How Fast Should Usenet Be?
With the right setup, Usenet can saturate any internet connection. Members on gigabit fiber regularly hit 900+ Mbps. Members on 300 Mbps cable hit 300 Mbps. NewsDemon does not throttle or rate-limit any plan. Your download speed is determined by your internet connection, your connection count, and your newsreader configuration.
If you are not hitting the speeds you expect, this guide will help you figure out why and fix it.
Factors That Affect Speed
Number of connections
Each connection to NewsDemon downloads one article segment at a time. More connections means more segments downloading in parallel, which means higher throughput. NewsDemon allows up to 50 connections on every plan. If you are on a fast connection (100+ Mbps), you should be using at least 20-30 connections. Gigabit users often need all 50.
SSL vs non-SSL
Always use SSL (port 563). Beyond the obvious privacy benefit, SSL can actually improve speeds in situations where your ISP throttles unencrypted Usenet traffic on port 119. The encryption overhead of modern SSL is negligible on any hardware made in the last decade.
Server region
NewsDemon operates servers in US East (Virginia), US West (California), and EU (Netherlands). The default address news.newsdemon.com routes you automatically, but you can test each region directly to see which gives you the best speed. Closer is usually faster, but not always. Network routing can be unpredictable.
Your ISP
Some ISPs throttle Usenet traffic, either intentionally or through poor peering with Usenet providers. If you suspect throttling, try connecting through a VPN (SlickVPN is included free with every NewsDemon plan). If your speed improves with the VPN, your ISP was the bottleneck.
Disk speed
If your download is writing to a slow disk (an old mechanical drive, a USB-attached NAS), the disk can become the bottleneck before your internet connection does. Use an SSD for your download client temporary directory if possible.
Speed Optimization Checklist
Increase Connections to 30-50
The single most impactful change. If you are using 5-10 connections on a fast internet connection, you are leaving speed on the table.
Enable SSL on Port 563
Prevents ISP throttling and protects your traffic. If port 563 is blocked, use port 443.
Try a Different Server Region
Test US East, US West, and EU. Pick whichever gives you the best throughput.
Use a Wired Connection
Wi-Fi adds latency and packet loss. For maximum speed, connect your computer to your router with an ethernet cable.
Check for ISP Throttling
Connect through SlickVPN and compare speeds. If VPN speeds are faster, your ISP is throttling.
Use Fast Storage
Set your download client temporary directory to an SSD. Mechanical drives can bottleneck downloads over 200 Mbps.
Expected Speeds by Internet Connection
50 Mbps internet: 10-15 connections should saturate. Expect ~6 MB/s in your download client.
100 Mbps internet: 15-25 connections. Expect ~12 MB/s.
300 Mbps internet: 20-35 connections. Expect ~35 MB/s.
500 Mbps internet: 30-40 connections. Expect ~58 MB/s.
1 Gbps internet: 40-50 connections. Expect ~110 MB/s. Note: your download client displays MB/s (megabytes), not Mbps (megabits). 1 Gbps = ~125 MB/s theoretical maximum.
If you are consistently below these numbers after trying the checklist above, contact support and we will investigate.
No Speed Limits. Ever.
NewsDemon does not throttle, rate-limit, or cap any plan. 50 SSL connections, three server regions. Plans from $3/month.
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