D-Link 323 NAS built-in BitTorrent Client doesn't work

I have a D-Link DNS-323 that comes with a built-in BitTorrent client.

I installed it and set it up as described in the manual.

However the client doesn't work at all. I use it according to the manual and:

If I add a torrent by URL, absolutely nothing happens. The interface just keeps saying "0 Torrents to download"
If I save the .torrent file and then use that file to start the download process, it recognizes the file but never downloads a single bit, and stays at 0% forever until I delete it.

Does anyone know what the trick is to get it to work?

I know that there are several sites out there that have ways to hack the 323 and get custom bittorrent clients on it, but I just want to keep it simple and get the included software to work.

Edited to add: Other computers connected to the same network can use BitTorrent clients without any issue.

bittorrent

Michael Sharek

Posted 2011-10-09T03:31:34.470

Reputation: 43

Answers

Based on both of the points you said, I believe The following:

For the second point only:

Many NAS Devices with built in BitTorrent Clients work, but, are not very good. It is possible that it does not support DHT and the tracker you are connecting to is either offline or the file does not have any peers.

Your NAS either does not support UPnP, or you have UPnP disabled on your router, or you have not set up your firewall ports correctly.

The trackers you are connecting to are private and/or have some kind of status that they are returning but your client is not showing the message (e.g. wait time).

However when I also consider the first point combined with the second:

I believe that your NAS does not have an active internet connection. If you do not have DHCP active on it, make sure it's gateway and DNS are set correctly.

This would explain why it can not download/access .Torrent files via URL but you can put them there from your LAN, however, they do not progress at all.

I think I have covered all the possible reasons, I believe the last paragraph is the real reason, but, unless your NAS has a command prompt or any way to ping a site, I am not sure how you can test.

All this being said, if you turn your machine(s) off at night and just want the NAS to be a low powered Torrent client, fair enough - however, I have to say that a full torrent client such as Utorrent will give you a much better experience.

William Hilsum

Posted 2011-10-09T03:31:34.470

Reputation: 111 572

Thanks William. I thought you were on to something with the network access idea, but I've checked all the settings and as far as I can tell the device can see the Internet. (You are right that there is no way to test it). I edited my question to add that other computers that are on the same router have no problems, it's just the dlink device/client that doesn't work. As you say, a full torrent client is a better experience, but unfortunately that stops working when I take my laptop to work. :( – Michael Sharek – 2011-10-09T19:24:04.353

As other computers can use torrents fine, and without any additional information, I still really think the NAS is having issues accessing the internet. I would see if there is anyway to get to a terminal or command prompt and then try to issue a ping command. – William Hilsum – 2011-10-09T19:39:30.173

1You were right. The device did not have DNS set properly so although it could see the internet, it couldn't look up the names of anything. I'll mark your answer correct and see if I can award the bounty too. – Michael Sharek – 2011-10-27T01:15:20.980

@MichaelSharek I think it is too late for the bounty! Anyway, happy to help you! – William Hilsum – 2011-10-27T02:20:12.463

Could you explain how to check if the DNS settings are ok? I'm having the same problem .... – Rakward – 2013-03-15T20:35:01.453

@Rakward - go to wherever you configure networking settings for the NAS (I don't have this model, so can't help) - if you have a static IP, set your DNS server to your router (if it doesn't work, try 8.8.8.8), if you have DHCP, it is possible something has gone wrong, so again, try to set a DNS server of 8.8.8.8 – William Hilsum – 2013-03-15T23:34:52.307

@William Hilsum, tried what you said with both static IP and DHCP, doesn't work, only difference I did notice is my modem only sees the NAS is connected(on my ISP's modem page) with DHCP enabled. Is there a guide somewhere to check if all the settings are correct, I'm kind of new to this and google hasn't been a big help ... – Rakward – 2013-03-21T16:16:18.553

Can't edit above comment but finally got it to work somehow, even if only by adding the files manually instead of just putting in a link to the torrent .... – Rakward – 2013-03-21T16:46:15.153

@Rakward - There isn't really a specific Google page to go to, it is just basic networking... If you go to Super User chat (link at top of page), and ping me in there (go to lounge, I'm sure someone can ping me/get my attention!) and I can try to help you remotely if you need it. – William Hilsum – 2013-03-22T01:37:31.670

Have you upgraded to the latest firmware ? You could probably see the version of the currently installed firmware in the router's dashboard.

Firmware version 1.09 is available from your link : Click on "Support resources", then click "Download now" to get this version dating from June 2010.

You could also have a look in the D-Link page of downloadable applications for your router, to see if you can find anything more recent than yours.

You should also have a look at this BitTorrent wiki page. Although a bit old and not pointing to the latest versions of software, it may contain useful information. It also points to other bitTorrent clients other than the D-Link built-in, that are available for this router.

I would suggest taking a backup of the firmware before experimenting, and have the tools to force reinstallation of it in case it becomes inoperable. At least find out how to do hard reset before starting out.

harrymc

Posted 2011-10-09T03:31:34.470

Reputation: 306 093

Thanks for your answer. The firmware version is 1.09, the version of the bittorrent client is 1.00, which is the latest as far as I can tell. – Michael Sharek – 2011-10-17T17:01:21.223

You seem to have the latest versions of firmware and BitTorrent. The wiki also mentions easysearch which might be worth trying. Otherwise, the only other solution I can see is to try installing another BitTorrent client. – harrymc – 2011-10-17T17:14:05.947