How to Connect With More Peers Using BitTorrent

Most consumer modems and routers come with firewall software built in.

Peer-to-peer networking, such as that provided by BitTorrent, allows for the expedient transfer and sharing of data over public networks. BitTorrent is able to achieve faster speeds since each peer in the network provides chunks of the data, contributing to a whole data set. Of course, for this to function most efficiently, a peer needs to be connectable, or open to the connection requests of other peers. To make your BitTorrent client connectable, you need to open up or forward the necessary ports on your router's firewall or NAT setup.

Things You'll Need

• Administrator Account Access

Instructions

1. Acquire your computer's local IP address. For Microsoft Windows, click "Start" then type "cmd" into the Search field. Click the Command Prompt entry, then type "ipconfig" into the console to print out your network information. For Mac OS X and GNU/Linux, launch a terminal window and type "ifconfig" into the console for the same information. The address should be something like "192.168.0.5."

2. Launch your BitTorrent application and open the settings dialog. Navigate to the network settings and look around until you find the port or port range that the application uses. Write down the port number or numbers for later reference.

3. Launch your browser and enter the Web address for your router's Web-based configuration page. For example, most routers will have their configuration at http://192.168.0.1, though configurations may vary. Check your documentation and network settings if the common address does not work.

4. Log in using the administrator credentials for the router. If you do not know this login, the default administrator login may work. Search for your router model number to find the default account credentials. There are dozens of lists available online from manufacturer's websites and elsewhere.

5. Navigate to your router's Network Address Translation (NAT) or firewall settings. The naming and menu schema will be different for each router and may be labeled as Port Forwarding on some models.

6. Add an exception or forwarded port to the settings. Enter the port numbers you copied down before into the TCP port section. Enter a name for the exception so that you can easily remember its use later on if you ever need to edit these settings again. Enter your computer's IP address as the computer to forward the port to.

Tips & Warnings

• The address 127.0.0.1 is not your IP address. This is a reserved IP address used to refer to the local machine. 127.0.0.1 can be best thought of as a loopback for testing the machine's own network connections.

• If you were able to log in to your router using the default username and password, you should immediately change the password to something more secure. Many malicious attackers compile lists of default passwords so they can quickly access consumer routers to install malware and re-route traffic.

References

• PortForward.com: Free Help Setting Up Your Router or Firewall