There is a worldwide conflict against torrenting right now. Content creators and copyright holders are doing everything possible to cut off torrent hosting websites’ entries. Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are under pressure to shut down all torrenting activity.
In a world where it is no longer necessary to be a pirate, the removal of illegal downloading of copyrighted works must surely be stopped. But shutting down torrents, which can also serve as legitimate fines, is not the right way to do it.
Here is how to unblock any torrent connection.
Note: MakeUseOf does not condone the illegal use of torrents. Use of the following sites with illegal fines is at your own risk. We do not accept any responsibility for any legal problems you may encounter.
A simple trick: start with a different connection
The first alternative to blocked torrent connections is a simple trick. You’ll find yourself saying, “Why didn’t I think of this first?”
Many ISPs and network firewalls (such as those in offices or universities) only apply basic blocks. This cardinal ashlar restricts the first connection point to a site or torrent, so you should shut this firewall up.
So to avoid this, start your torrent on a different connection, for example by connecting to your phone’s internet data. Once the torrent starts downloading, switch back to “locked” Wi-Fi and continue downloading.
1. Change the DNS server to unblock websites
Often the only withdrawal your ISP implements is at the DNS level. The DNS, or Domain Name System, translates IP address numbers into website names. By default, it uses the DNS server managed by your ISP. Changing that to a manifest DNS will solve your problem.
The most popular free public DNS servers are:
- Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4
- Uncovered DNS: 208.67.222.222 | 208.67.220.220
- Comfortable DNS: 8.26.56.26 | 8.20.247.20
You can change your DNS server in network settings, and soon you will be able to penetrate all those blocked websites.
- On Windows: Go to Network Device and right-click> click Features † IPv4 Properties and then change the DNS servers and click OK. Alternatively, you can also use Command Prompt to change DNS.
- On macOS: Go to System Preferences † Network † Innovative † DNS, add the new DNS servers, and click OK.
- On Linux: Click the Network applet † Edit connections † Edit † IPv4 settings † Automatic (DHCP) addresses only † DNS servers, and add each new address, separated by a comma.
2. Use a free VPN to unblock websites
If you don’t like fiddling with network settings, a variable method of unblocking websites is to use a VPN. A VPN, or Potential Private Network, masks the source of your IP address.
Basically, you appear to be accessing the Internet from another country, where that site is not blocked. And this is how you can see it.
You can use some reliable free VPN services for this, but they usually limit the monthly data download. There are some other unlimited free VPNs out there, but they come with their own hidden costs.
Remember, we only use this VPN to penetrate blocked sites and download torrent files or magnet links. (If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, check out apps for turning data hashes into magnet links.) You should positively not download all the torrents through these free VPNs.
We recommend Proton VPN as the company does not keep any records of its user’s access and is transparent about the company’s data-sharing requests.
3. Use a Premium VPN to Torrent
Unblocking a website is the light part. But some ISPs or institutional firewalls are more devious in their blocking. Your torrents simply won’t start on such networks. That’s when you need to pull out the big guns and use a VPN service to download torrents.
Paid VPNs have fewer restrictions and will usually encrypt your data as well. They don’t even record your activity on the network. Set it up on your computer or your router, and you can easily penetrate and download torrents.
We recommend Express VPN and Cyberghost, both proven services that are great for torrenting. Use this link to get three months FREE when you sign up for a year of ExpressVPN.
4. Use ZbigZ or a Premium Seedbox
Seedboxes are the new thing in the world of torrenting. A Seedbox is a potential server with which you can upload and download torrents. You can then download torrents from your computer or upload them to your Seedbox. Think of it like Dropbox for torrents.
Why are seed boxes popular? Seedboxes transfer data to your computer using the same method that websites transfer data to your computer. This means that a network administrator cannot close a Seedbox, as that would block all access to the web.
Seedboxes are usually paid for, but there is a popular free app called ZbigZ. The free account has some limitations, such as a 150KBps download ceiling, a larger file size of 1GB, two files stored at any one time, and a seven-day expiration date.
Term Seedboxes remove most of these restrictions or give different limits depending on your plan. The easiest torrent-oriented seedboxes are RapidSeedbox and seedbox.io†
If you are comfortable setting up your own potential private server or VPS, then DediSeedbox and UltraSeedbox are the recommended options.
5. Use port 80 (but it’s quiet)
Unfortunately, some ISP’s block ports and port forwarding used by regular torrent apps. If you don’t want to credit for a seedbox, you can use the same idea for free.
Port 80 is the default port for all HTTP data transfers, so it is never blocked by network administrators. All you need to do is configure your torrent app to only use port 80.
Go to the network preferences of the app and disable “Random Ports” first. Then set port 80 as port and test if it works. Finally, uncheck the boxes for UPnP and NAT-PMP and you’ll be smart to go.
Be careful, as this will drastically reduce the speed of torrents. It’s the slowest of all the options here, but hey, beggars can’t be voters.
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