Seeking advice dealing with internet provider...

[cicada]

I am new to using Bit Torrent technology. Since September, I managed to get ABC "client" set up. I have all the software rolling and even manged to get my firewall open. The problem is that I just got a note from my internet provider. They say the activity is too great on my account. They give me a link and ask me to sign on so that they can tell me what is acceptable. They also want to understand how come I have such high usage. Are they going pull the plug? Is there an intelligent way for me to handle this without putting my foot in my mouth? It seems they are hip to file sharing and already they gave me another link to explain how this is not good for my computer.

I trust you guys way more than I do the cable company. Any suggestions in handling this is going to help me. At the end of the day, I have to be connected to the internet for my work, so I have to deal with someone to stay connected. This is a small town in Canada, so I do not have lots of choices. I would also like to keep the music rolling. Any suggestions (please)?

[U2Lynne]

You might try asking them why they won't allow you to download from totally legal sites. Is peer to peer illegal there? I'd mention archive.org and btree.org if they want to know about where you download from since those sites are endorsed (so to speak) by the artists (they only allow artists that explicity say "Yes" to trading, whereas a site like ours has a list of artists that say "No"). (I'd love to hear about how downloading is not good for your computer.)

Also, do you have some sort of contract with them that says you may only download xx GB a month or upload xx GB a month? I don't think they do that here in the States, but I've heard they do in Europe. (I have no idea about Canada.)

[paddington]

Just tell them you play Quake 3 and Unreal Tourney alot...

[cicada]

Many thanks to you for your prompt reply. Any additional thoughts or experience will help. They have made it clear that they have my number. I am being asked to ackowledge the email and change the activity on my account to bring it into line with their established limits.

I had considered telling them I was a gamer (like Jameskg says)... or, maybe saying that my wireless router was unsecured... I am just too honest (but I do not want to be stupid).

I actually have been working really hard to stay with non-copywritten, band-friendly sites like Traders Den, Live Internet Archive and btree. So, I am not worried about that. I guess I can let them know if they seem interested.

As you suggest, I will explore the Contract to see if there are limits. But, I am sure they can always play the "that's our policy" card whenever they feel like it. Also, I will share what I find out about the dangers of downloading from their link and let you know, too! I am guessing it might be causing blindness in some cases :)

[SallySimpson]

Hope this link can help to understand what might be happening.
Title: Canadian ISP is throttling Bittorrent traffic

http://torrentfreak.com/canadian-isp-is-throttling-bittorrent-traffic/

Turn encryption back on. Helps to mask the bittorrent traffic.

[paddington]

Also, I will share what I find out about the dangers of downloading from their link and let you know, too! I am guessing it might be causing blindness in some cases :)

:lol yes, please ley us know before you go blind ;)

That's too funny.

Do try the encryption thing, though, like Sally say (if you use uTorrent), that may mask the traffic. Do you have any other options for ISPs?

[SallySimpson]

If you're on Windows, I'd recommend to install UTorrent 1.6 Installation Program, you can d/l it off here:

http://www.utorrent.com/download.php

Then do the following: Options/Preferences/Network.
You will see on the bottom of the small window something like Encryption Protocol (my client is in Spanish) and 3 options, select Enabled and mark the Allow incoming connections thing (or whatever in English).
Then click OK.
Hope it helps.

[cicada]

As suggested, I have changed over to uTorrent and forced encryption (from ABC previously). In reading the link that was supplied by Sally, it looks like folks had even specified certain ports that are less likely to be throttled, so I am trying those suggestions, also.

It appears that there is a 60 GB/mth "cap" on my usage per their policies and procedures. I can jump up to 100GB/mth for an extra $10.00 ($CDN). In contrast, the phone company sells hi-speed service in this area, but they have set the max usage at 30GB/mth. I have heard they are the real bastards of this business, so I won’t switch unless I have to. I still can't believe these companies can get away with this stuff. I guess they figure we should all pay for hi-speed internet so we can read our emails once or twice a month. Seems to me that they are going to be pushed very hard by the market in the coming months (not my problem). The fellow I spoke with told me that many customers are already challenging them on their usage, but he would not go into further detail.

I will probably pay the extra $10.00 for added service and stay with legal downloads for now. The good news is that they told me that there was no problem with file sharing and p2p. They said they do not care what I am doing, which was a bit of a relief (I admit that I should be a little more discriminating anyway).

You guys are the best! I had a lot of anxiety in dealing with this issue... typical newbie. But, you supplied great input to keep me "on the path"! Somebody has gotta keep these corporations in check. I knew I could count on you. Thanks a bunch!!

Finally, I promised to share what I discovered about the dangers of all this file sharing and I must report that while my vision is perfect, I have noticed that hair is now growing from the palms of my hands... Play nice & thanks again!

[SallySimpson]

Good luck! I think what these companies are doing is a shame, I met some guys from Canada whith the same problem, they were changing and trying new clients, forwarding their ports in all the possible ways and so with no success, paying a good amount of money and unable to d/l a gig from any tracker.
Fortunatelly in Spain even downloading copyrighted stuff is legal unless you're gonna make money with this activity (only for private use), since the governemet supports the idea that culture belongs to people.
So no RIAA men over here, and no practices like those from ISPs. Until now...

[Five]

I was on Rogers (aka Shaw) in Canada around a yr and a half ago and my upload went down to less than 1.0 all of a sudden, I ended up switching providers and everything is back to normal

[sadu]

cicada>>> who's your provider I may be able to help.

EVERYONE IN CANADA MUST USE PORT 1720. It's the only port not throttled by ISP's.....I as understand it anyway.

[cicada]

cicada>>> who's your provider I may be able to help.

EVERYONE IN CANADA MUST USE PORT 1720. It's the only port not throttled by ISP's.....I as understand it anyway.

Shaw Cable is my ISP.

[justincan]

ok anyone telling you to turn on encryption is dead wrong. as you are telling it, they only care about the bandwidth used, not the content.

the biggest question that needs to be answered is did it state in your contract that they would limit your bandwidth on a daily or monthly basis? if the answer is no, then you may have some leeway in telling them to piss off. are you in any way contractually obliged to limit your bandwidth usage?

[davidsss]

I know I get throttled to 64k if I go over my download limit but apart from that there are no limitations. This is what I expect quite frankly. My limit is 10GB on peak and 10GB off peak per month - I mean, how am I going to download that much in a month without file sharing? If it wasn't for bittorent I'd be on a much smaller plan. I have no upload limits.

So, I would say, unless you are going over your limit they shouldn't have a leg to stand on. If they are going to sell plans which allow you to download, for example, 20GB a month, then they can hardly complain when you do so.

BTW I'm in Australia if that gives any context.

DS

[sadu]

Shaw Cable is my ISP.

Which is rogers tele and would use the Rogers backbone. If you're not experiencing throttled/shaped traffic now...you will be at some point. The fix is 1720 which is the main port they're using for VoIP.

You do have a transfer contract with them (80GB) so they have every right to pull the plug after that...sorry but it's on their website. Many ISP's use this to scare people but never actually stop service.

You should just tell them that you are a gamer/designer which large files/anything really. Was the link they sent you a monitor tool? You may want to use this as it will help you know what monthly % you're at. There is nothing you can do about this and this type of activity is not restricted to shaw many ISP's all over the world are adopting the 80/100 monthly bandwidth.

Keep in mind it's 80 Up and Down. So if you're 1:1 you can get 40GB of stuff. Which is 10 DVD's a month or 120 a year!