Topic: BitTorrent issues w/ AT&T DSL?

[phanophish]

I've been  a happy AT&T DSL customer for many years, but have started seeing some issues with torrents and want some feedback from others.

Here's the scoop...

I'm on their "Pro DSL" service.  Speeds are supposed to be Up to 3.0 Mbps Down and Up to 512 Kbps upload.  I'm seeing my torrents max out at around 35-40k up.  I've got all  my ports correctly forwarded & no bandwidth restrictions on uTorrent.  I also use some other applications for large file xfers.  Most notable is Mozy for online backup.  Typically when I'm running Mozy I'll see upload speeds to their servers hitting the 330-350k range which is about what I would expect.  If I have a concurrent torrent session going I never see above the 35-40k upstream speed.  Shutting down the concurrent Mozy upload has no impact on the speed of the torrent uploads.  I also notice that when running a torrent, all of my internet access seems to degrade noticeably, but with the Mozy upload running (using significantly more bandwidth) the browsing speed is still good.  I'm kind of stumped, I can't find any solid reports of AT&T throttling torrents but can't really come up with any other explanation of the slowdown.  Any ideas?  I feel like I am missing something.

[Brian Skalinder]

Make sure to check your units.  1 KB/s = 8 kbps.  So an upload limit of 512 kbps = 64 KB/s.  IME, 35-40 KB/s upload speeds aren't outside the realm of normal upload speeds when capped at 64 KB/s.  In my house, I usually get closer to 50 KB/s, but in my old apt I got 35-40 KB/s.  Depends on a slew of factors, but basically I think your speeds are in the neighborhood of what to expect.

The 330 - 350 you see with Mozy is probably kbps, while the ~35-40 you see with BT is probably KB/s.  40 KB/s = 320 kbps, so your speeds really are the same for both Mozy and BT.

Edit to add:  with no bandwidth restrictions on uTorrent (or any BT client, for that matter, in my experience), BT will eat up ALL the u/l bandwidth, which will have a negative effect on your d/l performance.  Best to reserve 5-10 KB/s of u/l bandwidth - restrict uTorrent to, say, 35 KB/s - if you want to d/l while uploading via BT.

[flipp]

I also have the Pro service and I agree with Brian, you are getting what AT&T would call acceptable speeds. I live a half block from the CO so I should get as good a speed as can be gotten. Remember to allow about 15% "overhead" that you'll never see so your 3.0 will never be over 2.6 in actuality. My dl is usually in the 2.45 -2.55 Mbps range and my upload with nothing else running averages 45-50Kbps with the occassional burst in the low 50s. You can also check your dl and ul rates at one of the many speed testing sites. I'm partial to the one at http://www.internetfrog.com/mypc/speedtest/ because it also reports on quality of service and roundtrip time. This morning the rt is about average but the QOS is way down which has reduced my speeds about 10% from average.

[edtyre]

I have Business DSL here at work. My cap is 75k and i NEVER
get anything over 45k upload. Mine uploads right in that 35-45k range.

[phanophish]

The thing that is odd is I used to see much higher speed up.  I would typically get around 75-100k up and as much as 150k at times.  That's why I'm so puzzled by things now.  It's also strange to me that when the torrents seems capped at around 35-40k I still have lots of bandwidth available since the Mozy client will still be uploading at around 200+250k.

[Brian Skalinder]

Phano  --  I'm confused by the following seemingly contradictory statements in your original and follow-up posts:

Typically when I'm running Mozy I'll see upload speeds to their servers hitting the 330-350k range which is about what I would expect.  If I have a concurrent torrent session going I never see above the 35-40k upstream speed.

It's also strange to me that when the torrents seems capped at around 35-40k I still have lots of bandwidth available since the Mozy client will still be uploading at around 200+250k.

These two statements seem in conflict to me.  Both cases cover running BT + Mozy.  In both cases, BT u/ls at 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s), but in one case (the original post) Mozy simultaneously u/ls at 35 - 40 kbps (4 - 5 KB/s), while in the other case (your follow-up post) Mozy simultaneously u/ls at 200 - 250 kbps (25 - 31 KB/s).

