BitComet Causes Wireless To Disconnect

[VasiliiZaytsev]

Hey everyone, I've been using BitComet forever, but for some reason whenever I open BitComet or download a torrent, it causes my wireless connection to cut out and I have to go reset my router just to get a few more minutes of download time. It only happens with torrents; I've been trying to figure out the issue and apparently it has something to do with the TCP/IP limits. Can anyone help me out.

I have Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 2 and the latest version of BitComet.

[greywizard]

Well, your router seems to be the lazy type.

But just to make sure, you should connect it through a patch-cord cable to the computer, to see if you get the same issue (lost connection to the Internet).

If yes, then you can try and set a very drastic limit of, say, 50 connections on the Options-->Advanced page, under the network.max_connections entry, in BitComet.

If that fixes the issue, leave it running for a while (a few days) to see if it it's entirely disappeared. If it is, then you can try to gradually increase the number (leaving it running for a while with every new number) until you find the average max number of connections your router can sustain.

In the unlucky event when your router won't work even with 50 simultaneous connections, then you'll have to change it if you want to use BitTorrent. Or head towards another filesharing method which doesn't work with so many connections.

Of course, you could try a firmware upgrade first, before ditching your router. Sometimes, that can fix lots of issues; this one included.

[kluelos]

I suggest you try to borrow another router for a day or so and test it to see if the problem goes away. If it does, well, you don't get your money's worth with routers, and the expensive ones don't seem to do any better for you, or in tests, or in general opinion, than the cheap ones. Go for one that's on sale, expect to pay around US$20. At that price it's hardly worth fussing with anymore.

[VasiliiZaytsev]

I just opened BitComet to set the limit to 50, and it crashed my wireless... yet I don't even have any torrents downloading or even waiting to be downloaded? I never use to have this problem with my router... I think it's a Speedstream 6520.

Edit - I guess the problem is that with Windows Vista Service Pack 2, there's no TCP/IP connection limit and my rotuer can't handle it. I tried following Google results, including a Microsoft Support thing, but I can't find the registry entry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\EnableConnectionRateLimiting) that allows me to enable the limit. Help?

Edited March 24, 2010 by VasiliiZaytsev (see edit history)

[greywizard]

Actually you are confusing half-open connections with established connections. They are distinct things and have distinct settings even in BitComet.

That limit was in Win XP and it's gone in later versions of Windows since it manages this dynamically. You can't and needn't tweak that on your Windows version.

The fact that BitComet crashed your wireless connection as soon as you opened it, shouldn't prevent you from entering the Options page and changing the settings I've told you. So, I don't see what's the link between the two.

You can verify if it works at your next router restart.

You should also disable DHT for the purpose of this testing period. If everything else turns out to work fine, you can enable it later.

[VasiliiZaytsev]

Do you think a better choice would be to just buy a new router?

[kluelos]

I suggest you try to borrow another router for a day or so and test it to see if the problem goes away. If it does, well, you don't get your money's worth with routers, and the expensive ones don't seem to do any better for you, or in tests, or in general opinion, than the cheap ones. Go for one that's on sale, expect to pay around US$20. At that price it's hardly worth fussing with anymore.