Torrenting is an immensely popular P2P platform, which according to recent studies, is on the rise again. Typically, a torrent user on a torrent client uses 90 percent of the bandwidth than an average user who spends the same time on web browsing or for streaming small audio and video files.
The advancement of BitTorrent technologies over the years has helped users to transmit files of any sizes across a single platform by dividing those files into small pieces of data, which can then be downloaded and uploaded as per the users’ convenience. Therefore, over time, a single torrent can attract thousands of users, and there are millions of torrents that are being shared on BitTorrent platforms on a daily basis. This can create bandwidth issues as well as legal hassles for ISPs, which is the main reason why ISPs resort to limiting torrent activities by throttling Internet speed.
Am I A Victim Of Torrent Speed Throttling?
Have you ever faced any issues with torrent downloads, or have you seen any discrepancies between your normal browsing speed and your torrent download speeds?
If you experience frustratingly slow browsing speeds while using your torrent client or while streaming HD videos, you are likely a victim of your ISP throttling your torrent traffic.
Most ISPs resort to this common tactic known as Traffic Shaping or Bandwidth Shaping. What this does is essentially limit your torrent traffic without affecting your normal browsing speed, which is a clear indication that your ISP frowns upon your torrent use. They do this by using advanced technologies such as Deep Packet Inspection to analyze the flow of traffic and limit speeds for certain packets of data.
It is also essential to note that your ISP can see what you do online, and can have a fairly good idea about your online browsing behavior. This also allows them to profile each and every single subscriber, which in turn helps them to develop algorithms to limit certain types of heavy data transfer, thereby limiting your speed for specific web browsing patterns and applications.
Why Do ISPs Hate Torrents So Much?
ISPs deter the use of torrents mainly due to the resource and bandwidth requirements of torrent applications, along with the legal hassle that accompany the sharing of copyrighted data.
Consider a group of ISP subscribers who constantly use a torrent client for downloading and uploading large files that run into gigabytes of storage. The end result is that the ISP will be sacrificing a lot of bandwidth during a very short span of time, which will lead to severe downtimes and outages. This will indeed force the ISP to invest in more resources to ensure that all of their users get the best Internet speed and guaranteed uptime, which will ultimately result in higher operating costs.
Several torrent users also utilize this platform to share copyrighted and pirated materials such as movies, games, software, and other sensitive information that can attract a wide range of legal issues. No matter what the user does, the responsibility can sometimes fall on the ISP in facing legal issues from the respective copyright owners, and they may be required to part with sensitive subscriber information when faced with lawsuits. This can prove to be a huge financial as well as procedural burden for the ISPs.
Is It Possible To Bypass Throttling?
ISPs are able to throttle your torrent traffic because they are able to see what you transfer through their servers. As long as your browsing traffic is visible, ISPs will continue to limit your data usage. Therefore, if you wish to bypass throttling and privacy issues, you should invest in a VPN that will help you to mask your traffic from your ISP and enjoy unlimited browsing speed.
Some may argue that you can edit the settings in the torrent clients to help mask your current IP address, but ISPs will learn about them sooner or later. VPN, or Virtual Private Network, will reroute your entire traffic through various levels of encryption tunnels and virtual servers that will make your Internet traffic largely invisible to your ISP or any other programs that performs auto-surveillance. This will help you to stay anonymous and enjoy unrestricted Internet speeds for all your browsing needs, including bypassing torrent speed throttling.
How To Use A VPN For Fast Torrent Downloads and Online Privacy?
There are a wide variety of VPN service providers out there, and you should choose one that offers unlimited speed and unlimited bandwidth options for seamless torrent downloads. You should also be careful in selecting a VPN service provider that provides 100 percent privacy, a VPN kill switch to disconnect your device from the Internet in case of a VPN error, and does not keep log of their users’ data. This should help you to remain anonymous, and can also help you avoid legal troubles.
Some VPN service providers also provide torrent-specific packages that are specially designed for data-intensive torrent users. Read through our elaborate guide on the Best VPN for Torrent Clients & P2P to choose one of the most popular VPN service providers that suit your requirements.
Make sure that you install a VPN on all of your devices, as using torrents from any single shared device without a VPN from a shared Wi-Fi hotspot can also lead to bandwidth throttling. Once you have the VPN client running in the background, you can resume your normal browsing activity without having to worry about download speed issues or online security threats for fast torrent downloads.