BitTorrent/Azureus/etc Kills my Connection

O

offtone

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
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I have a 6mB/800kB connection through a Toshiba PCX2600 modem, spread to four computers (three wired, one wireless laptop) with a Linksys WRT54G v2 router (firmware's up to date). After about an hour or so of running Azureus/BitTorrent/uTorrent/etc., the connection slows until eventually all I get are timeouts on all the computers. The computer using the P2P program has the TCPIP.sys patch applied, and all necessary ports are open.

Oddly, uTorrent's port-checking tool is saying the port isn't open (http://utorrent.com/testport.php?port=65532). It's being forwarded in my router's settings and through Windows Firewall, so why uTorrent.com can't get in, I have no idea.

I've done a fair bit of reading, and I'm thinking now that it might be that my modem is being a piece of crap. However, that port thing is odd and I'm wondering if maybe that has something to do with it...

Any suggestions at all would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Assuming all PCs are going through the Linksys...

did you change the number of concurrent connections? If not, change the number of concurrent connections in uTorrent to something like 40...else you are slowly overloading your router.
 
Actually, I just found this. I've been searching all day and only just decided to try utorrent's forums (Azureus doesn't seem to have forums, and it was the client I'd been using during all this, up until an hour or so ago when I gave uTorrent a shot). This link was in a sticky at the top of the forums, grabbing the attention of all WRT54G router users... http://utorrent.com/faq.php#Special_note_for_users_with_Linksys_WRT54G_GL_GS_routers

I've uploaded the fancy new firmware, given it the startup script thing, and now I play the waiting game. Here's hoping my connection stays alive!
 
If the new firmware doesn't work, try setting the PC you are torrenting from as the DMZ in the router setup. Doing that is somewhat of a security risk, so you might want to get a better firewall than the Windows one, but should fix any problems.

Other options might be that your ISP is throttling you if they see heavy BT traffic.
 
I've got it running right now and things seem alright so far. Not sure that's anything new, though.

If it still crashes, I'll try the DMZ thing. What is that, exactly?

As for my ISP throttling me... That'd piss me off a bit. Heh. It's a pretty big line, and my purchasing it should suggest I plan to make use of it for more than just checking e-mail at blazing speeds :p

I'll post back in a few hours (if I still can ;))
 
offtone said:
Actually, I just found this. I've been searching all day and only just decided to try utorrent's forums (Azureus doesn't seem to have forums, and it was the client I'd been using during all this, up until an hour or so ago when I gave uTorrent a shot). This link was in a sticky at the top of the forums, grabbing the attention of all WRT54G router users... http://utorrent.com/faq.php#Special_note_for_users_with_Linksys_WRT54G_GL_GS_routers

I've uploaded the fancy new firmware, given it the startup script thing, and now I play the waiting game. Here's hoping my connection stays alive!
Click to expand...

That will fix the problem. The stock Linksys firmwares for the WRT54Gs were a big problem for me too when I switched routers last year with their small connection pools and massive keep alive periods.

I've been using Hyperwrt-Tofu for a while now with no problems (something like 4096 connections in the open pool, keep alive of hours).
 
The 3rd party firmware will help a little bit...but it's basic math...those older design routers have limited CPUs and memory. P2P software relies on many many MANY concurrent connections to work..it overwhelmes most home grade broadband routers...especially designes more than a year or so old.

Don't DMZ any PCs...that does not change connection limits at all...and only causes more risk..well..not risk..but guaranteed death.. for your PC (as if P2P software wasn't enough)

Going to Hyper-WRT..or better yet..DD-WRT..will gain you a little bit of performance. Adjusting your P2P software to limit connections will help you a little bit.
Going to a beefier new router that has lots more horsepower under the hood will help a lot more....
Building a linux based router on a mid-aged PC with lots RAM will help a lot.

For some reading pleasure ===> http://www.tomsnetworking.com/2006/04/19/which_router_for_p2p/
 
I had the same problem with my GL. I put a new Thibor 1.5+ firmware in there and its running perfectly. I also enjoy the new features that I have received from the upgrade.


Firmware Version: v4.71.1, Hyperwrt 2.1b1 + Thibor15c is what I am running on with my GL 1.1
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Don't DMZ any PCs...that does not change connection limits at all...and only causes more risk..well..not risk..but guaranteed death.. for your PC (as if P2P software wasn't enough)
Going to Hyper-WRT..or better yet..DD-WRT..will gain you a little bit of performance. Adjusting your P2P software to limit connections will help you a little bit.
Going to a beefier new router that has lots more horsepower under the hood will help a lot more....
Click to expand...
Hmm, never had a problem with DMZ in the ~3 years I've been using it. It's no worse than pluggin a cable modem straight into your PC - as long as you have a decent software firewall you'll be fine. Try finding Kerio 2.1.5 for a great free software firewall.

My guess is that it's the firewall-like aspects of NAT and SPI that cause soho routers to choke on p2p connections, and setting a DMZ gets around that issue. I know that it fixed my utorrent/wrt54gv1.1 + DDWRT problems, even after I'd set everything up the way the FAQs said. Maybe it was the 16MB of memory that the 1.1 has that was the issue, but the status page never showed me getting close to running out of memory.
 
Hmm. Well I'm still able to post, so that's good. I don't have a spare box lying around that I could turn into a very expensive, power-hungry router, either. I did find this, though: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...B3ADE234D54F5&sku_id=0665000FS10067260&catid= (Man, FutureShop could stand to implement some URL rewriting). Thoughts on this? Waste of my money? Or would I notice a difference? I do play Counter-Strike, and the promise of better performance there is tempting...
 
Speaking of buying something new...

What do you guys reckon I'd get for a Linksys BEFSR41 ver. 2 and my WRT54G ver. 2 if I sold 'em here on the FS/FT forum? Anything at all?
 
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