Author Topic: question about internet connection and poor upload speeds.... (Read 7108 times)

mikesalvo · « **on:** January 22, 2011, 01:03:08 PM »

So, I have my main PC in my spare room. It rarely ever gets used, however my primary internet connection is routed through that computer. When downloading torrents, I get very good download AND upload speeds for downloading, and then seeding of torrents when those DL's are done.

The computer I use most is my MacBook Pro, and it is located in the next room, no more than 15 ft. away. My internet connection for this computer is wireless (linksys router connected to previously mentioned PC). I get decent download speeds, but VERY little to No upload speed (mostly nothing). Ive tried the obvious sources of info (port forward, live chat with both my internet provider, and linksys) and I have hit a wall. I just can seem to get good upload speed from my MacBook. I believe my ports are configured to what they should be.

Does anyone have any info that may be able to help speed me up/port configuration? thanks so much!

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #1 on:** January 22, 2011, 03:54:48 PM »

What type of torrent are you using? uTorrent/etc

Are you creating the torrents w/ the same program

mikesalvo · « **Reply #2 on:** January 22, 2011, 04:39:45 PM »

I am using tomato torrent and i am not talking about torrents Ive created, Im talking about just torrents I download from random sites (etree etc...)

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #3 on:** January 22, 2011, 05:40:22 PM »

What does your laptop say the signal strenght is from your linksys router? Are you 100% SURE your ports are forwarded correctly?

Patrick · « **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2011, 05:57:09 PM »

I had the same issue with a Linksys wrt54g router (hardwired to desktop, wifi to laptop) even though my ports were forwarded correctly. It took me turning off firewalls using DMZ mode to get torrents to work correctly. Of course, this leaves your computers vulnerable and is not recommended. I only used this configuration for a few weeks until I moved and got a new router (airport express). Haven't had any problems since then.

mikesalvo · « **Reply #5 on:** January 22, 2011, 06:41:30 PM »

Quote from: Patrick on January 22, 2011, 05:57:09 PM

I had the same issue with a Linksys wrt54g router (hardwired to desktop, wifi to laptop) even though my ports were forwarded correctly. It took me turning off firewalls using DMZ mode to get torrents to work correctly. Of course, this leaves your computers vulnerable and is not recommended. I only used this configuration for a few weeks until I moved and got a new router (airport express). Haven't had any problems since then.

this is exactly the router I have. Maybe its time to switch it up......

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #6 on:** January 22, 2011, 06:44:52 PM »

Yeah thats the same router we have, but we dont Dl torrents on the laptop so......

OFOTD · « **Reply #7 on:** January 22, 2011, 11:15:47 PM »

You'd be wasting money getting rid of your router for a simple problem. Instead put a better firmware on the router in place of the stock Linksys firmware.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index

Download the latest stable release v24 SP1 (Build10020) and flash your router with it. DD-WRT is a replacement firmware for many routers but especially the WRT54G/GS.

It will fix the torrent problems as well as give you a ton of new settings and options for your router. I will never get rid of my DD-WRT flashed Linksys until I have absolutely no more G or B devices.

Seriously it will be like you have a new and improved badass router.

rastasean · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2011, 11:21:26 PM »

OFOTD has a lot of good points here BUT if you're wanting a new router, let me take this one off your hands.

mikesalvo · « **Reply #9 on:** January 23, 2011, 09:53:51 AM »

Sick OFTD! I'm gonna give that a try and report back. Sean if this doesnt work i may sell this one. Just know that it would be useless for torrents (uploading). It works GREAT for everything else on our house (laptops, iPad, ipod touch, Wii, etc....)

SmokinJoe · « **Reply #10 on:** January 25, 2011, 01:01:47 PM »

Before you buy anything, I'd suggest you double check the basic networking and port forwarding stuff one more time. If the laptop can wirelessly surf the web, then it has a good connection, and replacing the router shouldn't be necessary.

Are your network devices within the house DHCP? Sometimes that makes for a moving target. With DHCP the router hands out ip addresses when computers ask for them, but there is no easy way to make sure you get the same address every time. When you set up port forwarding, if your laptop is 192.168.1.3, and then you reboot everything and next time it is 192.168.1.4, that won't work. The standard solution is to use static addresses.

If the desktop listens for torrents on port 6181 (I think that's a typical one), then the laptop can't listen on the same port. Jump to another whole range, not just 6182, go with something completely different like 14152. So one range points to the desktop and one range points to the laptop. Obviously in the torrent client settings they have to match those addresses.

