Help with Linksys WRT54GS Custom Firmware, Torrents, Etc.

[Tristicus]

Well, today, I needed to download some stuff, and I wanted to do it through a torrent program, so that I could start/restart it. Well, I usually use Azureus, and had that running. I decided to download uTorrent and try it. Well, I loaded up the same file in it (as in Azureus), and it starts. IT GOES TO 2MB/S!!! I was speechless. Then it skipped around from 300kb/s to 1.5mb/s, then went down to only 10kb/s

I wanted to know how it did this, and why it stopped. None of my ports are forwarded, but 2mb/s?! It was .7% done in under a minute, and this was a 7gb file!

So I need to know, is custom firmware worth it? I would be installing DD-WRT or Tomato.
Which is better?
Are they easy to use? I can maneuver around an Ubuntu system fine, but command isn't really my thing yet, so it needs to be mainly GUI.
Do they help a lot?
Are they easier to use to forward ports and such?
Will my wireless connections still work (PC, 2nd PC, and PS3), along with the 1 wired PC?
How do I do it exactly?
How do I make torrents faster?

I am using Embarq DSL, and not sure of the speed, but I know from this PC if I run Speedtest, I get 1.5 download or around there (I am on 1 of the wireless PCs).

http://www.speedtest.net/result/249382534.png

Thanks guys!

 

[Tristicus]

Any feedback appreciated! Thanks!!

 

[Tristicus]

Anybody? I just really need some input. I really want to do this tomorrow if possible.

 

[narzy]

Hi Tristicus, Welcome to the Anandtech Networking forum, we don't move as fast as other forums generally as we don't get the traffic, I haven't completely read your thread yet but be patient with us .

 

[Tristicus]

Thanks. I am just used to forums going fast.

 

[Tristicus]

Well, it has been a while...anybody? Sorry, I would just really like an answer

 

[drebo]

uTorrent is by far the best bittorrent client. That probably has a lot to do with it. Also, the default settings could be different. I think uTorrent has a default of 100 simultaneous connections. Not sure about Azureus, but I know that I've disliked Azureus since the first time I tried to use it.

As far as randomness of speeds, well, that's pretty much a crap shoot. Sometimes lots of fast peers are available...other times not.

Also, if you had some of the torrent already downloaded, the spike at the beginning could have been related to uTorrents analysis of your currently downloaded files, rather than actual net traffic.

My advice: map your ports, don't worry about custom firmwares and keep using uTorrent.

 

[Tristicus]

Alright. Thanks! I will keep using uTorrent. It is light and works fine for me.

Well, if by map you mean forwarding, I have tried. I have NO idea how to do it. I have tried the list on www.portforward.com or w/e (this was for Azureus), and set up a static IP and stuff, but it still didn't work, so I demolished that. I will try it tonight, and hopefully it helps, because I am desperate to get better speeds.

 

[Tristicus]

I went to port forward, set up static IP (on the downstairs computer that is connected wired), gave it the static ip and everything, then set the settings in my router, and it is not working! UTorrent is still saying the port is closed. GRAH this pisses me the hell off.

 

[narzy]

if DHCP is enabled on the router at all then generally port forwarding will not work.

 

[Tristicus]

Really now? So if I disable that, will my wireless still connect?

 

[NickOlsen8390]

Originally posted by: narzy
if DHCP is enabled on the router at all then generally port forwarding will not work.

I beg to differ. As long as the IP is the same it will work. The problem with DHCP is the fact that your computers IP COULD change. If you set a DHCP reservation then it wont. And there is no problem. I have DHCP turned on inside my network, and all my servers have DHCP reservations including the computer i run my Utorrent on. And it works perfect. I Have never had a port forwarding problem with DHCP on, as long as the IP of the client computer doesn't change there is No difference.

 

[Tristicus]

Hmm....

So, if I delete the static IP crap I did, then reset my router to DEFAULT settings, so I start EVERYTHING from scratch, do you think it will work betteer?

 

[NickOlsen8390]

I have never had a problem with it, the static IP stuff should be done on the computer, and that is fine if it works, IE if that computer can get to the internet then you did it right.
Then just open what ever port you need on the router
Just like they tell you on portfoward.com
BTW, what port are you using, it could be blocked by your ISP

 

[Tristicus]

Well, I was trying to use 55134 for Azureus, didn't work. I then tried to use 46453 (or w/e they tell u to use in the utorrent fast d/l videos on youtube) for Utorrent, and it didn't work.
I was following everything on PORTFORWARD.COM

BTW, the computer that i am setting up the static IP with is using WinXP (has the modem hooked through router to computer), and the PC I am trying to D/L on is on a wireless connection.

