READ ALSO -> Alternative programs to uTorrent to download Torrent
What does P2P mean and what is BitTorrent?
The meaning of a Peer To Peer or P2P network is that of a connection between computers that share files and can exchange them, without going through a central node. Through P2P, the same file can be downloaded to my PC by downloading from 10 or more other connected computers, piece by one, piece by another, faster and faster if there are more and more sources.
BitTorrent is the name of the protocol used for exchanging files on the network, while the torrent file is the one that contains the references for downloading a file. Through a BitTorrent client, the torrent file downloaded from the internet opens in order to access the download of the real file, the desired one.
To learn more we can read our guide how Torrent download works and how they download.
After seeing what P2P means and what the BitTorrent protocol is, let’s see together how to best configure uTorrent as a client to quickly download larger files. If we have not yet installed uTorrent on our computer we can fix it by downloading the installation file from the official website.
The free version of the program contains adware and the Opera browser as a sponsor: it is therefore advisable to pay maximum attention during installation and deactivate or reject unnecessary components.
1) Open the ports of the modem
First, open the uTorrent port on the router. The port is a default value of a program, which must then be added to the router to allow that program to send and receive data from the internet; the port used by the uTorrent program is in the path Options -> Settings -> Connection.
The UPnP and NAT options should be left selected, while the random port option should not be enabled. We get the door number from the window and then access the modem configuration panel and, once in the right menu, we open the TCP and UDP port for the IP address where we are by running the uTorrent program. Regarding the port number, it is advisable to avoid using a port within the range 6881-6999; the safest choice is a number in the range 49160-65534.
To learn more about the port forwarding procedure, you can also read our guide How to open the router ports.
2) Set the Windows firewall
In order to download quickly it is necessary that the Windows firewall does not interfere with uTorrent; Fortunately, this setting is automatic and should be enabled during installation, where there is an entry dedicated to adding exceptions for the Windows firewall.
If not, you can check in the Windows Firewall rules. Obviously, if another firewall has been installed on the PC, uTorrent must also be among the exceptions.
3) Adjust the connection limits
To optimize the speed of uTorrent we need to calculate the speed of your internet connection. The most important setting is to tell uTorrent to only use up to 80% of the overall capacity of upload. In fact, if uTorrent used 100% of the upload bandwidth, the downloads would be negatively affected. To proceed then we calculate the speed of the internet using the speedtest.net site and check the upload and download speeds.
Before taking the test, on the speedtest site, click on the top Settings and change the unit of measurement by putting Kbps. Once the speed values for the internet connection have been obtained, open the calculation tool and enter the value obtained (first upload, then download), so as to be able to convert it into KBps (or Kilobyte per second), the value supported within the interface of uTorrent.
After doing this calculation, let’s open uTorrnet, let’s take the path Options -> Settings -> Band and adjust the following fields:
- UL Upload maximum speed: we enter 80% of the upload value.
- Maximum speed DL Download: we enter a value close to 80% of the maximum download speed.
- Maximum number of global connections: 500
- Maximum number of connected peers per torrent: 100
- Number of upload slots per torrent: 4
Following the same system, let’s take the path Settings> Queue and modify the values as follows:
- Maximum number of active downloads: 3
- Maximum number of active torrents: 5
In this way we will get a balanced uTorrent client, ready to download at maximum power up to 3 files at a time and to upload an additional 2 files (at the end of the download).
4) Enable encryption
The encryption was designed primarily to counter interference from internet connection providers, called ISPs or Internet Service Providers, with BitTorrent. To activate this level of security, let’s take the path Options> Settings> BitTorrent.
In the window that will open by changing the option on Outbound protocol encryption, setting it to Forced. If we are afraid of being spied or intercepted, we can also block unencrypted incoming connections (by removing the check of the same name), but in this way we risk losing many additional connections.
Conclusions
With these simple tricks we will be able to download quickly from uTorrent, without completely compromising the Internet line. The files will be downloaded at a higher speed, but a lot also depends on the file we are downloading: if there are not many complete sources (seeds) between the connections, the speed could be affected. For example, if for a Torrent there are 30 seeders and 70 peers, the ratio is 30% and the download will be faster than one with 500 seeders and 2500 peers (20% ratio).
To learn more we can also read our guides Download torrents without keeping your PC on: all alternatives or The best apps to download torrent files from Android.