If you do that, and that doesn't work, then I would do the following (some geek factor required)... this will test of the laptop is listening on the listening port you think it is. Open a shell on the desktop and type "telnet <laptop address> <laptop's torrent listening port>" like "telnet 192.168.1.4 49152". If you get something like "connection refused" you still have a bad setting on the laptop because the laptop is refusing the connection that a torrent would try. If it connects for a little while and then goes away, then I would say the laptop is fine.

twatts (pants are so over-rated...) · « **Reply #11 on:** January 25, 2011, 01:33:52 PM »

Quote from: rastasean on January 22, 2011, 11:21:26 PM

OFOTD has a lot of good points here BUT if you're wanting a new router, let me take this one off your hands.

I might have a router at home you can buy for dirt cheap... I bought it at Tiger Direct last year, then decided to do somethine else and it was too late to returnit... I'll PM you the model number when I get home from work...

Terry

tim in jersey · « **Reply #12 on:** January 25, 2011, 02:02:33 PM »

Quote from: OFOTD on January 22, 2011, 11:15:47 PM

You'd be wasting money getting rid of your router for a simple problem. Instead put a better firmware on the router in place of the stock Linksys firmware.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index

Download the latest stable release v24 SP1 (Build10020) and flash your router with it. DD-WRT is a replacement firmware for many routers but especially the WRT54G/GS.

It will fix the torrent problems as well as give you a ton of new settings and options for your router. I will never get rid of my DD-WRT flashed Linksys until I have absolutely no more G or B devices.

Seriously it will be like you have a new and improved badass router.

I prefer Tomato myself. http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

rastasean · « **Reply #13 on:** January 25, 2011, 03:44:20 PM »

fwiw, I don't have to forward any ports at my router to allow bittorrents to work.

SmokinJoe · « **Reply #14 on:** January 26, 2011, 12:52:17 PM »

Quote from: rastasean on January 25, 2011, 03:44:20 PM

fwiw, I don't have to forward any ports at my router to allow bittorrents to work.

Without ports forwarded people can't connect to your computer... you can initiate a connection to them, but if they are trying to connect to you, you can't/won't answer. In this situation you can download torrents easily because you are reaching out to them, but if you are trying to seed a new torrent from scratch, it won't work, or it will work miserably.

Disclaimer... this was certainly the case a few years ago. It's possible that UPnP and new trackers have changed this, but not that I haven't heard of it.

taperj · « **Reply #15 on:** January 26, 2011, 01:23:00 PM »

Another option:

http://openwrt.org/

rastasean · « **Reply #16 on:** January 26, 2011, 03:25:48 PM »

Quote from: SmokinJoe on January 26, 2011, 12:52:17 PM

Quote from: rastasean on January 25, 2011, 03:44:20 PM
fwiw, I don't have to forward any ports at my router to allow bittorrents to work.

Without ports forwarded people can't connect to your computer... you can initiate a connection to them, but if they are trying to connect to you, you can't/won't answer. In this situation you can download torrents easily because you are reaching out to them, but if you are trying to seed a new torrent from scratch, it won't work, or it will work miserably.

Disclaimer... this was certainly the case a few years ago. It's possible that UPnP and new trackers have changed this, but not that I haven't heard of it.

Things must have changed...

I have 7 active torrents all with over a gig uploaded and one as high as 6 gigs.

I'm using qbittorrent on ubuntun with a netget wr614v9 router.

Try turning your ports off and see if downloads can still occur.

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #17 on:** January 26, 2011, 05:15:27 PM »

Quote from: OFOTD on January 22, 2011, 11:15:47 PM

You'd be wasting money getting rid of your router for a simple problem. Instead put a better firmware on the router in place of the stock Linksys firmware.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index

Download the latest stable release v24 SP1 (Build10020) and flash your router with it. DD-WRT is a replacement firmware for many routers but especially the WRT54G/GS.

It will fix the torrent problems as well as give you a ton of new settings and options for your router. I will never get rid of my DD-WRT flashed Linksys until I have absolutely no more G or B devices.

Seriously it will be like you have a new and improved badass router.

Do you have a direct link

I have version 5 FWIW. That page you linked is confusing the hell out of me

SmokinJoe · « **Reply #18 on:** January 26, 2011, 05:19:48 PM »

Quote from: rastasean on January 26, 2011, 03:25:48 PM

Quote from: SmokinJoe on January 26, 2011, 12:52:17 PM
Quote from: rastasean on January 25, 2011, 03:44:20 PM
fwiw, I don't have to forward any ports at my router to allow bittorrents to work.

Without ports forwarded people can't connect to your computer... you can initiate a connection to them, but if they are trying to connect to you, you can't/won't answer. In this situation you can download torrents easily because you are reaching out to them, but if you are trying to seed a new torrent from scratch, it won't work, or it will work miserably.

