FileShareFreak THE source for BitTorrent & P2P Tips, Tricks and Info.

So, you’ve come to your senses and decided to give mininova the slip and get yourself a private BitTorrent account. Good! How about a really great private account? Even better. If you’ve managed to squeeze yourself into an über-elite private BT tracker (such as ScT, BitMeTV or iTS), the first thing you’re gonna notice is an almost complete lack of ability to upload. Why is that? Well, you have a handicap: You don’t have a seedbox. Unfortunately, it also means your days on that l33t tracker are likely numbered. Without a good sharing ratio, the account will get pruned. The solution? Set up a seedbox.

A seedbox is BitTorrent jargon for a dedicated high-speed server used explicitly for torrent transfers; more specifically - for uploading (seeding) at high rates. With a seedbox you’ll be able to manage your torrents through a browser from anywhere, anytime. Here’s 10 reasons for the advantages of using a seedbox over conventional home-based BitTorrent transfers:

1. Speed.

Most seedbox accounts are set up on 100Mbit lines, or faster - this is fast; really fast! Unquestionably faster than your home Internet access. Even on a shared seedbox server, burst speeds can easily attain 12.5 MB/s - that’s a whopping 12,500 KiloBytes per second! To put it in perspective, that’s like being able to download an average-sized MP3 song in well under one second - a full album in just ten.

2. Advantageous Downloading & Uploading Abilities.

Sit back, relax and watch in amazement at how fast the torrents finish downloading. 700MB video files come through in as little as 2 minutes; full DVD-Rs in under 10. What can beat that? Well, for starters, the upload speed is the same rate. Serious torrenters are less concerned about the downloading, and more about the seeding. A good share ratio is crucial to a healthy private tracker membership - without them, the account will wither away and die. With a seedbox, your ratio will be 1:1 on the torrent within minutes, not days. 10:1 ratios are not uncommon within the first hour for popular torrents. No longer do you have to seed the torrent for weeks just to stay in the good graces of your private tracker. You’ll be free to delete & pause torrents, and replace them with fresher ones. Unlike home Internet accounts that typically have much slower upload rates than down, seedboxes don’t suffer from upload limitations and can ‘max out’ the transfer rate in both directions equally. Uploading is the real reason smart torrenters opt for a seedbox.

3. Competition.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, private tracker users are competitive, and a seedbox gives members a powerful edge. Without one, it doesn’t matter how many torrents you have seeding, or how you’ve managed to tweak the BitTorrent client’s settings, there’s just no competing with the uploading power of a seedbox. Truth be told - as it is nowadays with many private trackers - a seedbox is not just recommended; it’s mandatory for maintaining a healthy account. More and more people are using them all the time, and this puts a stranglehold on non-seedbox members. Get a seedbox, or get left behind.

4. Your home Internet is untouched.

This frees up your home connection for… well, more torrents, online gaming, YouTube, whatever! You’ll be able to safely turn off your computer at night without worrying about seeding. Your seedbox will still be happily uploading 24/7.

5. Torrent From School, From Work, From The Library

No matter where you happen to be, you’ll always have access to your seedbox through a web browser. Smart students know that it’s becoming ever more difficult (and dangerous) to run a BitTorrent client in a dorm, or even simply download torrent files. Torrents in the workplace are assuredly a no-no; and virtually impossible from a public location - that’s where a seedbox sets you free.

6. Does your ISP limit the monthly throughput on your account?

Get over it with a seedbox! Your seedbox traffic is not counted towards your ISP account stats, so it’s great for anyone who suffers from ISP ‘capping’. The only time it becomes ‘your’ traffic is when you choose to download the files from a finished torrent to your home PC, and uploading torrent traffic will never eat into your cap.

7. Good ratios breed great perks.

Watch your upload stats soar, and fast! You’ll become a power user or VIP on the tracker in no time at all, and “invites” will be plentiful. Use your amazing share ratios & invites to rise up to even better sites. Most seedbox users have multiple private BitTorrent accounts and have no problem keeping them all in great shape by rotating the torrents from each. Once you’ve established a respectable ratio, feel free to download the files that YOU want to download. No longer do you have to jump on the most recent torrents to get into a big swarm, or download popular torrents that you don’t even want. Seedboxes are high-priority in the uploading queue, regardless of what you choose to seed.

8. Got an ISP that shapes your P2P traffic?

Ever notice the cruel phenomenon whereby sometimes your torrent speeds are OK, but at other times (say, during peak hours) they’re just dismal? Big deal - it won’t matter with a seedbox. Your ISP is none-the-wiser to your box, and kept completely out of the loop. You’ll be able to quickly download your finished torrent files from your seedbox back to your home computer via HTTP or FTP, without any of that P2P ‘throttling’ headache.

9. An Extra Layer Of Anonymity

BitTorrent is a sharing protocol - which means you connect to and share bits with other people in the torrent swarm. In short, if you’re running µTorrent on your home computer, each and every person who’s also apart of that torrent can easily see your real IP address - you’re openly exposed! Swap that torrent into a seedbox, and the only thing they’ll be seeing is the IP address of some server in Timbuktu.

10. They’re Safe & Secure.

With a seedbox, you don’t even need to use a BitTorrent client on your home computer - your worries about the RIAA or MPAA will be long forgotten. No more DMCA notices or warning letters from your ISP - and more importantly, no lawsuit letters will be coming, either. College/University students, take note.

So, go out and get yourself a seedbox. They’re fun, hip and great to brag about to your buddy whose never heard of them. And don’t forget to pick up two or three spindles of blank DVDRs.

Seedbox Tips:

Start out small. Seedboxes aren’t cheap, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Many services now offer a ‘torrent-specific’ seedbox package that are great for entry-level users, and include the TorrentFlux interface for easy setup and torrent management.

Stay tuned for our next article: Seedbox and TorrentFlux Hosting.

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• Date Thursday, 01 May 08 at 7:42 am
• Under Seedbox/TorrentFlux
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