Clearwire Blocking Torrents AGAIN?

geecee · 07-07-2006 09:35AM #1

Hi All
Just wondering if any other clearwire customers are having torrents blocked again?

This time its the actual torrent file that they seem to be blocking on me...
ie. When i go to a torrent site and attempt to download a torrent (legitimate of course) I geta "Page can not be displayed" error...

So therefore I can't get the torrent into by Bit-Torrent client

This seems to be happening on all torrent sites that I visit.
Its as if they are scanning the Riff header and blocking them at this level?

Are any other clearwire customers experiencing this?

Nothing has changed software or hardware wise on my side...

nadir · 07-07-2006 10:04AM

ssh tunnel through some other box, or use a socks / http proxy to grab the file.

Then for downloading the dorrent, download it remotely and rsync/sftp it back home. Obviously you need a box elsewhere to be able to do this, but if you are serious about your downloading it's the way to go.

Anyway at that stage all they can do is try to throttle your bandwidth, this is a much more difficult thing to do unless they have fancy cisco router kit (and someone skilled enough to use it properly), which tbh they probably don't have. Which means they are left to use kernel traffic shaping, in my experience this doesn't work so well and badly affects the network. (It's also a total pain in the ass).
at any rate it should at least get you 3 months extra downloading time, and probably alot more.

Ludo · 07-07-2006 10:08AM

Or, if available in your area, get an actual broadband provider instead of this bunch of cowboys.
They are a joke. I got shot of them as soon as my phone line became suitable for DSL which is infinitely better unless all you do is read plain old web pages.

geecee · 10-07-2006 10:21PM

Any other clearwire customers experiencing this blocking of the .torrent files?

I can download queued torrents... jut i just can't add any!

spurious · 11-07-2006 08:35AM

Many torrent sites offer the option to download the torrent files as a zip - could that get you round the problem?

I'd leave Clearwire if I were you.

geecee · 11-07-2006 02:19PM

Unfortunalely the torrents i want to download don't have a zip option
I would leave clearwire, but unfortunately i'm living in the IP blackhole that is known as East Dublin 1... 5 minutes from the IFSC... but no IP, Cable or Telephony!

I'm sure there is a way around this, by using some of those encrypted proxy services... but i still shouldn't have to!

richg3665 · 14-07-2006 05:41PM

I signed up for clearwire on the 13th july,,,cancelled 14th july,
what a total waste of time,,,no p2p,no chatrooms on ares galaxy,,
skype not working properly,no streaming video,no torrents,,to be
honest no p2p at all,,,total bunch of ass*****,I complained all
day using emails and phone calls,,,modem been collected tonight,,
heres a reply from clearwire (clear waste of time )

Hi Richard,
As per our telephone conversation regarding your P2P application I am sorry
that we do not support peer to peer Application at the moment. Once again I
apologize for all the inconvenience this must have caused you.
I will personally urge you not to cancel your subscription as other
application
like Skyp,MSN,blueface VoiP and Yahoo Messenger can serve some purpose and
It is my hope that below information will help you understand the reason why
we do not support the peer to peer application:
Peer to Peer (P2P) applications treat your computer as both
‘client’ and ‘server’ meaning any information you
download to your computer using a P2P application, is then available for
upload. Once you have installed the application your computer can act as a
server and information is continuously uploaded from it, through our network.
This is in direct contravention to the Clearwire terms of service.
Section 10 of your terms of service state that you may not use the service or
take any action that will result in excessive consumption or utilization of
Clearwire’s network resources. Such prohibited actions include but are
not limited to: using the service to host a web server, continuously uploading

or downloading streaming video or audio or continuous FTP uploading or
downloading.
Terms of Service can be viewed online at
http://www.clearwire.ie/cwi/defaultarticle.php?cArticlePath=151_163

Regards
Kwame

guess what warner brothers will be using torrents to sell their back catalogue,,,so buy something legally but clearwire will not let you down load it. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/business/media/09movie.html?ex=1304827200en=b9b8a86b480c7d56ei=5088partner=rssnytemc=rss

Ste.phen · 17-07-2006 10:20AM

surely if they "don't support peer to peer applications" they can't really market it as an internet service?
more like "partial internet"

geecee · 18-07-2006 10:17AM

I managed to finally get a phone line installed last thursday...
Decided to try Dial up - and sure enough my Laptop was able to download the Torrent files without any problem...
So Clearwire are definately blocking *.torrent files (i presume by dropping ackets based on their Riff headers?)

However thanks to good old Dial-up my Bit-Torrent queue is nice and full again!

All i gotta do now is get me DSL connection installed so i can say goodbye to this crowd of jokers... 12 month contract or not...

NutJob · 18-07-2006 10:40AM

Igy wrote:

surely if they "don't support peer to peer applications" they can't really market it as an internet service?
more like "partial internet"

If its in the terms of service that theyt can block stuff. They can bock stuff and call it whatever they want. It may be a plain and simple badwidth problem as bittorrent is an isps worst nightmare at times.

As for blocking everything else it may be down to setup if there crazy enough to nat public ips to save cash. Personally id miss streaming video/audio + other toys and it looks like they might be.

geecee · 18-07-2006 10:48AM

Quote:
"Section 10 of your terms of service state that you may not use the service or take any action that will result in excessive consumption or utilization of
Clearwire’s network resources. Such prohibited actions include but are
not limited to: using the service to host a web server, continuously uploading
or downloading streaming video or audio or continuous FTP uploading or
downloading."

I don't agree that P2P apps such as BitTorrent are in any breach of the term above. Unless they change their TOS to explicitly Define P2P I don't see how they can legitimately block them.

Anyway One would presume that this is outside of the 20GB cap that they have already given you in return for th €50 PM that you are paying them?

Besides that Clearwire also block VOIP, Throttle NNTP, and regularly throttle internet bandwidth.

Foxwood · 18-07-2006 01:45PM

geecee wrote:

I don't agree that P2P apps such as BitTorrent are in any breach of the term above. Unless they change their TOS to explicitly Define P2P I don't see how they can legitimately block them.

"you may not use the service or take any action that will result in excessive consumption or utilization".

That's a pretty good description of the sort of P2P use that causes people to complain when it's blocked.

geecee · 18-07-2006 03:37PM

But surely if you are given a 20GB cap... you are allowed to Ul/DL a total of 660MB per day?

Their network should be capable of delivering this to each and every customer without having to throttle customers who have NOT gone over this limit?

Its a bit of a joke offering customers a 20GB download cap and then not letting them get anywhere near this figure! Even Eircom wouldn't be that bad!

Thomas_S_Hunterson · 18-07-2006 03:43PM

Thats disgraceful. If you pay for 1Mbit broadband (and whatever upload rate comes with it) then you should be able to use it!!!!!

Clearwire Blocking Torrents AGAIN?

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