Does Your ISP Have You in a Choke Hold? Find Out Now…

You may have heard rumors about ISPs engaging in Internet connection speed throttling. This is especially true when it comes to downloading music, movies, and other media.

But first some background on this post is in order, as it slightly deviates from the other content.

Since 2007, I’ve owned and operated a computer consulting and repair business in my area.

Yes, this is a blog about electronics, but computers and other things that make up the Internet are indeed electronic. And, like the topics of general electronics, microcontrollers, or Arduinos, the topic of computers is technical. Because of this, I may sneak in a helpful post about computers and other technology once in a while.

Now, let’s talk about Internet connection speed throttling, how to tell, and what to do about it.

There is some truth in the rumors, depending on who your ISP is, what you download, etc. We’ll talk about how to tell if your ISP engages in bandwidth throttling and what to do about it.

Please note, however, that we do not condone or endorse illegal downloading of copy-righted material.

The Internet Speed Test

A while ago I did a post on how to test your Internet speed using speedtest.net. This is a good place to start.

Before you begin, however, you’ll need to know what your Internet connection speed is supposed to be in the first place.

ISPs usually have several different speeds available with the higher speeds being more expensive. If you’re not sure what Internet speed tier you’re on, grab your bill and look or give them a call.

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Once you have an idea of what your Internet connection speed should be, perform the bandwidth test at speedtest.net. In case you still haven’t seen the video I put in the How to Test Your Internet Connection Speed post (you really should watch it) here’s a quick overview.

Click on “begin test” at the top of the page. Usually, your upload speed will be slower than your download speed. This is normal (ISPs do this on purpose as most of us download much more data than we upload). If your speed is lower than 1-2 Mbps (mega bits per second), this may be part of the problem. Consider upgrading to the next speed level (or tier) that your ISP offers.

You may want to perform the Internet speed test at the beginning of your billing period and then again near the end as some ISPs will only throttle once you’ve used a certain amount of data (cell phone carriers are notorious for this, even with their “unlimited” plans).

So How Do I Tell If My Bandwidth is Being Throttled?

If you test your Internet speed and it is decent (>=3Mbps), get on the phone, call your ISP, and just ask them. Sometimes they’ll be straight and honest and tell you if they’re blocking or throttling down your download speed.

Sometimes, however, you may not receive a straight answer. In this case, you can read their terms of service agreement (get ready to set aside some time to be bored to death as you read the 10 page dissertation. These types of agreements for software, credit cards, etc should be required by law to be in plain English and kept to a certain length, but that’s another topic).

If you can’t stand the pain of reading legal mumbo-jumbo for 3 hours, can’t find the agreement, or the agreement doesn’t mention anything relevant there are other steps you can take.

An online tool called Glasnost can help determine if your ISP is throttling your Internet connection for various types of traffic like BitTorrent, email, regular web pages (HTTP), and even Flash video (think YouTube). Go to http://broadband.mpi-sws.org/transparency to check it out. Update: sadly, Glasnost was shut down in February, 2017. Keep checking though as they may bring it back some day.

When running the Glasnost Internet throttling test(s), try to make sure you’re not downloading any large files, watching any videos posted on the Web, or using any email clients like Outlook. Close as many applications as you can and also close as many web pages/browser tabs as you can. Each test will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.

Below is a screen shot of the results of one of the tests I ran when I wrote this post.

Fight Back Against Internet Connection Speed Throttling

If the results seem to point toward Internet connection speed throttling, you can fight back. Many bit torrent programs have settings that will allow you to encrypt traffic.

Unfortunately, there is not enough room in this article to explain how to do this in every program, but if you can’t figure it out by playing with the program settings, you can go to your favorite search engine and type something like “encrypt bit torrent traffic in MY PROGRAM” where MY PROGRAM is whatever one you use. Many of these programs also have help files or forums online where you can get help.

One thing to note is that while this makes it more difficult for the ISP to use Internet connection speed throttling, it isn’t 100% perfect.

Another method of evasion is to change the port number that bit torrent uses. Although this isn’t something a novice will know how do by default, it isn’t that hard either. Bit torrent usually uses port 6881.

It’s possible to change this, but may also require changing settings in your router if you use one. Go to portforward.com for help on tweaking these types of settings on your router. For help with the tweaking the program you use, use methods similar to ones previously described.

Last but not least, you can try a service such as Relakks or SecureIX (search for them) which promise to prevent your ISP from interfering with bit torrent downloads for a small monthly fee.

If all else fails, call your ISP and tell them you will switch if they don’t stop.

You pay for your Internet connection and have a right to use it as you see fit as long as it doesn’t violate the law or rights of others; your ISP is not the police, nor are they law makers and should not have a right to tell you what you can and can’t download or upload.

Please help support net neutrality and end Internet connection speed throttling. Websites such as savetheinternet.com can give you more information on what net neutrality is all about and your rights as an Internet user in a free country.

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