I Need To Block Bittorrents From One Of My Computers

Hi all,

I got some people renting the basement, who share an internet connection with me via a Linksys router, and they told me they use bittorrent. I'm not sure whether this slows my connection to the internet, but I'm pretty sure it does affect it, as I've been getting a lot of timeouts lately, meaning I need to reset my router (unplug & replug the power) in order to reset the connection.

My question is, how do I block them from using bittorrent? Short of booting them out. I would like to only block their computers from using it, but I'd like to use it.

 

Kill them.

 

Ask them nicely to use it less frequently or threaten to cut them off entirely.

I'm sure there's also a way to make it so they only get half the download speeds you do.

 

Arrrrr, lock down the ports in your router.

 

If you have a recent linksys router, you can lockout certain ports for specific ip addresses.

 

Alternatively, your router might have an option for port forwarding, which is sort of the reverse of Nick's solution. Basically, that means that incoming traffic on port ranges will only be forward to certain IPs. I know this is what I had to do on my router to enable Bittorrent, forwarding it to my laptop's IP.

By the way, it will certainly slow you down. I know that, at home, when downloading a torrent, even at the settings recommended for my connection speed, the page loads and downloads will drop down into Dialup territory for my folks' computer, but my connection's pretty shitty.

Anyway, the polite thing to do would be to ask them to ask you if they can start grabbing a torrent - simply give the reason that it kills your connection. If they aren't so curteous, then start blocking the shit out of them - they ain't payin'.

Actually, if, in the terms of the agreement that I pray you had them sign, you said that you'd provide internet access included in rent and did not specificially say that they couldn't use services like Bittorrent, I wouldn't recommend blocking them - I think that'd constitute a breach of contract.

 

Yeah, what Kyle said, is the internet access one of the things that you agreed to when you rented them the basement? If so, cutting them off is an arsey thing to do.

SImply tell tell them that they are killing your connection. Maybe set up some kind of deal where torrents are only run by anyone between certain times?

 

Of course it will slow the connection. I'm just glad that in our house, I'm the only one who uses it and the tenants are too old to know that their 'free' wireless 'net could be so much faster

 

Scorponok - Depending on your ISP, you could also lose your internet connection entirely if you exceed your monthly bandwith allowance. I received a nasty phone call from Rogers once because I exceeded my bandwith two months in a row after using eMule to download some, er, non-copyrighted material...

 

Agreed, easiest way is to lock down all non-essential ports on your router. If you want to keep them from using it but leave it enabled for your own use (you slimey bugger you) choose an arbitrary port and allow it to be open there - a high one like 50000+, which you can then configure bittorrent to use. The only question then becomes if they are savy enough to use a port scanner to determine the access point, but most casual users won't know about that.

 

Well, my internet speed seems to be down to dial-up speeds now, so something must be done.

I think the easiest solution would be to cut off their internet entirely while I'm using it. I could just pass it off as a technical problem. I couldn't care less if they are using it when I'm not around, but since there is no way of checking when they are or aren't using it (besides actually paying them a visit, which violates even more tenant-landlord laws) they could always deny using the program.

So, how exactly do I go about cutting off their wireless? The first thing I could think of was to change the network key on them, and then change it back later.

Thanks for all the help.

 

Changing the key would just stop them using it, but it would still show up as online so they would know you changed it.
Oh and that would be breach of contract, so they could sue you.

 

If they're using Azureus, newer versions come with an auto-throttle that adjusts the maximum download and upload speeds to as to not choke the network bandwidth. I use this to maximize my torrenting while still being able to reliably surf.

 

LMAO! Well, I just did it, and now the internet is as fast as it's suppose to be!

Yeah, it's a pretty medieval tactic, but it'll work for now. The problem is there are other tenants in the next house over that use this too. It's an older couple who use the internet infrequently, but I can always tell they are surfing or doing email because the lights in the den are on. (They live right in the house beside this one.) What this means is I'm going to have to switch the network key back to what it is originally whenever I see them, before they get a chance to walk over here and tell me their computer isn't working. :flow2:

What I would LIKE to see happen is a way to block the bittorrent ports, but allow other stuff like internet surfing and MMORPGing to take place when I'm on the computer. I like to download perfectly legal torrents as much as the next fella, and I really don't mind them downloading torrents, as long as it doesn't inconvenience ME when I'm playing games or productively surfing the internet.

The problem is, isn't bittorrent designed to try and get bandwidth from as many ports as possible? If it is, then it would eventually take over the ports that my MMO uses and my connection will be shit again.

And Ramen, I have no idea what they are using for a bittorrent client, so I don't see myself going down and configuring it for them.

 

There also always Fon. They have cheap ass but reliable routers that create two WLANs: a private one for you (secured by a passphrase) and a public one that you can throttle. Seems to be the perfect solution for you

 

"Technical Difficulties" because you're using torrents.

 

You can also type up a very professional looking letter from the MPAA threatening legal prosecution for whoever has been downloading copyrighted material and mail it to your own address.

 

Call the RIAA...and tip them off.

 

Or you can just tell them that no contract allows illegal behavior and if they want to use bittorrent, tough.

 

Bittorrent isn't illegal Nick....

 

Have you ever used it for something legal?

Be honest now.

 

It's not exactly illegal in Canada either. With the government collecting a CD tax for the RIAA and all. There is a surcharge on DVDs as well, but I'm not sure whether this goes to the RIAA or MPAA.

 

1. Make sure your routers admin settings have a password.

2. Block bt torrents heading to their pc's (or forward them to your pc).

I had to cut off my roommate in this fashion as he would leave 10+ bittorrents running 24/7. The way bt clients constantly search for new peers and create an assload of connections WILL slow you down. My router even has packet priority, and setting bt packets to the very lowest didn't fix all the lag/timeout issues. Basically bittorrent is bad news for anything but single-user environments OR places with some seriously badass infrastructure.


This is also why you offer to buy the router when you move into a new apt with roomates.

 

World of Warcraft patch downloads use blizzard downloader which is a bittorrent system.

 

But what it's used for 95% of the time is.

 

There are tons and tons of perfectly legal torrents. You can spend a lifetime just watching and listening to them without ever pirating anything. And working is a given anyway with all the open source stuff.

 

Talking about real BT.

 

A lot of videos, legit ones, such as Systm (is that still around?) and Hack TV, to say nothing of Linux distros, are distributed by BT. I believe UT2k4's patches are distributed via BT as well.

 

All the time. Freeware, shareware, titles recorded under fair use policies (ie broadcast on the air waves).

Now I use it all the time for illegal stuff too, but that doesn't make the program itself illegal.

 

That is real BT. They paid the guy who invented it for the tech. Just cuz they repackaged the frontend doesn't mean it isn't bittorrent.

That's like saying uTorrent or Azuerus isn't real bt. No one except a huge moron uses the offical bittorrent client.