Pros: Speed.
Cons: Not free.
Notice: Writing this simply as a general guide. Like it or hate it, it works for me, so figured I'd share.
Issue: 99% of, if not all, ISP's limit torrent traffic by default at the firmware level within the modem/router. Some will say they don't, but they do. It's coded into the routers firewall, so even if you unblock all ports, the router function still filters the packets.
Static IP's are a workaround, a way to bypass the routers firmware restrictions. They cost approximately $15 a month for a block of 5 addresses. You will probably only need one, but they still come in blocks.
Once you have them (usually takes a few days to receive them after placing the order), they will show up in your modems configuration. Select one, choose pass-through, select the mac address of the PC you want unblocked, and apply.
Pass-through does what it says. It passes through ALL traffic to and from the intended device, bypassing the firewall function within the router. You now have a true modem (gateway) for the device you chose.
Note: The router is no longer a layer of protection from the outside, so a good antivirus and firewall should be installed ahead of time on your system.
Issue 2: This does not provide anonymity.
A VPN or SOCKS5, while not required, will likely be wanted.
A VPN will encrypt all traffic so even your ISP can not view it.
A SOCKS5 connection will provide a different IP address to the host. IE, the VPN provider's IP shows up as a peer instead of yours (middleman).
While having a VPN running 24/7 might sound like the best approach, it's impractical for some of us.
Personally I run a VPN when I need to, but always use a SOCKS5 connection for my torrents. qBittorrent for example has an option to enter one so it's automatically applied at program startup.
Tools:
You can check what IP others see by using: https://torguard.net/checkmytorrentipaddress.php
A couple decent no log VPN's:
NordVPN (good for bypassing many European geo-location restrictions)
SurfShark (good if you need many connections/devices, IE 10 emulators running at once)
PrivateVPN (good speed. I use their SOCKS5 and can upload at the full 256 MBps [2 Gbps])
Interestingly I was just thinking about this.
I am somewhat concerned about using my home IP address browsing to torrent sites, even private ones.
I was thinking about using ProtonVPN only in Firefox using the plugin - since I do not want all my internet use to go over a VPN.
Some private sites have rules against using a free VPN, only a paid one. Not sure why. I would pay for ProtonVPN I think.
You definitely should not be hosting torrents on your home connection. Seedboxes are great. Share one with a friend.
Sometimes I use a VPN when downloading a torrent on my computer - but I get really fast speeds, like 10mbps. I haven't had the throttling issue. But I also primarily use a seedbox (and FTP to get data off of it). But thanks for sharing your tips on static IPs. Many will find that useful...
I apologize, was in a pre-work rush when I wrote the original post. I should have clarified I was referring to upload speeds specifically. I've always been able to download at full speed even without a static IP. My upload speeds changed from 80mbps [10MB's] (pre-static) to 2gbps [256MB's] (post-static).
Seedboxes are much safer, but to me it's just like when we were kids playing with fire crackers and the neighbor kid had M-80's, they're not as much fun.
"Static IP's are a workaround, a way to bypass the routers firmware restrictions. They cost approximately $15 a month for a block of 5 addresses. You will probably only need one, but they still come in blocks."
---> So are we saying to employ static IP addys such as those offered on a decent VPN company?
I pay for SURFShark annually and they have static IPs - or am I being slow on this aspect??
Never seen "5 addresses" offered tho...?? - Are you implying to ROTATE these stack of IPs - just as I used to do years back when I regularly used ANON PROXY addresses and software for various online things??
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The static IP's I'm referring to are those offered by your ISP. AT&T, Comcast, Cox, etc.
My current scenario vs my previous:
Unblocked
Providers Static IP -> Providers Modem (passes IP through) -> Personal server running pfsense (equipped with a dual-port nic, acts as a firewall and router) -> Switch -> Endpoint devices
vs
Blocked
Providers Dynamic IP -> Providers Modem (router/firewall) -> Endpoint devices
Surfshark offers a Static IP, but it is different from a Static IP from your internet provider. The VPN static IP can still be restricted by your modem/router. Its purpose is to encrypt your traffic and hide your IP address just like normal VPN function. The difference is, your IP won't change over time (IE, USA server 1 - IP address 123.123.123.1, then USA server 2 - IP address 123.123.123.2, etc.). Some businesses frown upon frequently changing IP addresses for security purposes. If the company you conduct business on behalf of implements these measures, having a Static VPN will keep your spoofed IP the same all of the time, which prevents flagging, but sill protects your traffic.
Hope this make sense, I'm not always the best at descriptions, yet I'll still try.
No - that helps a lot... thx for taking the time... :-) [thumb icon]
I used to be pretty up on web tech protocols as the web was growing but became a little lazy when plasma disc intelligences barged into my reality...
Actually - I just recalled that in the early era of the British net/bandwidth roll-out [when fibre optic speed technology were still in a craft near Roswell] - it was AMERICA ONLINE I believe that had an IP assigning system that differed to all UK ISPs approach...
I forget which way round it was - but there were hacking or whatever legal tech issues caused by an ever-switching assigned user IP address. Not saying the UK authorities couldn't trace "offenders" but it caused some issues in those early - techno niave days... :-)
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