Game vendors that use peer-to-peer/torrent stuff for their legit downloads?

Drez

Hey so maybe I'm misremembering but doesn't Blizzard force you to do some kind of upload while you download while you download off Blizzard.net?

And doesn't Humble Bundle or Indie Bundle or something work the same way?

I'm asking because I'm moving this week into a new apartment. Apparently the ISP they use has strict rules about peer-to-peer downloading and the lessor said that they are very good at detecting peer-to-peer usage. I don't know if/how they can differentiate between legal and illegal peer-to-peer usage. So I'm worried that I may inadvertently trigger something if I go over there and install Diablo 3 again this weekend.

Can anyone confirm? I may just be misremembering but I do recall that some companies were using torrents in a legal manner for their distribution. I don't know if that's still the case. Any thoughts?

L Ron Howard

In the case of Blizzard, there is a way to turn off the P2P transfer. I don't have anything in front of me right now, but I know it's possible. It's slower, because I think it downloads from HTTP servers, but it should work.

Drez

OK cool thanks. I thought that might be the case.

tinwhiskers

I'd just get a proxy. Most of them run like $5 a month if you pay for a whole year.

Tofystedeth

The humble bundles can work that way, but it's just an option. I think the default choice is just HTTP.

darkmayo

Can't you just go with a different ISP?

DevoutlyApathetic

In America and in a rental choice in ISP isn't something that really exists much.

I'd second getting a proxy. Just side step the whole issue and do what you want in peace.

darkmayo

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

In America and in a rental choice in ISP isn't something that really exists much.

I'd second getting a proxy. Just side step the whole issue and do what you want in peace.

I understand lack of choice since you guys seem to have like 3 companies, but how are your rental laws setup, I've always rented and I have chose my ISP every time, sometimes keeping with the same provider sometimes changing if I hear if the area is better with another one.

Gaslight

In the US it is completely typical for an apartment complex to have one ISP that provides service there and your options are use them or get no internet.

Get a proxy.

Darkewolfe

Gaslight wrote: »

In the US it is completely typical for an apartment complex to have one ISP that provides service there and your options are use them or get no internet.

Get a proxy.

This. In an apartment building you often have only one possible option, because there's no hookup to another ISP available, no matter how much you want it.

Hell, that's true for many houses. You're in good shape if you can pick between two ISP vendors. Three vendors? You're a madman.

DevoutlyApathetic

To expand on the rental bit the first big hurdle is the cable company will not come out and run any kind of lines if they don't have the owner's permission, not the renters. So it is very easy for your land lord to just not want the bother and lock you out. The second is that some places, apartment complexes especially, use this leverage to sign exclusive deals with a single provider so they can't give you permission for another.

Drez

Yeah. I'm in a high rise. There are no ISP options here; I'm beholden to the building's/my lessor's choice.

Also, I think it's much easier and cheaper to just avoid the few vendors that force you to use peer-to-peer. Which seems to be zero according to the feedback I've gotten so far (In every case, there seems to be an alternate solution).

Proxy sounds interesting but I don't really need to use peer-to-peer at all. I'd rather just avoid it.

The only thing that worries me is that I do use Google Drive to upload raw photos, which are huge. I wonder if the ISP would flag me for that. I don't know how they differentiate traffic or what they flag.

Grislo

Can't you call them, and ask? Or am I missing something?

Veevee

Drez wrote: »

I don't know how they differentiate traffic or what they flag.

Generally it's "Is it bittorrent traffic? No? It's cool"

When you were warned about Peer-to-peer connections, they most likely weren't using the actual technical term peer-to-peer, but a replacement word for pirating. So just don't pirate and no one will care.

nexuscrawler

its comcastic!

Priest

Indeed, I'd be exceptionally surprised to see a landlord try to enforce this. The burden of proof is incumbent upon them to show that you were doing something illegal. If they disconnect your Internet service without that proof, they have broken a litany of tenant protections. Also, why is the Internet service in your landlord's name and not yours? Except for Water/Sewage/Trash, utilities are very rarely in the Landlord's name.

Veevee

Well, I get cable tv and internet with my apartment. It's all in his name and the modem is under his control (each apartment gets their own box for TV), but it's then split between the 15 units in my building. If I don't like that I am able to get and pay for my own service, but it wouldn't reduce my rent.

It's not very common, but it's also not all that rare.

DevoutlyApathetic

Veevee wrote: »

Well, I get cable tv and internet with my apartment. It's all in his name and the modem is under his control (each apartment gets their own box for TV), but it's then split between the 15 units in my building. If I don't like that I am able to get and pay for my own service, but it wouldn't reduce my rent.

It's not very common, but it's also not all that rare.

Uh...that sounds super illegal.

Though I guess he could have some kind of package deal like a business would do though it sounds like he's taking a single account and sharing it well beyond what you're supposed to be doing.

Drez

I used to sell Charter (ugh) cable as a telemarketer (ugh). I was actually promoted to manager when I sold a contract to a building owner, to be wired to all units in the building under him as the account holder. I don't claim to know how it all worked out (I closed him but someone else sorted out the logistics) but anyway I'm fairly certain accounts of that nature exist.

crimsoncoyote

I'm pretty sure most(?) leases have a clause in there that say you're allowed to pursue/purchase your own cable/internet, regardless of what is provided. There may be logistical issues that make other options difficult or impossible, however.

Dr. Frenchenstein

you could also get something like Clear (if it's in your area) that is WiFi i think, but it's nowhere near as fast as cable/fiber.

i somehow doubt this network is technologically advanced enough to defeat a proxy or peerblocking app.

Veevee

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

Veevee wrote: »

Well, I get cable tv and internet with my apartment. It's all in his name and the modem is under his control (each apartment gets their own box for TV), but it's then split between the 15 units in my building. If I don't like that I am able to get and pay for my own service, but it wouldn't reduce my rent.

It's not very common, but it's also not all that rare.

Uh...that sounds super illegal.

Though I guess he could have some kind of package deal like a business would do though it sounds like he's taking a single account and sharing it well beyond what you're supposed to be doing.

Nope, not illegal at all. It's a deal Charter offers to apartment complexes around here. He's paying for basically 3 cable internet connections that are shared among 15 apartments, and for the TV portion each apartment has their own box and can order packages individually but the basic package we get is paid for by the apartment as a single bill.

Edit: When I have problems, I call charter support and they go "Oh yeah, the apartment deal thingy, blah blah blah"

DevoutlyApathetic

Veevee wrote: »

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

Veevee wrote: »

Well, I get cable tv and internet with my apartment. It's all in his name and the modem is under his control (each apartment gets their own box for TV), but it's then split between the 15 units in my building. If I don't like that I am able to get and pay for my own service, but it wouldn't reduce my rent.

It's not very common, but it's also not all that rare.

Uh...that sounds super illegal.

Though I guess he could have some kind of package deal like a business would do though it sounds like he's taking a single account and sharing it well beyond what you're supposed to be doing.

Nope, not illegal at all. It's a deal Charter offers to apartment complexes around here. He's paying for basically 3 cable internet connections that are shared among 15 apartments, and for the TV portion each apartment has their own box and can order packages individually but the basic package we get is paid for by the apartment as a single bill.

Edit: When I have problems, I call charter support and they go "Oh yeah, the apartment deal thingy, blah blah blah"

Righto. I knew they worked with apartment complexes some how but didn't know any specifics as I am a country bumpkin.

Thanks for the clarification.