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Having had my new broadband router for three days, I just turned on the expert view options and discovered that something called ‘traffic shaping’ was being used on my connection by default.

Never heard of the stuff, but the router software claimed this ‘traffic shaping’ served to optimise the connection somehow. However, the settings used indicated an upload speed a quarter of mine, and a download speed that was a sixteenth of what I actually have. Didn’t make any sense to me, that, so I adjusted the settings to what I’m supposed to be getting.

Did a bit of Googling, and found that not only did this ‘traffic shaping’ mess with p2p activity, it also apparently allows the ISP to snoop on all my internet traffic.

So I turned it off, obviously.

Went to speedtest.net, got nearly three times the download speed I did five minutes earlier, with ‘traffic shaping’ on.

I’m rather pissed off with Big Brother at the moment. How can they turn this kind of invasive, presumably illegal, bugging mechanism on by default, without any documentation or warning whatsoever? Bastards.

Traffic shaping or (QoS - read this page) isn't necessarily a bad thing. When correctly set up on a router it'll ensure that large bulk data transfers (P2P, Downloads) won't interfere with other services that demand a high quality and low latency-link (VoIP, Internet-Gaming). Since all these features on consumer routers are usually configured by entering an absolute maximum bandwidth it's easy to see how a misconfiguration will do more harm than good (e.g. after receiving a bandwidth upgrade and forgetting to adjust the router).

The "other kind" of traffic shaping takes place on the ISP's side and throttles or even stalls P2P connections in order to save the bandwidth and thus lower the costs. However you have absolutely no control over that — well, you could change your ISP or write a letter to the FCC.

Anyway, that checkbox in your router's expert options is most definitely no reason to get "pissed off at Big Brother".

When it's just on your own network, traffic shaping is useful-your friend who's just surfing gets the speed he needs while your latest Linux torrent seems just as fast as if you weren't sharing the connection. But when YOU don't set it up, that's a problem.

I've moved this to the Networking forum because it seems more technical and not just a rant about your unspecified ISP. It would be helpful it you let us know who the ISP is and what router you're working with. Others could benefit from knowing that their hardware may be holding them back while tattling to their ISP.

Isn’t it?

I’m paying for a certain bandwidth, the ISP has no right whatsoever to attempt to preemptively control or restrict what I can down- or upload with that bandwidth. They’re advertising the packages based on speed, but deliberately slowing down access under the hood, without informing the customer about it, let alone in advance. I’m paying for 16000 kbps down, with this ‘traffic shaping’ activated I got 3800 kbps upon testing, with it off I got 9800 kbps. Still not what they’re advertising, but at least, it’s a start. If the ISP were honest, they’d have this crap off by default. It may be of benefit to them, but it’s of no benefit to me.

Good point.

I’m with 1&1, using a Fritz!Box Fon 5140.

I don't know what your ISP's terms are, but mine clearly states 25 Mbps best effort. That means they don't guarantee I will always get the 25 Mbps. Fortunately in my case I almost always do.