How to Increase Downloading Speed with uTorrent Port Forwarding

Want to watch a movie? Or read a book? uTorrent makes the job a thousand times easier. With about 150 million active users, Rainberry’s adware allows you to download large files over the internet. Many torrent sites contain free content for people to download.

As a widely known software client from BitTorrent, uTorrent has made the extensive downloading cycle simpler. However, it does require a stable internet connection. And that is where uTorrent Port Forwarding comes into play. 

If you wish to improve your downloading speed for uTorrent, this guide is for you. Check out the information regarding Port Forwarding uTorrent for improved speed and better connectivity.

What is a torrent? 

Simply put, a torrent is a file containing the metadata regarding the transmitted content. It boils down to the idea of sharing files. Be it movies, books, music, or some other free content, a torrent would assist you with p2p file sharing. There are many torrent engines out there from where you can download any torrent file easily.

Why is my torrent downloading slow?

There may be many reasons why uTorrent is facing difficulty downloading torrents. Here are a few: 

• Firewall blocked requests.
• Issues with Port Forwarding.
• ISP caps.
• ISP blocked torrents.

There might be other reasons as well. However, more often than not, uTorrent Port Forwarding resolves issues with downloading speed.

What is uTorrent Port Forwarding?

While your network’s firewall is trying to protect the system from external harm, it blocks connection requests over the internet. If you are experiencing lag while downloading torrents, Port Forwarding allows devices outside your network to gain access for connection.

Port Forwarding helps to create general paths for information to tunnel through. The opened ports make it easier for other devices, such as servers, to access your system. Thus, improving speed and stabilizing connections. Hence, you can increase your torrent downloading speed by Port Forwarding uTorrent.

Why do I need uTorrent Port Forwarding?

Since blocked torrent requests might be one of the reasons for a slow downloading speed, you would want to try Port Forwarding. uTorrent Port Forwarding would allow incoming uTorrent connection requests to pass through your firewall via designated ports.

Without Port Forwarding uTorrent, it would be difficult for torrent servers to gain stable access to your network for downloads. Moreover, as torrent files are usually large, Port Forwarding would allow you to maintain a stable connection for the duration.

Is it safe to download torrents?

While Port Forwarding may not be considered safe by some, it is utilized by many to resolve issues regarding connectivity. However, opening ports for an application, such as uTorrent Port Forwarding, is safe if you have proper network security (firewall/VPN).  A VPN with a Port Forwarding add-on helps you skip all the tedious Port Forwarding steps.

Along with an efficient solution for Port Forwarding, a VPN also ensures your network’s security against external threats.

Steps to port forwarding uTorrent

Contrary to popular belief, uTorrent Port Forwarding is pretty simple. Here is a step-by-step guide for you:

Step 1 – Setting up a static IP address:

The first thing to do is to set up a static IP for your system. There is a crucial reason why. We prefer a static IP address because it would allow access across the internet with a fixed IP. If we were to use a dynamic IP, the address would naturally change every time we try to make a connection. It could disrupt our intention to forward ports in the first place. 

So, once you have successfully Port Forwarded uTorrent, a static IP address would ensure that the ports remain open. Follow the steps below to assign static IP to your system.

1. Go to Start Menu.
2. Navigate to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
3. Select Change adapter settings.
4. Click on Network Adapter.
5. Select Properties.
6. Navigate to Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) > Properties.
7. Assign a static IP address and a subnet mask.
8. Enter the DNS server address.
9. Enter the default gateway (router’s IP address).
10. Click OK.

You have successfully assigned a static IP address to your system. Now on to the next step!

Step 2 – Router settings:

Now we need to configure your router’s settings. Login to your router’s Control Panel/ Dashboard to do so.

1. Open your web browser.
2. Type your router’s IP address in the URL tab.
3. Press Enter.
4. To log in, enter your username and password.
5. Navigate to the Advanced tab, and enter your static IP address and your system’s name.
6. In the Port Forwarding section, add a new rule.
7. Enter a port number of a higher range like 57000 (range 10000-65000).
8. For protocol, select both TCP/UDP.
9. Enter the host IP address and a name for the rule.

Step 3 –uTorrent settings:

In this step, we will configure settings in the uTorrent application itself. Follow the steps below:

1. Open your uTorrent application.
2. Navigate to Options > Preferences.
3. Ensure that the port you have is from a high range (10000-65000).
4. Check the Enable UPnP port mapping.
5. Check the Enable NAT-PMP port mapping.
6. Click Apply and OK.
7. Navigate to the uTorrent setup guide.
8. Unclick automatic port mapping.
9. Click on the run test.

If you get a green check, you have successfully Port Forwarded uTorrent. Though the working could differ concerning your router, the general principle remains the same. You can also run tests from sources available online. Check out our other Port Forwarding guides to learn more.