Brother input some peer-to-peer, bandwith blocker. How do I counter this?

[Justin Kim]

Well, my addicted (gamer) brother is at it again --> He keeps complaining that I am downloading too much, and it is interfering with his gameplay. All he does is come back downstairs and yells, "STOP CAUSING ME LAG." So while I was outside for a bit, I went back inside and went back on the laptop. Much to my suprise, he set up some stupid bandwith or peer-to-peer blocker, so that I can't download torrents. Not only that but my access to some sites that require loading do not display properly on Firefox or IE. So once again, does anyone know a counter-measure for this. I swear to god, he seriously has become desperate.

[chikorita157]

It's always recommended that you lock or log off your computer to prevent unauthorized access and also have a password on your account. To lock your computer, just press ctrl+alt+del and select "Lock Computer" or Win+L

If you know what program is causing it, you might be able to uninstall it. If not, check you task manager to see what program is running and find which one that is causing the problem.

[Justin Kim]

No I mean the program is on his own laptop, and since we share the same internet connection/IP, the program obviously affects me while he controls it upstairs. (Seriously what an A$$hole, he complains that he can't play games more than 7+ hours each day). He locked the program on his laptop, and did that crap behind my back, so I was wondering how I could continue torrenting w/out switching internet connections and blocking that program out of my very own computer.

[chikorita157]

Are you hooked up to a cable or dsl modem directly? If so, I suggest getting a router so the connection comes from the router which can render the bandwidth controller program useless. Routers usually run around 50 bucks.

[Justin Kim]

It is a wireless connection, the main connection is a cable.

[-KarumA-]

really your bro is turning out to become quite a jerk D:
if all else fails go to your parents and complain, since your brother isn't paying for the internet himself he cant possibly claim it to be his by pulling a stunt like this, he'll have to share like everyone else does and if he prevents you from doing what you want to do then he should just suck it up

I wonder if the program blocks all ports or just a specific amount of them

[chikorita157]

It seems that he may be using some router capabilities that do traffic shaping (QoS)... The best thing you can do is try to sneak into his room and reset the router (this can be done by using a paperclip and holding the reset button for 30 sec)... After that, it should restore the router settings to the factory settings... Then, change the password of the account so you can only log into the router setting page... and you can do the same back at him if you want for revenge....

The router settings can usually be changed by browsing to http://192.168.1.1/. The login for the router will restore back to it's defaults (e.g. User:admin, password: admin for example, but it depends on what make your router is)

[Doughnuts]

Originally Posted by chikorita157

The router settings can usually be changed by browsing to http://192.168.1.1/. The login for the router will restore back to it's defaults (e.g. User:admin, password: admin for example, but it depends on what make your router is)

It won't always be on that address. You should run ipconfig and grab the gateway IP if it's different.

Chances are your bro would've already set a password though if he knows what he's doing. You'd need to reset the router firmware and reconfigure everything in that case, which may be awkward. (And can sometimes involve ringing up your ISP to reactivate things with those routers ISPs provide).
Also chance he could've installed some custom firmware like tomato on it, since many routers don't have very good QoS support built in.

[Vexx]

yeah, I can't think of anything he could do from his computer in terms of an application so I'm going to guess he's blocked the "usual ports" at the router.

However, a torrenter CAN really f*ck up gameplay or streaming. It can lock up a router so hard even email is tough to get.

I say set your torrent client to only take a certain number of connections and a certain amount of bandwidth. IOW, do your own throttling. That way he has no legitimate complaint and you can negotiate a solution. Understanding how to use your torrent tool is good practice anyway.

[chikorita157]

High upload rate usage in Bittorrent can ruin the download speeds alot... especially with slower connections like DSL. but when you are using Bittorrent, the upload speeds should be limited, no matter if you have a fast connection so it can minimize the impact of other web activities. Usually, having a high bittorrent download rate usually don't impact other activities although it may drop.

[Journeyman]

Well, it depends on what part of the network he fiddled with...

If it was on the router:

1) As I remember from your other thread, he is quite obsessed with Counter-Strike or something like that.
You may try re-configuring your torrent client to use the same ports as his online games (or Ventrillo/IM/smthng else).
If he is so concerned about lag, these ports are sacred and are not tampered with .

2) Try uTorrent with forced encryption and "sticky bit" turned on.

3) A) Using a spare Wi-Fi adapter
B) Turning on your computer earlier

Spoiler for why:

The port restrictions might be bound to the LAN IP or MAC address of your laptop's wireless card.
With A you are trying to access it with a different MAC adress.
B works if your router assigns IPs on "first come first served" basis

If he knows what he is doing, neither A nor B will work.

4) Some ISPs have a default login-password pair for all their routers. For example, here in UK most of SkyBB's router use the same "admin-sky" login-password pair.
Your brother might not have bothered changing these.

5) Reset button if you end up with nothing to lose.



If it was on your computer, you may want to refer yourself to malware removal forums. Traffic shaping tools aren't malware, but some tools and methods are useful.

1) Take a look at what's running on your machine and doing what.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../bb896653.aspx

2) Check the Windows firewall/your AV suite setting. There might be some new "Block connection" setting that you are not aware of.

3) HOSTS file. Good old way of blocking off access to websites and torrent trackers. If someone adds a line "127.0.0.1 bbc.co.uk" to yours, then good luck with reading latest news
On most modern systems, it is almost empty, apart from the "127.0.0.1 localhost" line.

