Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on May 13, 2011 by CyberNet.

Do you have suspicions that your ISP may be throttling (a.k.a. traffic shaping) some of your Internet traffic? It’s easy to tell if your ISP is blocking something, such as BitTorrent traffic, since nothing will get through, but it is more difficult to tell whether they are just restricting your download/upload speeds. That’s where the free Glasnost service comes into play.

Glasnost is a Java-powered web service that lets you run various tests for checking whether your P2P, email, or web traffic is being throttled by your ISP. Here’s a quick list of the 9 different tests you can run as well as a brief description of what gets tested with each of them:

• BitTorrent – Filesharing with BitTorrent.
• HTTP – A file download from a webserver using HTTP.
• IMAP – A download of an email with a large attachment from an IMAP email server.
• POP – A download of an email with a large attachment from a POP email server.
• Flash Video – Flash video over HTTP, as used by, e.g., YouTube.
• SSH – A file transfer over the SSH protocol, as done by the SCP utility.
• Gnutella – Filesharing with Gnutella.
• eMule – Filesharing with eMule.
• Usenet – Sharing Binary Files using Usenet Server (NNTP protocol).

I use Comcast for my ISP and I was happy to see that the couple tests I ran all came back saying that my traffic wasn’t being throttled. Of course this isn’t a definitive answer as to whether it is actually being done since they may only do it at specific times (e.g. during peak traffic periods), but it is a little more reassuring.

Glasnost Homepage

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We got some details on Verizon’s (and Time Warner Cable’s) so-called six strikes policy for dealing with piracy back in November, but TorrentFreak has now turned up more details on just how it will work. According to a copy of Verizon’s full policy obtained by the site, the six strikes are actually divided into three tiers, giving users increasingly serious alerts before their bandwidth speeds are reduced to 256 kbps.

The first of those are fairly straightforward emails and voicemails informing users that copyright owners have filed a complaint against them, but the second tier goes a bit further, automatically redirecting users to a website where they’ll have to acknowledge that they’ve been receiving the alerts and then be prompted to watch an anti-piracy video. If you get to the fifth and sixth alerts, you’ll again be redirected to a page where you must agree to either an immediate reduction in speed for two to three days or the same 2-3 day speed reduction delayed until 14 days later. At that point, you’ll also be able to request a review of your situation, for which you’ll be charged a $35. A TorrentFreak notes, Verizon won’t take any further action after the sixth alert, but users could then face possible litigation from the MPAA and RIAA.

Filed under: Internet, Verizon

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Source: TorrentFreak

We’ve been wondering what major American internet providers would do to thwart supposed pirates beyond nag them senseless; other than leaks surrounding AT&T’s reeducation process, we’ve mostly been left in the dark. There’s a better picture of the consequences now that Time Warner Cable and Verizon have unveiled their strategies at an Internet Society conference. Verizon’s approach is an attempt to straddle the line between angry media studios and the basic need to communicate: if copyright complaints reach the fifth or sixth notice, Verizon will throttle the connection for two to three days without instituting outright blocks. TWC’s method may be tougher to ignore — the cable provider will redirect claimed infringers to a custom page and restrict what they can visit. While it’s not clear just how limited access will be, it’s doubtful anyone will want to find out.

Not surprisingly, critics like the Electronic Frontier Foundation aren’t happy with the restrictions as a whole, and point to the Center for Copyright Information allegedly going back on its vows of impartiality — it notes that the anti-piracy initiative’s reviewer is a previous RIAA lobbying firm, and that many of the real technical details are partially censored despite promises of transparency. The Center hasn’t responded to those challenges, but we’re somewhat comforted when it claims there won’t be draconian attempts to catch everyone, at least not in the foreseeable future. We’d still be sure to lock down any WiFi hotspots to avoid false accusations; ignoring any ISP warnings could soon lead to more than just a sternly-worded message.

Continue reading Time Warner Cable and Verizon plan to redirect, throttle internet users accused of piracy (video)

Filed under: Networking, Internet, Verizon

Time Warner Cable and Verizon plan to redirect, throttle internet users accused of piracy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobilicity’s much-needed 21Mbps network upgrade may be almost at hand… with a catch. A leak to MobileSyrup reportedly has the HSPA+ network arriving sometime next week in tandem with an $80 Huawei E366 USB modem to exploit the new speeds. However, the Canadian carrier might just slap an asterisk on the end of that “unlimited” tag it’s been using so far. Current customers may be relegated to a Basic Unlimited Data tier where any use past 6GB is potentially throttled; anyone needing full speed beyond that would have to either slap on a $20 Premium Data add-on or switch outright to a comprehensive $50 data plan, with both plans bumping the ceiling to 20GB. The two could remain better deals than for the major carriers, at least if you don’t mind eschewing LTE. Nonetheless, any truth to the offerings might take away one more choice for truly unlimited data in the True North.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Tip has Mobilicity’s 21Mbps HSPA+ network going live next week with throttling after 6GB originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If the “unlimited” data currently offered by T-Mobile that gets its speeds throttled down all too soon has failed to satisfy, there may be relief on the way. TMoNews has obtained pictures of a flyer indicating the carrier will introduce a new Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data add-on ($30 for Classic talk and text customers, $20 for Value) that allows for actually unlimited usage of 4G data. There is of course always a fly in the ointment, and in this case it’s that it doesn’t alow for Smartphone Mobile Hotspot usage, so if you’re hoping for official tethering support you’ll need one of the other packages. The materials suggest it plans to upsell current 2GB package subscribers by pointing out the can get an unlimited and uncapped experience for just $10 more per month. We’ll have to wait and see if this comes true (along with all the other highly anticipated September 5th reveals) but if it does, would it be enough for you to switch to the remaining major carrier that doesn’t directly offer LTE (yet) or the iPhone?

Update: In a quick turnaround, this has just gone from rumor to officially confirmed. Check the press release after the break for the details, but it’s all just as we’d heard.

Continue reading T-Mobile launching ‘truly unlimited’ 4G data service add-on September 5th (Update)

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile launching ‘truly unlimited’ 4G data service add-on September 5th (Update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 23:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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