uTorrent says port not open (newbie!)

[skypilotpete]

I have just started using uTorrent. When I run the test to see if the specified port is open, I get the message:

"Checking port 37xxx on 121.45.228.xxx... Error! Port xxxxx does not appear to be open." (I don't know if providing these numbers would give away private information.)

I do not know what the 121.45.228.xxx address in the error message refers to. It certainly isn't the address of my router and it is not listed when I run "cmd" then "ipconfig /all"

I have been through the steps on portforward.com several times, setting up a Static IP address and forwarding the port listed in uTorrent, but I still get the same error message when I run the port forward test. I have checked "Rule Management" in my router setup, and the current user rule is listed as Utor1, Protocol TCP, Port Start 37xxx, Port End 37xxx, Port Map, 37xxx (with port 37xxx the same as the port listed in uTorrent).

I have tried downloading several torrents, and have done so without any difficulties, so clearly uTorrent is working. However the download speeds have not been great and I have read several things on the net saying that download speed is decreased if portforwarding is not correctly set up.

When downloading a torrent, uTorrent sometimes gives me the Yellow Triangle warning icon saying "No incoming connections". At other times I get the Orange Circle icon saying "Not connectable: A firewall/router is limiting your network traffic".

As I write this message I am downloading a torrent from Piratebay. Utorrent began by giving me the Yellow Triangle, and now I have the Orange Circle (Now it has gone back to the Yellow Triangle). The downloading stats shown by uTorrent for the current session are: Size: 373 MB, Seeds 18(24), Peers 9(30), Down Speed varies between 20 & 45 kB/s, Up Speed varies between 15 & 40 kB/s

I am running Windows XP Pro SP3, Online Armor firewall free, Avast! antivirus free, Superantispyware Pro, Spyware Blaster, Spybot S&D, uTorrent 1.8.1, PeerGuardian 2.0 Beta 6c

I have checked Online Armor and it shows the expected rules for uTorrent: TCP In: 37xxx; TCP Out: 0-65535; UDP In: 37xxx and 1900 ssdp (I don't know what this second port is!); UDP Out: 0-65535

I have checked the Avast! settings and uTorrent is not selected for scanning under the P2P shield settings.

My router is an Open iConnect Access 624 (Firmware Version: 624 R07-00 OPEN) . My ISP is Internode and my plan is ADSL2+. My download speed on local speed testers varies between 2.5 Mbps and 4.5 Mbps.

Can anyone help me resolve this issue?

[Switeck]

Did you configure uTorrent based on your max upload speed?

Does www.portforward.com ROUTERS section list your modem?

(if so, it's probably a mini-router)

[skypilotpete]

I configured the uTorrent speed at 768k. My latest speedtest showed my download speed as 4700kbps and upload as 710kbps. I hope I have understood this correctly.

Portforward.com has a guide for the Open Networks iConnectAccess624W3.6. Mine is an Open Networks iConnectAccess624. As far as I can see (based on the steps and screenshots supplied by Portforward.com) there is no difference between them, at least as far as porforwarding is concerned.

I have no idea what a mini-router is, or how this might relate to the issue I am having. Could you explain?

I rang my ISP support desk and was advised to abandon port forwarding completely, to get rid of the static IP address and instead to enable UPNP in the router and in uTorrent. I have done this and now uTorrent gives me the green tick and I'm getting download speeds of 350 kB/s (as compared to 40 previously). So that seems to be fine - but are there any downsides to using UPNP as compared to the portforwarding method?

[Switeck]

Many ADSL Modems have router-like abilities but only have 1 ethernet port, that's why I nickname them "mini-routers".