Classic problem: you want to download a torrent, but you discover that the data transfer is as slow as a snail. Unlike direct downloads, the BitTorrent protocol forces us to review some aspects before reaching its ideal speed... aspects that most users usually ignore. If you are convinced that your torrents download slowly, start here.
My torrents download slowly, what do I do?
Is another download competing for bandwidth?
This happens much more often than we would like to admit. With so many game clients, automatic updates and hotfixes from Microsoft, it is very likely that your torrent download is not progressing fully because something else is using your bandwidth. The Network tab in Resource Monitor (inside Task Manager) can give you a solid idea about the apps that are using your download speed.
More seeds!
To download files with BitTorrent someone has to share them first, and that brings us to the concept of a seed. While some files are usually distributed with a handful of very strong seeds (Linux distros come to mind), in general terms, what you want is to download a file with hundreds or even thousands of seeds. The greater the number of users, the better the chances of getting all the pieces in a reasonable time.
Throttling
If you are convinced that your BitTorrent client has the right configuration but downloads still don't respond, it is possible that your ISP is automatically applying throttling. A shortcut to escape that trap is to enable all encryption parameters, as well as the so-called anonymous mode if your favorite client offers it (try qBitTorrent if not). Encrypting BitTorrent connections is not a magical resource, but you lose nothing by trying.
Port Forwarding
Undoubtedly, the most advanced trick... and the most complicated for users. In a perfect world, the uPnP protocol should handle any management automatically, but if your torrents download slowly, you may need to open ports. Our guide to configuring a router and opening ports has all the basic information, but the exact process changes depending on the device model, so you will have to get your hands a little dirty...
As we mentioned in our tutorial for downloading movies via torrent, it's a bit of science, and a bit of art. Checking that torrents download slowly is frustrating to the core, but the good news is that it has a solution, and with these basic adjustments, transfers will be much more satisfactory. Good luck!
