FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - Knowledge Base

Why is my BT download so slow?

The BT download (P2P) is different compared to the traditional download from a web site or FTP server. There are many factors that determine the speed.

1. The amount of users on the internet who seed the content. The more people who seed, the faster the download speed.
2. The seeder can define the bandwidth and schedule that he/she wants to contribute. In many cases, the seeder only allows a specific time slot to share the content. During the time when there is no seeder, the download speed is 0. 
3. Some users only download content but do not want to contribute their bandwidth. When you encounter this kind of user, they will download whatever content you are offering but it's difficult to get the same amount of data in return. In order to be fair, some BT applications implement the algorithm that the more you upload the more you can download. So in the beginning of a BT download the speed is slow (because you have nothing to contribute). Then, when you have some contents and have already contributed, the download goes faster. 
4. The network environment can also affect the download speed, either slowing it down or blocking the P2P traffic completely. 
5. Finally, the BT program can affect the performance, so the built-in BT client might not be as fast as the client you are running on your computer.