How to Block BitTorrent Ports

Bit Torrent is often associated with illegal file sharing.

Bit Torrent is a popular file sharing protocol that relies on bandwidth sharing between users to get a file out as fast as possible instead of the bandwidth of a single server. Bit Torrent, unless told otherwise, always tries to use every bit of available bandwidth. If you are sharing a home network or managing a small business, your Internet service will become bogged down if Bit Torrent is running unchecked. By blocking the standard range of network ports used by Bit Torrent you can eliminate the traffic completely and relieve your network congestion.

Instructions

1. Connect to your router or network firewall through a Web browser. The exact address depends on your network configuration. If you used the defaults then it will vary by manufacturer. Common default IP addresses are 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. You may need a password or other login information.

2. Look for a section on security, port forwarding or other advanced configuration settings in the Web interface for your router. You may need to consult the manufacturer's documentation for your router or firewall.

3. Add the standard range of BitTorrent ports to the list of blocked ports. BitTorrent uses ports 6881 through 6999 in TCP for clients and the trackers (the server hosting the Torrent) uses port 6969. If you block the entire range along with the server port it will cut out most, if not all, of the BitTorrent network traffic.

Tips & Warnings

• Most BitTorrent trackers and clients use the default ports. However, they can be configured to use other ports and defeat your firewall. One method to stop traffic on non-standard ports is to block all ports except the ones you need such as port 80 for HTTP or Web access and maintain a whitelist. Otherwise, you will need to monitor your network and see what ports are being used for BitTorrent traffic.

References

• BitTorrent FAQ: What Ports Does BitTorrent Use?

Resources

• BitTorrent: Main Site