4) Anything else you can think of. HijackThis. Kaspersky Suite set to "Training" is awfully annoying, but it tells a lot about what is going on on your system.

I'd probably use AVZ, but it is as safe as a nuclear warhead...

[Claies]

Okay, now I'm interested. Jackasses will deserve everything thrown back at them.

Get HijackThis and paste its entire output here.

Meanwhile, tell your parents that he should have no right to control the family's internet access. You're talking about their monthly fees here. Really, think about a good argument against him long and hard by yourself here, we gave you all the material you need in that other thread. Your brother continues to usurp territory while you complain to us. Think it through and get it to them.

Also, the router's address is more likely http://192.168.0.1. Perhaps he's port-forwarding or throttling your mac address (although that can be spoofed)?

[sa547]

Looks like the more he gets to make your parents pander to his wishes, the more he'll be exerting his abuse and continues to wreak havoc upon your life. Furthermore, it's possible that he could use anything to gain control of your system to prevent any interference from you, and maybe even putting something harmful that you can't be aware it's there -- like keyloggers.

If this goes any further, if I were you, I'll have to leave... unless one must get even.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Claies

Okay, now I'm interested. Jackasses will deserve everything thrown back at them.

Get HijackThis and paste its entire output here.

Meanwhile, tell your parents that he should have no right to control the family's internet access. You're talking about their monthly fees here. Really, think about a good argument against him long and hard by yourself here, we gave you all the material you need in that other thread. Your brother continues to usurp territory while you complain to us. Think it through and get it to them.

Also, the router's address is more likely http://192.168.0.1. Perhaps he's port-forwarding or throttling your mac address (although that can be spoofed)?

Lol using Hijackthis, you plan to create a dictatorship over the network?

If I am not wrong, the settings are most likely done on the router, otherwise he is using NetPeeker and running his laptop as the master server.

On the other hand, you might want to use a backdoor to crash his PC if you run out of solutions. The last time I did was 2-3 years ago when I used one to mess up my sister's laptop for eating my bandwidth and illegally downloading movies (I am the subscriber, and I am still underage to stand trial by myself, plus my parents are not English nor computer literate. So much for the lesser of the two evils).

Here are a few things you can try :

1. Reset the modem to factory settings.

He is most likely to have locked you out of the modem, maybe change the access password too. You might want to look up on the model of your modem, all of them come with a default SSID and access password.

2. Unsubscribe the service, or transfer the service to under your name.

It gives you more control over the network. Besides your parents will be happy that you are paying in their stead.

3. Set up a backdoor

This isn't recommended, but you can use "legitimate" backdoors like pcAnywhere. If you need his password, use OPHCrack.

Whatever it is, check your computer first, namely the Windows Firewall and the HOSTS file. I am not sure where is this located in Vista, but I am sure Journey would have a better idea.

I encourage you to take a sledgehammer and pound his laptop to bits. If he complains, give him the same treatment as the laptop. But seriously, if you are any smarter, you could have answered, "You are just noob. Don't blame lag for your lack of skills." I have seen a friend of mine win a DOTA match over a 512 kbps modem when the rest of us are running on Cable or above 1 MBPS.

[chikorita157]

I don't suggest smashing his laptop since laptops are expensive and all (especially gaming laptops), but I suggest confiscating his laptop so that it will teach him a lesson... like most people mentioned, your parents paid for the internet service and he have no right to be a control freak and control the internet especially he is not paying for it. Also, after confiscating his laptop, you should tell your parents what he did so he will get a punishment.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by chikorita157

I don't suggest smashing his laptop since laptops are expensive and all (especially gaming laptops), but I suggest confiscating his laptop so that it will teach him a lesson... like most people mentioned, your parents paid for the internet service and he have no right to be a control freak and control the internet especially he is not paying for it. Also, after confiscating his laptop, you should tell your parents what he did so he will get a punishment.

I included pounding his brother to bits as well. It is to prevent another parent-shooting case over computer games (a kid once shot his parents over his Halo game, which was confiscated), albeit with a Stalinistic* solution *sarcastic*.

Remember that his parents are not listening, probably because they are at their wits end. But I still prefer the "You didn't lose to lag, you lose to your own noobism. You can't even run a terrorist cell cuz you have no balls and brains" kind of response to this tomfoolery.

* - He once quoted, "War solves all problems, no man, no problem."

[Thingle]

Maybe it's not only his laptop that needs to be smashed, but also his face. That'll shut him up.

who cares about broken laptops? a broken laptop is a good laptop.

[chikorita157]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

I included pounding his brother to bits as well. It is to prevent another parent-shooting case over computer games (a kid once shot his parents over his Halo game, which was confiscated), albeit with a Stalinistic* solution *sarcastic*.

Remember that his parents are not listening, probably because they are at their wits end. But I still prefer the "You didn't lose to lag, you lose to your own noobism. You can't even run a terrorist cell cuz you have no balls and brains" kind of response to this tomfoolery.

* - He once quoted, "War solves all problems, no man, no problem."

I think he does need serious rehap... Most people who get addicted to online games such as World of Warcraft, a notorious example of being the most addictive game... There were cases that parents neglected children because of this online game....

A better approach would be to confiscate his laptop and completely reformat his hard drive with a clean install of Windows and locking him out... This will remove any bandwidth monitoring program and his data with it... or you can take out his hard drive... and hide it in a place he doesn't know or smash it (I was kidding about the smashing part).