In this article we go over some basic troubleshooting to help determine why your download speeds may be lower than expected.
Before starting, check the TorBox status page for any active CDN or service issues. If an incident is listed for your region, wait for it to be resolved before continuing.
Symptoms of slow speeds can include:
Buffering when streaming a direct download link.
Download speeds lower than the speeds provided by your ISP.
Slow TTFB (Time To First Byte).
Don't want to do everything manually? Our video-link debugger will test latency, download speed, TTFB and seek times using a direct download link. It will also upload the results to Pastebin so they can easily be shared with support.
Test a direct download from your dashboard
The first thing to do is confirm that there is actually an issue with the connection between your device and TorBox.
Locate a download on your TorBox dashboard that has the Download Ready label. Open the download page, select one individual file, then use either the "Direct Download" button or the "Copy Link" button and paste the link into your browser. Generate a new link before testing so an expired or rate-limited link does not affect the result.
Make sure you test an individual file and not a zip. Zip files are generated on the fly from our core PoPs and will normally be slower than downloading a file through the TorBox CDN. You can read more about this in Why Are Zip Files Slow Downloading To My Computer?
Downloads that TorBox is still retrieving from a torrent, Usenet provider, or web hoster should not be used for this test. The speed shown on the dashboard for those downloads depends on the original source, seeders, or hoster.
Wi-Fi can be slower or less stable depending on signal strength, interference, and the distance from your router. If possible, test using Ethernet as well.
Remove any extra variables
Applications or network settings between your device and TorBox may affect the download. Temporarily disable or remove the following, then test the same direct download link again:
Third-party applications used to generate or stream download links.
Download managers or applications used to improve download speeds.
VPNs, proxies, or applications that change your network routing.
Custom DNS services, ad blockers, antivirus web protection, or router security features.
If the issue only happens while streaming, copy the direct download link from TorBox and open it directly in a player that supports URL playback, such as VLC or MPV.
You should also restart your router and try the download from another device or network. If it works somewhere else, the issue is likely related to the original device or connection.
Test your CDN connection
Run the TorBox speed test using the same device and network that are having the issue. Select the recommended CDN in your TorBox settings, generate a new download link, and test the file again. You can find more information about each region in TorBox CDN (Hyperdrive).
You can also run a single-connection test on Speedtest.net using a server near the selected CDN. A normal multi-connection speed test may show good speeds even when a single download or stream is slow.
Internet speeds are normally advertised in Mbps, while browsers usually display MB/s. Divide Mbps by 8 to get the approximate maximum speed in MB/s. For example, 100 Mbps is about 12.5 MB/s before network overhead.
Check for blocked CDN domains
If disabling a VPN, custom DNS, antivirus, ad blocker, or router security feature fixes the issue, allow the TorBox and CDN domains before enabling it again.
TorBox CDN domains include:
*.tb-cdn.cx*.tb-cdn.io*.tb-cdn.pw*.tb-cdn.sh*.tb-cdn.st*.tb-cdn.to*.tb-cdn.earth
Windows users
Windows TCP autotuning can sometimes be disabled by other applications. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run:
netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal
Restart your browser or player and test the file again.
Still having slow speeds?
If none of the steps above help, provide the following information when contacting support:
The Pastebin result from the TorBox video-link debugger.
The raw text from the TorBox CDN trace.
The raw text from the TorBox Cloudflare debug page.
Your ISP, approximate location, device, operating system, browser or player, and whether you are using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Your selected CDN, expected speed, actual speed, and whether other Download Ready files have the same issue.
Your TorBox speed test and single-connection Speedtest.net results.
Please paste the trace and debug results as raw text rather than screenshots. Screenshots can cut off information that may be needed.