload speed
so if your maximum upload speed is 40 kB/s, the optimal upload rate is 32kB/s
But keep seeding!
2. Maximum download speed
Although setting your maximum download speed to unlimited may sound interesting, in reality it will only hurt your connection. If you still want to be able to browse properly, set your maximum download speed to:
95% of your maximum download speed
so if your maximum download speed is 400 kB/s, the optimal download speed is 380kB/s
3. Maximum connected peers per torrent
Yet another setting that you don’t want to max out. I experimented quite a lot with the max connected peers settings and came to the conclusion that both high and low number hurt the download speed of a torrent. The following setting worked best for me.
upload speed * 1.3
so if your maximum upload speed is 40 kB/s, the optimal amount of connected peers per torrent is
40 * 1.3 = 52
I didn’t noticed a difference for fast or slow connections here.
4. Maximum upload slots
1 + (upload speed / 6)
so if your maximum upload speed is 30 kB/s, the optimal number of upload slots is
1 + (30 / 6) = 6
3. More Tips
Check seeds and peers
A simple tip, but very important. Always look for torrents with the best seed/peer ratio. The more seeds (compared to peers) the better (in general). So 50 seeds and 50 peers is better than 500 seeds and 1000 peers. So, be selective.
Change the default port.
By default, BitTorrent uses a port 6881-6999. BitTorrent generates a lot traffic (1/3), so isp’s like to limit the connection offered on the these ports. So, you should change these to another range. Good clients allow you to do this, just choose anything you like. If you’re behind a router, make sure you have your ports forwarded (portforward.com) or UPnP enabled.
Disable Windows Firewall
It sucks. Windows Firewall hates P2P and often leads a life of it’s own. So disable it and get yourself a decent (free) firewall, Kerio or Zone Alarm for example.
Turn on Encryption
Encrypting your torrents will prevent throttling ISP’s from limiting your BitTorrent traffic. Check out how to enable encryption in Azureus, uTorrent, and Bitcomet, the three most popular torrent clients.
Optimize your internet connection
The TCP optimizer is a freeware utility that optimizes your internet connection. I found it very useful and it helped speeding up my connection for regular internet activity and for downloading torrents. Just download it, and move the slidebar to your maximum download rate (note that it’s in kb/s). Don’t try to set it higher because that will hurt your download speeds!
Last but not least… Buy a faster connection…
Happy Torrenting!
(this post is a compilation of previous “speed up” posts)
Previously: Sealand on Fire
Next: Pirates On The Loose
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muther fukers this will make ait l slow
duh!!!!!!!!! u gay mudr fukr
do i need to go to your home and do the settings for you, you do have to change your setting still and thats after patching , all utility need to be checked at least three times a day they always differ in speed and rates, not all ppl are on landlines and not all ppl are on wireless, most times bandwith in some countrys are different from other always give the other end a look check there settings remember seed and peers you whant lots not little
right click on you torrent in your torrent app go to propertys there is settings there that can help plus your app settings remember every couple of hours update your trackers and do not reset bandwith hope this has helped
the thing is i have no intelligence i just follow instructions for weeks mabey months ,,,untill i figure out those answers,and when you see the changes you will see the changes, if you are having problems then you know less than i do and i ,,,well i know only a little but have learned a lot from the above and others the one,s with reall intelligence, the thing about reading is to understand what you see becouse you can,t hear what those sentences are saying to you
[YOU GUYS ARE FUCKING NUTS !! — BLODDY HELL DUDES !! WHOEVER SAYS THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO INCREASE YOU SPEED WITH PATCHES IS A FUCKING RETARD , AS IT IS NOT POSSIBLE !]
Explain to us this is not possible have tryed yet explaine and we,ll let you know where your wrong
As many above prove this fact i am proof that you haven,t even tryed or you simply have no intell on these subjects SPAM||||
Wow, thanks so much. I used the patch and set it to twenty connections and almost tripled my max up and download speeds. I’m running close to 100 up now!
Hi to Moderator n any user,
Plz somebody help me to undo that patch… somehow my system reacts crap once i did that… I want everything back on normal conditions… plz advise.. thanks
what speeds do i need more of upload or download what is the fastest in AUSSIE? i want to play online gameing but i do not know any good speeds and be able to download fast and view sites fast that kinda thing WTF is 1200/256 wha is 256kbps and what is 1200? i am so lost
Does these settings work with bitlord?? somewone said it doesn’t but I use Bitlord and it looks like my dl speed has increased. Should I switch to an other program??
Hey, I’ve done all of te above and all the optimum choices that everyone has said and my connection is only 2.5k/bps on a 256mb modem. Do you know HOW that happens?
Tried all the tips here with Utorrent and nothing worked. Downloaded a modded version of bitcomet and dl speeds improved from 10-20kbs to 60kbs. No idea what happeded. Can some of you techies please check this out and see if it works. http://www.hafreze.com/tag/modded-bitcomet/
Sorry I meant 10-20 kB/s to 60kB/s
The patch has a virus. I was rather stupid to download it without reading all of the comments!!
FUCK THIS!
I HAVE USED THIS PATCH ON 4 PC’S AND SPEEDS HAVE DOUBLED EACH TIME.
I HAVE RUN IT THROUGH A.V.G, SPYBOT AND AD-ADWARE. !!THIS IS NOT A VIRUS!! IT’S FANTASTIC. CHEERS GUYS.
This post was great… I did everything in recommeneded except the encryption and disable firewall. I went from 4 files downloading with about 2 weeks left to download to 30+ files and some at 140 kB/s. The patch worked well, seemed a little scary at first but glad I ran it. This was a great post. I highly recommend to all of those who are a bit wary, it worked for me with no problems.
[quote comment="6435"]re: point #1 — it says “half-open” connections — this does not mean you can only have 10 connections at a time: it means you can only have ten connection _attempts in progress_ at any one time. You can still have hundreds of peers connected, but the rate at which you may connect is slowed down. It does not cripple torrents, it merely slows down the spin up time, albeit marginally.[/quote]
[quote comment="6436"]why are you d/l a patch with a backdoor virus[/quote]
[quote comment="6441"]Great article. Little bit of a typo though.
If you still want to be able to browse properly, set your maximum download speed to:
95% of your maximum upload speed
so if your maximum download speed is 400 kB/s, the optimal download speed is 380kB/s
Should say 95% of your maximum download speed.[/quote]
[quote comment="6456"]Nice article ..except for this slight mistake “kb/s = kB/s divided by 8″ … It should have been :
“kb/s = kB/s multiplied by 8″ or
“kB/s = kb/s divided by 8″[/quote]
With so many factual errors I question the author’s integrity. How many times have I read the phrase - download this, will be flagged as a virus but it’s not really?
Note: Some people report that their antivir reports the patch to be a Virus, This is not the case. Check out http://www.lvllord.de/ for more details on this
The patch allows you to set the maximum allowed connections to any number you want. Any number between 50 and 100 is ok (more is NOT always better).
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Utorrent lets you modify these settings, no fucking virus patch required
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