 

[Markbnj]

So, if I delete the static IP crap I did

DHCP doesn't mean "dynamic IP." It just means the system finds out its configuration from a central server (the router). If you need to map ports through to utorrent running on a specific host on the internal net, then it's best to assign that host, at least, a static IP in the router DHCP config, as NickOlsen8390 suggested.

Personally all my internal systems have static IPs. I use bind for lan DNS, and squid for caching, so I want all the machines to resolve to consistent IPs for acls and access rules.

So no, don't throw away the static IP work, but go over it and make sure you have the ports mapped to the correct IP, and that the IP you think is assigned to the host running utorrent actually is. If you just set up the static IP table (and didn't specifically assign the host's current IP as its static IP) then it may not be configured to the static IP yet. Without a manual release/renew or a restart it won't pick up the config change instantaneously; it depends on the lease time it has on the old IP.

On the machine running utorrent use the ipconfig command from a command prompt to see what the IP address of the system currently is. If it isn't correct, issue the following commands in succession:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

NOTE that after releasing if you can't renew for any reason (i.e. the router config is wrong) you will not have access to the lan or wan from that machine. Make sure you have another machine you can use to get to the router config and see what's wrong. Once it's fixed go back to the utorrent machine and do ipconfig /renew.

 

[Tristicus]

I am running Vista x64 on the Utorrent rig with a wireless (Trendnet) PCI card, and I type IPCONFIG, and it comes up saying IPV4 then the ip address. Is that the IP address? If so, I have added the right numbers at the end in the port forwarding menu and it didn't work.

I just tried the ipconfig/release and it didn't work. it said THE REQUESTED OPERATION REQUIRES ELEVATION. I am guessing this is meaning somehow that I have to become the admin, such as typing SUDO in ubuntu?

 

[NickOlsen8390]

Have to run CMD as admin, type CMD in the start menu then right click on it and say run as admin, but yes, that is the IP that you need to put in the router. make sure that you are forwarding the same port that utorrent is listening on
And make sure that you have disabled any software firewall on the computer

 

[Tristicus]

I will try the admin after this torrent downloads (just some music....going slow lol). 10 mins or so. Then I will try to release/renew. Also, I disabled Windows firewall (only one) and it still wouldn't work even when put in the settings to the right IP.
I HATE port forwarding.

I need a new router that doesn't have it or is very easy to use (and cheap). Recoomendations?!

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: Tristicus
I am running Vista x64 on the Utorrent rig with a wireless (Trendnet) PCI card, and I type IPCONFIG, and it comes up saying IPV4 then the ip address. Is that the IP address? If so, I have added the right numbers at the end in the port forwarding menu and it didn't work.

I just tried the ipconfig/release and it didn't work. it said THE REQUESTED OPERATION REQUIRES ELEVATION. I am guessing this is meaning somehow that I have to become the admin, such as typing SUDO in ubuntu?

Typically the IPV4 address (what we mean when we just say "IP") will be in the 192.168.0.xxx or 192.168.1.xxx range for a home lan. So that IP should match the one set in the router port map.

I need a new router that doesn't have it or is very easy to use (and cheap). Recoomendations?!

The reason routers (actually, firewalls) have port forwarding is that they don't allow just any system on the Internet to connect in to a port on one of your internal systems. You want this protection, if you don't want to be a node on some bot net.

 

[NickOlsen8390]

Well you will need portforwarding regardless, you could try putting your computer in the DMZ on the router, and if it still doesn't work then its your computer, not the router.
This can be done by finding the DMZ page in the router (not sure what its under, don't use linksys here) and adding your computers IP to it, if that fixes it then you have configured the routers port forwarding wrong.

 

[Tristicus]

So, when I go to add DMZ, and if it works, I can just leave it like it is and that is fine? or if it works I need to change something!?

 

[NickOlsen8390]

Well, that would leave your computer out in the open, so i don't recommend it

 

[Tristicus]

Error! Port 45683 does not appear to be open.

Dammit I hate this crap. Put mine in DMZ and nothing.

Would it be worth it to reset my router (wipe EVERYTHING) and start over (Create new static IP, etc)?

 

[Markbnj]

So, when I go to add DMZ, and if it works, I can just leave it like it is and that is fine? or if it works I need to change something!?

Absolutely not . Putting your machine in a DMZ opens it wide up. What Nick is saying is that it will tell you whether your firewall was blocking the ports you need.