Regarding your original post, with a different take on my response than before, here's what I gather (assuming the original post re concurrent Mozy/BT activity is accurate):

• Mozy reports speeds in kbps, while BT reports speeds in KB/s.
• Running Mozy alone yields u/l speeds of 330 - 350 kbps (41 - 44 KB/s).
• Running Mozy + BT concurrently yields Mozy u/l speeds of 35 - 40 kbps (4 - 5 KB/s) and BT u/l speeds of 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s), for a grand total of 315 - 360 kbps (39 - 45 KB/s)
• Runnin BT alone yields u/l speeds of 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s)

This all makes sense to me.  Your u/l is capped at 512 kbps (64 KB/s).  Your total actual u/l speeds hover in the 320 - 360 kbps (40 - 45 KB/s) pretty consistently, whether you're running just Mozy, Mozy + BT, or just BT.  Seems like BT is a little slower when running alone, but that's not terribly surprising to me since the overhead may be higher due to multiple leeches pulling data simultaneously.  Taking into account overhead, those u/l speeds some reasonable.

The thing that is odd is I used to see much higher speed up.  I would typically get around 75-100k up and as much as 150k at times.

Are we talking kbps or KB/s?  With what app(s)?  Have you always been on their "Pro" level of service?  Did your ISP change their service levels at some point?

[phanophish]

Phano  --  I'm confused by the following seemingly contradictory statements in your original and follow-up posts:

Typically when I'm running Mozy I'll see upload speeds to their servers hitting the 330-350k range which is about what I would expect.  If I have a concurrent torrent session going I never see above the 35-40k upstream speed.

It's also strange to me that when the torrents seems capped at around 35-40k I still have lots of bandwidth available since the Mozy client will still be uploading at around 200+250k.

These two statements seem in conflict to me.  Both cases cover running BT + Mozy.  In both cases, BT u/ls at 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s), but in one case (the original post) Mozy simultaneously u/ls at 35 - 40 kbps (4 - 5 KB/s), while in the other case (your follow-up post) Mozy simultaneously u/ls at 200 - 250 kbps (25 - 31 KB/s).

Regarding your original post, with a different take on my response than before, here's what I gather (assuming the original post re concurrent Mozy/BT activity is accurate):

• Mozy reports speeds in kbps, while BT reports speeds in KB/s.
• Running Mozy alone yields u/l speeds of 330 - 350 kbps (41 - 44 KB/s).
• Running Mozy + BT concurrently yields Mozy u/l speeds of 35 - 40 kbps (4 - 5 KB/s) and BT u/l speeds of 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s), for a grand total of 315 - 360 kbps (39 - 45 KB/s)
• Runnin BT alone yields u/l speeds of 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s)

This all makes sense to me.  Your u/l is capped at 512 kbps (64 KB/s).  Your total actual u/l speeds hover in the 320 - 360 kbps (40 - 45 KB/s) pretty consistently, whether you're running just Mozy, Mozy + BT, or just BT.  Seems like BT is a little slower when running alone, but that's not terribly surprising to me since the overhead may be higher due to multiple leeches pulling data simultaneously.  Taking into account overhead, those u/l speeds some reasonable.

The thing that is odd is I used to see much higher speed up.  I would typically get around 75-100k up and as much as 150k at times.

Are we talking kbps or KB/s?  With what app(s)?  Have you always been on their "Pro" level of service?  Did your ISP change their service levels at some point?

To clarify, these are numbers from tonight....

    * Mozy reports speeds in kbps, while BT reports speeds in KB/s.
    * Running Mozy alone yields u/l speeds of 330 - 350 kbps (41 - 44 KB/s).
    * Running Mozy + BT concurrently yields Mozy u/l speeds of 200 - 250 kbps (25 - 31 KB/s) and BT u/l speeds of 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s), for a grand total of 480 - 570 kbps (60 - 70 KB/s)
    * Runnin BT alone yields u/l speeds of 280 - 320 kbps (35 - 40 KB/s)

I just curious why I'm not seeing torrent upload speeds ever get above that 40KB (320kbps) threshold when I have the bandwidth there when running torrent and Mozy concurrently.  I used to regularly see numbers in the 60-70 KB (500kbps +) range on torrents. 



UPDATE - I may have found the issue, it looks like I was bumped down to the "Express" level of service at some point.  Their specs state up to 384 Kbps up.  I've put in the order to move to the "Elite" which is supposed to be 768 Kbps up which is much closer to where I thought things were before.  I'll finally have some upstream BW to push torrents and backups.  I so wish FIOS were an option.

Thanks for setting me straight.  I do this stuff all day long and get home it seems my brain is fried.  +Ts all around!