Disclaimer... this was certainly the case a few years ago. It's possible that UPnP and new trackers have changed this, but not that I haven't heard of it.

Things must have changed...

I have 7 active torrents all with over a gig uploaded and one as high as 6 gigs.

I'm using qbittorrent on ubuntun with a netget wr614v9 router.

Try turning your ports off and see if downloads can still occur.

I did a little more reading...

The torrent protocol didn't change, it's just that routers changed to allow you to be sloppy/lazy. You are probably forwarding ports whether you realize it or not because your computer (via the magic of "universal Plug and Play") asked the router to do it on your behalf. You may think "Oh, that's slick", but UPnP is a huge security risk. If your torrent program can ask your router to open a port without you realizing it, than probably a virus can do it too.

Anyway, it may work automagically in your house, but if other folks have UPnP turned off for security reasons, they will have to configure it manually.

OFOTD · « **Reply #19 on:** January 26, 2011, 05:28:22 PM »

Quote from: Bean on January 26, 2011, 05:15:27 PM

Do you have a direct link I have version 5 FWIW. That page you linked is confusing the hell out of me

http://www.dd-wrt.com/routerdb/de/download/Linksys/WRT54G/v5.0/dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin/282

Bean that is the current STABLE release and works on v5 and v5.1 of your router.

Go into your router setup menu 192.168.1.1 and where is allows you to upgrade the firmware use the new DD-WRT .bin file i've linked to above.

Here is the direct link to your router version: http://dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G_v5.0_%26_5.1_%26_6.0 Read it first!

DD-WRT, Tomato and a couple of others all for the most part do the same thing. 95% of all the new options you'll probably never use but are nice to have there. 3rd party firmware is a HUGE upgrade for the Linksys routers and help with torrent traffic. I'd bet the OP's problem will be solved with this firmware.

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #20 on:** January 26, 2011, 05:42:58 PM »

Quote from: OFOTD on January 26, 2011, 05:28:22 PM

Quote from: Bean on January 26, 2011, 05:15:27 PM
Do you have a direct link I have version 5 FWIW. That page you linked is confusing the hell out of me

http://www.dd-wrt.com/routerdb/de/download/Linksys/WRT54G/v5.0/dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin/282

Bean that is the current STABLE release and works on v5 and v5.1 of your router.

Go into your router setup menu 192.168.1.1 and where is allows you to upgrade the firmware use the new DD-WRT .bin file i've linked to above.

Here is the direct link to your router version: http://dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G_v5.0_%26_5.1_%26_6.0 Read it first!

DD-WRT, Tomato and a couple of others all for the most part do the same thing. 95% of all the new options you'll probably never use but are nice to have there. 3rd party firmware is a HUGE upgrade for the Linksys routers and help with torrent traffic. I'd bet the OP's problem will be solved with this firmware.

Thanks ALOT David +T. Im still a bit nervous about updating it because its worked perfectly for me since day 1

OFOTD · « **Reply #21 on:** January 26, 2011, 05:50:54 PM »

Quote from: Bean on January 26, 2011, 05:42:58 PM

Thanks ALOT David +T. Im still a bit nervous about updating it because its worked perfectly for me since day 1

Bean if it ain't broke.......

These 3rd party firmwares biggest benefit is that they are just current. Linksys hasn't put out a firmware update in several years for most of their routers. Additionally the amount of configurable settings will blow your mind. One of the more popular is the ability to set the broadcast strength of your wireless router. Imagine being able to adjust the gain to your own liking. 3rd party firmware does that.

Linksys and several other popular routers had a problem identified a few years back (sorry can't find the link) that in a nut shell makes the router unable to handle large amounts of certain information. Bit Torrent was the main catalyst to this finding. You'd download and upload just fine then all of a sudden things would come to a halt. You'd either have to unplug and cycle the router or you'd have to wait an undetermined amount of time for it to resolve itself. DD-WRT is one firmware that fixed the throughput problem.

Upgrading your firmware is super easy. Pretty well documented with the positives as well as the possible problems. Take all of 3-4 minutes and you'll never look back.

Fried Chicken Boy · « **Reply #22 on:** January 29, 2011, 04:49:19 PM »

I have to agree with SmokinJoe in that configuring your computer for a static IP address in conjunction with port forwarding is pretty important to get solid uploading speeds when torrenting. It was the single best thing I did for my system and then everything seemed to fall into place after that. Check out PortForward.com > http://portforward.com/. A great resource and it can walk you through setting up a static IP and port forwarding on a lot of common routers.

PatrickRose · « **Reply #23 on:** February 26, 2011, 03:06:12 AM »

I have photon with 4 mbps speed but still my PC behaves very slow i think it's all about torrent down loader..tell me someone any solutions..