I've gone wireless in the last few months and also bought a new PC. Since then I've had major problems with getting my ports open.

Soulseek runs okayish but I know I'm not getting as many search results as I should and the download speeds are erratic.

BT is worse, I show up as non-connectable so I can't upload and I am only able to connect to a small portion of the other users so download speeds are pretty pitiful. I've got a DVD burner now and want to try getting some DVD-Rs but this is impossible at the moment!

I haven't tried eMule yet but I'm not hopeful. My email and web browser both work fine however.

I'm using a Belkin modem router with a Belkin USB adapter. I've followed the advice at portforward.com but according to Soulseek the ports it needs (the ones I added to my router) are still blocked and the ones for BT (using BitTornado) don't make a difference either.

I've tried changing port numbers or widening the ranges but with no luck. Even turning the modem router firewall off completely doesn't change anything, and shutting down the Windows firewall has no effect either.

I don't really understand much about ports or the ins & outs of routers, so I would be very grateful for any help HHAH members could give me.

I'm on f2s 2MB broadband, running XP SP2 and also have an XBOX 360 connected physically to the modem router if that helps any.

Thanks, and it's nice to be back and to see that the forum hasn't collapsed in my absence!

Are you running with a static IP on the emule machine?
If you aren't you should be, then the port forwarding will work

Do dynamic IPs change every time you connect to your ISP?

If so then mine must be static, as the one showing up at MyIp just now is the same one entered into my modem router from when I set it up a couple of months ago.

Maybe Belkin is just a shitty make. Just now I've had to re-install the software for the USB adapter (which had died) to post this message!

From my experience, you get an IP everytime you connect to to your ISP but your router will assign your PC with a seperate IP (usually 192.168.something) and that must be a static one so that the router will always forward the port on to that IP.

So you do not have to worry about the ISP IP that your router reports, you have to assign the IP the router gives your PC as a static one.

I always get IP 192.168.0.3 from my router when I connect and then in the Port Forwarding setup I assign that IP all my eMule/BT/web server ports and sit back and relax

MCMLXXXVIII, pca means static internal ip.
ie, your computer is always 192.168.1.2, your router is always 192.168.1.1, etc.
Its irrelevant what your external ip is.

What you need to do is read your router manual and find out how to find a static ip to your MAC address for your network card. I, for example, have to telnet into my router, and send a command line instruction. Netgear products you can usually do from connecting into your router and setting a static ip allocation.

I would recommend router = 192.168.1.1 for the router, and 192.168.1.2 for your main pc. I give 192.168.1.100 for my emule pc.

Then you can setup port forward. If you don't have a static ip, it will send the ports to the wrong machine.

Thanks for your help Spud, PCA and Conky!

After two days of messing about, head scratching and trying different IPs on my modem router I now have Soulseek running perfectly and a green light on BT!

Now to get back on eMule and start looking for things to rip and release...

Good News MCMLXXXVIII