Getting Started with Usenet
I’ve mentioned Usenet on this blog a couple of times before, but I’ve never given a good explanation on why it’s more beneficial to use over other download methods. Now is the time to change that.
Why Use Usenet?
If you’ve never heard of Usenet before or are still unsure of what Usenet is, I highly recommend reading the Wikipedia article on Usenet. The article does a great job explaining the technical side, the past history, and future of Usenet.
The main aspect of Usenet I’m going to discuss is Usenet’s ability to download files. Compared to alternatives, Usenet shines in this area:
- Fast Downloads: If you have a good Usenet provider, your download speeds will max out your internet connection. Even 50Mbps+ FiOS connections can max out on Usenet downloads.
- No Uploads: The centralized server structure of Usenet does not require uploading. You can download as much as you want and never have to worry about uploading a single file.
- Search Easily: Finding files on Usenet is extremely easy thanks to a number of websites that index Usenet content.
- Privacy: Many Usenet providers offer SSL encryption options and downloads are always anonymous.
Choosing a Usenet Client
If you’re interesting in getting started with Usenet, the first step is choosing a client. A good Usenet client will handle everything for you, so by the time a download is complete, your file is completely extracted and ready for use. I have three software recommendations that fit the bill for each platform:
- Mac: Unison 2
- Windows: NewsLeecher
- Linux: SABnzbd
There are many other clients that each handle Usenet a little differently. If my recommendations don’t work for you, I encourage you to check out many of the other Usenet clients out there.
Choosing a Usenet Provider
Several years ago, Usenet servers used to be provided by your ISP. Unfortunately those days have long passed, and even if your ISP still offers a Usenet server, it’s most likely crippled beyond belief. Thankfully, many great Usenet providers have stepped in to fill the ISP shoes. By specializing in one service, Usenet providers out there are typically way better than anything an ISP used to provide.
My personal recommendation for a Usenet provider is Giganews. They provide over 600 days of retention (how long a file remains on a Usenet server after upload) and offer plans as low as $2.99/month. With options like SSL and VPN, Giganews is also the most secure Usenet provider.
If for some reason Giganews isn’t your cup of tea, there are a number of other great providers out there:
Configure Your Usenet Client
After a choosing a Usenet client and a Usenet provider, the last step in the setup is configuring your Usenet client. If you’ve ever setup an email client before, configuring a Usenet client is basically the same process. In the Usenet client settings you’ll be entering four basic details, all which are supplied by your Usenet provider:
- Your Usenet provider service address (ex. news.giganews.com).
- Your Usenet provider account username.
- Your Usenet provider account password.
- The number of connections your provider allows.
After entering in those details, save your settings, and get ready to download.
Finding Files on Usenet
If you selected Unison 2 or NewsLeecher as your Usenet client, both of those clients have search built right in. If your client does not have search, don’t fret. There are a number of great websites out there for finding files on Usenet. In fact, I recommend checking them out even if your client has search, because each offer a different way of finding files.
With the recent closure of the most popular Usenet indexing website, Newzbin, I have found these three websites the best replacements:
After finding a file on a search website, simply download the NZB file, and open the file from your downloads folder. Your Usenet client should automatically start downloading the file.
Bonus Tip for Mac Users: Use the RSS feeds from NZBMatrix or NZBs(dot)org with Automatic and my dropbox folder action for automatic downloading goodness.
Start Enjoying Usenet
I hope you found my getting started guide useful. Usenet really is a wonderful service once you start to use it. If you have any questions, feel free to sound off in the comments.
Andre
Saturday, May 29th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
I’ve been using, and am a big fan of, