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joelpt

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Everything posted by joelpt

  1. pablo: If root/admin didn't work, then yeah I would try doing the reset button thing. Specifically pull the power plug from the router, hold in the reset button, plug the power back in, keep holding the reset button for 30 seconds, then pull the power and plug it back in a few seconds later. That should reset everything and hopefully you'll be able to get in. Another thing that may make a difference is if you are trying to access the router admin pages over a wireless connection. If so, try it over a wired connection to the router. I think there's an option in DD-WRT that prevents accessing the admin interface over wireless by default, though I can't find said option right now. But it may be worth trying in your case if you're using wireless. masteranwar: Hard to know what your problem is without more information, but first thing I would check is the number of seeds and peers you are reporting for the torrent in uTorrent. If you see 0 seeds, it means that nobody who is sharing the torrent has a full copy (that is what differentiates a seed from a peer) and so if that's the case, you will never be able to complete the torrent download unless a seed comes back online. That being said, seeds often do reappear for 0-seed torrents, just leave uTorrent running for a few days and hope for the best. If on the other hand you see 1+ seeds your problem may be something else. Hope this helps.
  2. Regarding using the uTorrent "test port" button from your wireless laptop, one thing to keep in mind is that each device you have connecting to the router, which you'll be using uTorrent on, needs to have a unique port # set in uTorrent and port-forwarding accordingly set up on the router (if you use UPnP in uTorrent it SHOULD handle this for you automagically; if not, manually configure the router with the laptop's IP address & uT port in the router's web UI). So if your main PC is using port 40000, make the laptop use 41000 for example. Additionally, the laptop's firewall (Windows software firewall) could be blocking the connection -- to find out, disable Windows Firewall on the laptop and try that. Flashing is certainly a good idea for getting your speeds up to where they should be in uTorrent. I'd recommend the latest DD-WRT firmware at http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Fdd-wrt.v23%20SP2%2F&download=dd-wrt.v23_sp2_standard.zip If you will be flashing the router via the web interface (recommended): * Do NOT do it across the wireless connection. Do it from a corded connection or it will fail mid-flash, which is no good. * Make SURE you are connecting to http://192.168.0.1, NOT https://192.168.0.1. If you use an https connection during flashing it will also crap out mid-flash, which is again, no good. After you've flashed the box and rebooted it, wireless will most likely work. It's basically just an augmented version of the default firmware that comes with the router, so whatever the default firmware can do, DD-WRT firmware will also be able to do (and more). But if "test port" fails, it's very likely that the port-forwarding is the issue (or Windows Firewall). As far as restoring your router to its original programming -- if you haven't flashed it yet, holding down the reset button for 30 seconds will do just that. It doesn't change the firmware, it just wipes out all stored configuration settings on the router. Hope that helps. Joel
  3. I have had remarkably good performance with the low-end line of D-Link wired and wireless routers. I say remarkably, because you can pick one up for so cheap (mine was $25 with a PCMCIA slot for a wireless card). Feature-packed, it ain't, but it does what it's supposed to without a complaint.
  4. Running out of ideas for you ... a couple more suggestions: 1. In uTorrent network options, disable UPnP Port Mapping. 2. Delete all uTorrent related port forwards on the router. If you're using DD-WRT make sure to delete those appearing in the UPnP Port Forwarding page in addition to the entries on the other pages. 3. Put in a new port number for uTorrent -- something in the 30000-65000 range. 4. Put your port forwarding entry in to the router config. Make sure the protocol type is "Both". 5. Use uTorrent "test port forwarding" button in the Speed Guide to make sure it's all working. 6. Also add a port forwarding entry for port range 6881-6999, Both. This is the common default range for BT ports, though it shouldn't matter it might help. Note, you should be putting these port forwarding entries in the Port Range Forward page, NOT on the Port Forwarding or Port Triggering pages. I've had questionable results using those 2 pages for opening ports on the router. Other than that, you might want to install the lvllord patch which lets XP have more than 10 half-open connections at once: http://www.lvllord.de/?lang=en&url=tools I can't see how it would help your situation, but then, I don't know what would either.
  5. That is correct, DD-WRT's VPN does not interoperate with Cisco VPN. The reason is that DD-WRT actually uses OpenVPN, which has nothing to do with Cisco VPN. Only other OpenVPN clients/servers will be able to work with DD-WRT's VPN.
