Port Forwarding - Should I? and which VPN? (mander.xyz)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Mothra@mander.xyz to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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Ahoy! I know this has been asked a lot already, I've been following up and doing some research online but I'm still confused. Sorry.

1-I'm not exactly tech savvy. (Ok. I'm thick as a brick) 2-I'm a very casual BitTorrent user. I'll go months without torrenting.

3-I do stream more frequently.

4-I travel often, meaning I don't often have admin access to the networks I connect to

I currently have Nord. I heard it's no longer as trusted as it used to, and since my subscription is ending I'm wondering if I should jump ship.

I read I should be using Port Forwarding, and I get the concept of it somewhat but I'm still not sure if I need it (considering my casual torrent use, so far... I've been ok?), and also, I have no idea how to set that up. (would #4 be a problem?).

Now, VPN: Mullvad, AirVPN, and Proton seem to be the most reliable ones. Is that right?

Air has good pricing atm, and port forwarding. I heard it's not too user friendly though? (#1)

Mullvad seems to have a solid rep. but no port forwarding (It used to? Their website doesn't say much unless I create an account?)

Proton: has PF, seems good too

Or should I just stick with Nord?

TLDR which VPN should I go for considering 1,2,3,4, and should I consider port forwarding in my decision?

Thanks

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[-] drkt@feddit.dk 17 points 1 year ago

I cannot answer regarding VPNs as I live in a country where VPNs are irrelevant for torrenting, but I can answer the port question-

If you don't have an open port for torrenting, you can only connect to other clients who do have an open port. If you have an open port, you can connect to all other clients. Either client in a P2P setting will need an open port to communicate. If neither have an open port, they cannot communicate.

It is beneficial to be able to open a port for torrenting, but keep in mind that you are essentially broadcasting your intentions with an open port (unless you use a VPN). If you live in a country where ISPs can hand over data to anyone who asks, they will use your open port against you. (unless you use a VPN).

[-] Mothra@mander.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

Thanks for that! First time I see explained why port forwarding in layman's terms, it really makes it a lot easier to understand. I think I shouldn't worry about it then considering my circumstances. It makes sense for more dedicated torrenters though.

[-] matey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 1 year ago

If you're running docker, you can use a gluetun container for your VPN networking; it supports port forwarding, and you don't need to mess with your router.

I recommend Proton.

[-] Autumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Thanks for suggesting gluetun! I've never heard of this project, and it sounds exactly like something I need. :)

[-] janguv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 year ago

You've been gluetun-free all this time?

[-] Autumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 year ago

My phone autocorrected it to gluten 😅

[-] Chewy7324@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 1 year ago

Port forwarding allows connecting to seeders who don't have port forwarding themselves.

So I'd really recommend choosing a VPN which supports port forwarding. This sadly means no mullvad, altough I used them happily before they decided to no longer support port forwarding.

[-] walden@sub.wetshaving.social 8 points 1 year ago

I've been happy with AirVPN.

[-] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

I tried AirVPN after Mullvad stopped supporting PF, it's clunky as hell and restricts a fibre connection way too much. They were nice and gave me a full refund though

[-] walden@sub.wetshaving.social 1 points 1 year ago

Who did you switch to?

I used to connect to AirVPN using their Eddie client, but now I use wireguard and it's very stable.

[-] azurefirefly@lemmy.basedcount.com 6 points 1 year ago

Good vpns are mullvad and proton

[-] Chewy7324@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 1 year ago

Not mullvad in this case, since they no longer lffer port forwarding.

[-] YeezyUmplebutter@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

I’m in the states and just use Private Internet Access in conjunction with qBitTorrent. You can make qBitTorrent use the PIA virtual network interface only. I believe PIA also has a kill switch to keep data from bypassing the VPN. I will say that I have never setup port forwarding for my VPNs. I have port forwarding setup for other hosting services I have, but PIA was a one stop shop for me and I haven’t had an issue with their service for 2+ years. Unsure about how it does with streaming!

[-] bingbong@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

Does anyone here know how to set up port forwarding in proton while on linux? I know how to do it in windows but would prefer to seed on linux and it doesn't seem to be supported by the native linux app

[-] Alimentar@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

This is their official documentation

On the bottom under manual configuration they tell you how to configure it on Linux.

Though personally I ended up opting for AirVPN only because I didn't want to mess around with scripts to keep proton's ports from expiring.

[-] loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

They only allow port forwarding with openVPN configs as far as I know

[-] greengear5@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

Maybe it changed when you last looked? I set up port forwarding on Linux while using Wireguard.

[-] kura@noc.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

@Mothra I use Mullvad. It is an excellent service. I buy 12 month scratch off cards for added privacy. Totally unlinking my Mullvad from card details.

I don't use the service that often, but I like having the option.

You are correct that it no longner supports port forwarding. I don't torrent at all but my understanding is you should still be able to do that fine without port forwarding.

I would ditch NordVPN asap. They do some shady shit. Switch to Mullvad, use Wireguard.

[-] Mosfar@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

I love mullvad and I’m using it for years as I don’t torrent. But beware that mullvad doesn’t support port forwarding since this summer

[-] Mothra@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks. Ok ditch Nord, got it. Why do you recommend Wireguard? Isn't Mullvad enough already?

[-] kura@noc.social 1 points 1 year ago

@Mothra Mullvad supports Wireguard and OpenVPN. Of the two Wireguard I just better and faster. 😁

If you're on Linux it's also super simple to configure Wireguard and have it constantly running in the background, super lightweight. I use it this way for site-to-site VPN of my servers in different hosting environments.