There are plenty of ways to speed up your downloads in uTorrent, but one of the most often overlooked is the process of seeding. If you’re new to BitTorrent technology and you want faster downloads, check out the following:
What is Seeding?
Seeding is the process of providing the actual data of the file a uTorrent user is downloading. When you begin downloading, you are actually downloading from other users who are seeding the file as well. Because files transferred through uTorrent aren’t stored on a central server, everyone who is sharing the file should seed it. In a nutshell, if no one seeds the file, then no one else can download it.
How Does Seeding Affect Download Speeds?
When it comes to download speeds, the more people who seed the file, the faster it can be downloaded. This is because uTorrent pulls bits of the file from different seeds across its network. If many people are seeding a file, then there are more connections to pull from and the volume of data being transferred from the seeds is easier to balance. If only a single seed was available and hundreds of people are trying to download the file, you can imagine that the download is going to take a long time for each user.
uTorrent Seeds Automatically
The best part about the process of seeding is that uTorrent takes care of everything for you automatically. While you’re downloading a file, you’re acting as a partial seed as other users are receiving bits from the parts of the file that have already downloaded. When you finish downloading a file, simply leave it in your list and it will continue to act as a seed for other downloaders.
Now, with this stated, seeding does mean that you will be uploading data from your computer, so you may need to check with your Internet service provider to ensure that you stay within your monthly data transfer cap. You can technically leave a file seeding indefinitely, and this could potentially cause you to go over your data transfer limit for your Internet plan.
uTorrent Encourages a 1:1 Ratio When Seeding
Finally, keep in mind that the torrenting community is counting on you to seed. As mentioned, if no one seeds, then torrenting doesn’t work at all. uTorrent suggests that you seed until you reach a 1:1 ratio, meaning keep seeding until you have distributed an entire copy of the file. Basically, the idea is that you were able to receive the complete file from others, so at least seed until you have given what you’ve received. By being conscientious, you’re doing your part to keep the torrenting community healthy and thriving!
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