  6. In uTorrent, make sure you have "Enable UPnP Port Mapping" UNchecked in Network Options. I've found if you try to manually port-forward a port on the router and UPnP does so also, it can make it function as though it simply isn't opened. Then I'd suggest switching uTorrent and your router settings to port 40000, see if that works better. Use the 'Test port' button on the Speed Guide page to ensure it is in fact opened. Other than that, my only other thought is to try a torrent with known good download speeds/peers (just in case it's the torrent you are DLing which is slow), here's a good one to test with: http://www.legaltorrents.com/bit/blue-a-short-film.torrent You should be able to get at least 50kB/s+ on that if things are working properly. I'm seeing 400kB/s+ on it here. If that still doesn't do the trick, I would suggest plugging your PC straight into your modem, leaving the router out of the mix entirely .. configure things that way and see if you get better speeds. If you do, then it must be a router problem. Otherwise it's either your PC or your lovely ISP. Joel
  7. Assuming you put the port forwarding entry into the router by hand, that is, through the router's web admin tool, then resetting it will NOT lose your forward settings. Those changes are saved to the router's persistent memory and will remain after you power it down and back up. On the other hand, if you are using "UPNP port forwarding", which is where Windows/uTorrent automagically tell the router which port it needs to have open, then you might lose this kind of port forwarding setting when rebooting on the router -- but, even in this case, restarting uTorrent would then re-open the port on the router anyway. So yes, it should be entirely safe to reboot the router I can tell you that I have had exactly the kind of problems you are describing after I got my WRT54G, and rebooting it always fixed them (though not indefinitely). The suggestions in this thread of replacing the WRT54G's firmware and making some configuration setting changes actually are all to do with these problems the router starts exhibiting when it hasn't been rebooted in a long time (using the default firmware). Basically the router keeps track of old connection info for whoever you connect to, and due to the huge number of peers you connect to with BitTorrent, this eventually fills up the router's memory, resulting in the slowness and flaky connection problems. So try the reboot, then let us know if you are still seeing the problems.
  8. When you start seeing the connection problems, does resetting the router (unplugging the power and plugging it back in) resolve the problem? If it doesn't, then I suspect your problems actually aren't to do with the router, and instead there's something funny going on with Windows or your PC.
  9. I'll assume you are using DD-WRT 23final firmware here, if not hopefully you can piece it together. Sounds like maybe you've done all this already but this *should* make it work properly for you. I assume Windows Firewall is in fact disabled. Also a first thing to check is to kill ANY AND ALL virus, antispyware, etc programs you have running until you get things working. In fact it's a smart idea to kill all running programs, including every application sitting in the system tray (next to the time) other than just the ones you require to do this configuration. Symantec/Norton products in particular are notorious for "helping" you protect your PC in ways you don't expect. 1. In uTorrent go to Options->Preferences->Network Options and put in a NEW port number (something in the 20000-60000 range), we'll try doing this with a 'fresh' port number. For simplicity I suggest using port 40000 and will use that as the reference port number below. Hit OK 2. Go to Start->Run, type cmd.exe and hit enter 3. Type ipconfig and hit enter 4. Write down the IP Address that appears here 5. Log into your wrt54g admin (likely http://192.168.1.1/index.asp) 6. Go to Applications & Gaming -> Port Range Forward. DELETE anything you put in there with intention of making uTorrent work. (starting with a clean slate) Hit Save Settings 7. Repeat step 6 on the Port Forwarding page (this page is missing from some firmware versions). 8. Repeat step 6 on the Port Triggering page. 9. Repeat step 6 on the UPnP Forward page (this page is missing from some firmware versions). 10. Go back to the Port Range Forward page. 11. Let's say the new port number you put in was 40000 and the IP address you got in step 3 was 192.168.1.100. Replace the values you are using in the next step. 12. Add the following 2 new entries with these values going from left to right: bt1 / 40000 / 40000 / Both / 192.168.1.100 bt2 / 6881 / 6999 / Both / 192.168.1.100 Again, the 40000's should be changed to the port number you selected in step 1, and the 192.168.1.100's should be the IP address you got from step 4. Save settings. 13. Browse to the following website: http://whatismyip.com. Record the IP address it gives you. 14. Go back into uTorrent. Go to Options->Preferences->Network Options again. Put in the IP address from step 13 in the "IP/Hostname to report to tracker" box. Hit OK. 15. Go to Options->Speed Guide. Verify the port number shown in the Current Port box is the same port number you entered in step 1, and is the same port number you entered for your first rule in step 12. 16. Click the "Test if port is forwarded correctly" button, good luck! If this doesn't work I suggest trying this out (the firewall steps are also good to do if you did get it working, since Windows Firewall should really be on always): 1. Re enable Windows Firewall. 2. Grant access in Windows Firewall settings to uTorrent with the Add Program button (on the Exceptions tab). 