File sharing totally blocked?

Got an issue at the moment with BitTorrent.

At my previous address (on a different ISP) I was surfing along quite speedily and had no problem whenever there was a torrent I wanted to download - it's not often that I use BitTorrent but I like to be able to do so.

Downloading files from websites is still fast, on PlusNet.

But BitTorrent is totally nonfunctional. I've tried a couple of different clients and a few torrents. I've also tried eDonkey - which is able to search and find sources, but isn't able to download.

Doesn't appear to be a firewall issue as I even tried setting the DMZ on the router to point at my PC.

Yet... nothing.

To make matters worse, the entire performance of the broadband connection degrades to the point of being unusable, as even web sites can't be accessed and PING shows around 30% packet loss.

Is there something messing up on my end of the connection, or have PlusNet decided that even if you want to grab one file from a P2P network, then you aren't allowed any connection at all?

Are you using transport encryption? Without it, I have the exact same problems as you - 0-2kB/sec downloads, sources fail to connect etc etc. However, as soon as I put it on, bam, 300kB/sec no problems.

The reasoning behind this is that plusnet's network is utterly flatlined atm, and it's only getting worse now they've stopped tiscali LLU transfers which was taking some of the strain off the centrals. Bronze traffic queues are often full, meaning the silver and gold queues are now starting to get impacted at peak times, though it's functional compared to the mess that bronze is.

I think encrypted p2p falls into the 'other' category, wihch means it's in the silver queue, whereas normal p2p goes into the p2p category (obviously) and gets shaped to hell in bronze.

Just as a matter of interest, why don't Plusnet just buy some more centrals?????

Cos then they'd have to pay less to the shareholders.

"Cos then they'd have to pay less to the shareholders."

They haven't paid any dividends yet.

TT

Didn't realise that, thanks.

thats a good question, one i can raise on my next list of questions to IW



edit: sorry Bill linked to wrong post, question to be asked, are you buying any more centrals?

Edited by soundsystem (Mon 28-Aug-06 23:02:53)

I guessed that

As my original idea was wrong, my next one is that their profit margins won't allow it- centrals don't come cheap, and they'll continue with throttling and shaping for as long as they can get away with it.

yep

profit margin afair for a premier account is

It does make you wonder how they can survive on that margin plus unlike Zen they don't really have the luxury of the business accounts propping up their residential accounts.

I wonder how they would have coped if they hadn't gone and installed the Ellacoyas system though because adding more centrals would have been a big no-no.

Edited by caesar_salad (Mon 28-Aug-06 23:51:47)