Torrents

[Jedakiah]

Back in the day I started out with torrents, all was well.  I always maxed out my up and down bandwidths, I donloaded loads of hard to find music and popular tv shows. 

Well, ever since a month ago my luck ran out.  It started halfway through my downloading Lost season 1.  I already had the first half of the season, but ont day it finally just stopped.  There were plenty of seeders in the storm, along with peers.  But they wouldn't upload and I wouldn't download.  It was a sad thing, because the only other time I had seen season 1 was a year before, and I really wanted to watch it again.  Than that computer died. 

I used emule because there was that one hard to find file I really wanted.  In the process of using emule, I discovered my lowid was because my router was being a good bouncer and guarding the back ways as well.  I told it to stop blocking both emule and torrent. 

I started off on what seemed to be uphill.  By the time I got to the top though, I realized I still had fallen far from the mountain I was once on.  I could download the very latest of stuff, namely Battlestar and Lost as they came out.  But any attempt at an older download (like lost s1) would fail.  Than that computer lost it's internet connection. 

I moved on, I looked at the horizon and saw I was almost there.  My mother's computer was downloading stuff like KrAzY.  Than I tried downloading Prison Break s1.  I got the first two episodes super fast.  I was all stoked n stuff.  Than came my enevitable luck.  Nothing downloads now, not even Lost s3e4. 

My log says stuff like:

[17:30:08]  84.229.218.98   : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:08]  220.255.162.113 : Connecting: port 22107
[17:30:10]  82.194.34.217   : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:10]  201.32.169.38   : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:10]  82.168.71.4     : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:10]  70.173.180.220  : Connecting: port 11709
[17:30:10]  74.134.238.147  : Connecting: port 15213
[17:30:10]  24.207.24.175   : Connecting: port 39696
[17:30:11]  143.238.255.213 : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:11]  201.29.0.117    : Connecting: port 9691
[17:30:12]  68.39.183.7     : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:12]  125.236.146.162 : Connecting: port 12155
[17:30:13]  62.150.124.159  : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:13]  86.108.91.8     : Disconnect: Peer error: offline (timed out)
[17:30:13]  60.49.64.131    : Connecting: port 8244
[17:30:13]  82.250.88.137   : Connecting: port 28539

The trackers will say stuff like Working... Offline (timed out) Cannot connect because host actively refused your connection and so on.  THe file has 270 seeders and 1900 peers, and hasn't downloaded but .1% since this morning.  I'm sad, and in need of consolation and help. 

[Latro]

who's your ISP?

[Labyrinthine]

Yeah, sounds like your ISP is watching you.

Try changing your torrent port?

[Jedakiah]

I havn't tried changing my port.  Will changing it throw my ISP for a loop?

My ISP is MontanaSky

[Latro]

It can... They may notice the high bandwidth you've been using and blocked those ports...

Or, they could be even smarter, and be blocking the packets... Then you've got a larger challenge on your hands

[Jedakiah]

Would changing my mac addy and thus my IP fix that?

[Latro]

I'm not sure... Did changing the ports not work? 

It would be worth a try... You should see if they have any thing talking about excessive bandwidth use in their TOS.

See, you may be costing them money with all the file transfers...

[Labyrinthine]

Yeah, if you're going to be torrenting very heavily, or just downloading a bunch make sure to change (if you can) the port that the client is using to get the stuff.

When you do that it looks like you are doing a whole bunch of heavy downloading but it could be related to anything. But when you leave it as one port, they are almost guaranteed you're torrenting.

[Jakestaby]

Tunnel it through a different port.  That's the easiest thing to do.  As far as changing your IP address...  Do you have a router?  If so, what kind?

[Jedakiah]

Thank you guys for your continued help. 

Last night I changed my port and unblocked it.  Download 5% (300mb).  But this morning everything is "Offline (timed out)". It won't even let me upload anymore.  I know 13 different trackers didn't all at the same time go offline.  So it must be my ISP. 

MontanaSky's Policy has an "EXCESSIVE BANDWIDTH OR DISK UTILIZATION" section.  To me it sounds like they are refering to web hosting, maybe not though?  Could you scroll down to that section and tell me what you think? 

And Jake, I have a craptastic Linksys. 

EDIT: BTW, I forgot to tell you when I turn off "log peer traffic" in my log, this is the only thing it ever tells me "[09:41:25]  Unable to map UPnP Port".  Obviously the time changes... 

I have again changed my port settings and it seems to work again, I assume that after 300mb it will stop.  What will I have to do as a permanent solution if my craptastic provider is whats killing me?

[Latro]

It does seem like they're talking about websites, but you're also using a small ISP who is probably purchasing bandwidth from a larger ISP in the area...  This makes them much more likely to watch how much of the bandwidth you are using...

[Jedakiah]

Hmm, I have debated switching to CenturyTel (the people they buy bandwidth from...).  Centurytel often has better pings inspite of the fact that my current provider takes the shortest routes by comparison.  I will think on it a bit and talk to my parents. 

Unless, there is somethign I can do to bypass this annoyance. 

[Jakestaby]

There is a UPnP option in your router.  I think it's under Administration.  Is that turned on?

[Jedakiah]

OMG, I must check th at when I get back home.  I will cry if the solution is that simple, seriously Jake I will weep. 

[Latro]

Ahh yes, that makes a huge difference...