3. Also in Windows Firewall settings Exceptions, click Add Port. Enter a name of 40000tcp and a port number of 40000 (changing to your chosen port number). Hit OK. 4. Repeat step 3, but name it 40000udp, and click the UDP radio button before you hit OK. This ensures you have fully open TCP & UDP ports for your chosen port number. Hit OK to save the changes. 5. Disconnect the network cable which is running from your DSL/cable modem to the WRT54G, at the WRT54G end. Take this free end and plug it into the back of your PC, removing the cable which currently connects your PC to the WRT54G. In other words we are taking the router completely out of the loop. 6. Shut off your DSL/cable modem. Wait 10 secs and turn it back on. You must do this as some modems need to "reauthorize" whatever device they're connected to before you can see the Internet again. Give it sufficient time to reconnect (5 mins). 7. Ensure you can pull up google.com and search for some strange word to ensure you are really connected, and not just looking at the browser's cached version of the site. If this doesn't work, go to Start->Run, type cmd.exe and hit enter, then type: ipconfig /release (hit enter) ipconfig /renew (hit enter again) 8. Browse to www.whatismyip.com again. Get the IP address indicated and put that into uTorrent's Network Options page as before. 6. Try the "Test if port is forwarded correctly" test again. If it works, there's something strange going on with the router. If it doesn't work, I'm at a loss to help you further My next steps at that point would be (1) ensuring your ISP isn't somehow filtering/blocking BitTorrent traffic; and (2) completely reinstalling Windows XP from scratch, installing uTorrent and getting it configured before you install any other software. It is possible that either Windows is screwed up or some other software you have running is causing the issue in this case.
  10. Fastest transfer speed I have seen over my WRT54G (with default firmware) is 900 KB/s. That's very rare, though probably because my download speed is officially capped at 6mbps (unofficially, it varies). Of course I have seen LAN-to-WAN and LAN-to-LAN transfer speeds far exceeding this over the router, though I'm not sure it's pertinent.
  11. IMHO the WRT54G* is a great router. The issue with the router's default firmware is that it wasn't really designed to handle the quantity of peer connections that BitTorrent initiates. In fact there really aren't any network applications other than BitTorrent that push the number of connections that high. If you were not using BT though, the default firmware would be fine (as it was for me until I discovered BT). The plus, of course, is that you can flash the homebrew on to there and completely resolve these shortcomings, while also adding a bevy of other features if you so desire (make your WRT54G a wifi access point, make the router into an OpenVPN server, or mini web/fileserver, or wifi repeater, or just about any server app that runs on Linux). I rather suspect Linksys was initially dismayed to find homebrew Linux showing up on this box, as some of the features you can add compete directly with other products in their product line. OTOH they're probably not complaining now that sales of the router are through the roof As for alternatives, I have used a couple other varieties of routers (Netgear, D-Link) with BitTorrent and they don't handle BT too well either. I will say that, using the default firmware, my WRT54G box needed to be rebooted more often to maintain good performance (every 2 days under heavy BT use). However, both Netgear and D-Link needed a power cycling once a week or more often, and the D-Link box has never matched the Linksys box in pure performance numbers. The only router/firewall I've ever used that gave top performance out-of-the-box under BT load was a Watchguard Firebox, which is about $2000. I can't speak for other brands, but I do think if you flash your WRT54GS you will be very happy with it.
  12. This is pretty awesome. Peer connect speeds and overall transfer times are extremely fast for me now! To give you an idea, I'm on Comcast cable broadband and I'm in Seattle. I'll quote you some of my typical peer connection times starting from when the peer initially pops into the torrent's list of peers in the BT client, and with a WRT54Gv2 router. Running Azureus 2306, with default WRT54G firmware: 20-60 seconds typical to connect to each peer, and about 10 seconds in the best case before a peer starts sending data. This is the performance I have been seeing consistently for the last year or so. Running uTorrent 141-build404, with DD-WRT 23final installed w/ the recommended configuration: Less than one second to connect to each peer, and about 1 second in the best case before a peer starts sending data. This is no exaggeration. I'm seeing peers show up in the list, connect, and start sending data in under 2 seconds here. Update: It just took me 4 hours to complete a 3.06GB tv show season download. With this number of peers (27 seeds/81 peers in total) I would typically expect this download would usually take me 4 days with the client running constantly.
  13. Note to those saying "I already get good bittorrent speeds": That's what I thought, too. Then I installed DD-WRT v23final (has come out since the original post mentioned v23beta2) and made the changes as described on the FAQ page. All I can say is wow. I don't think the difference is just improved peak bandwidth/sec, it also seems peers are connecting a LOT faster. I'm not exaggerating when I say that on average my downloads are completing 10x faster now, and this appears primarily to be due to the improved peer connection speed and/or rate (perhaps some clients favor those BT peers which connect quickly?) Try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
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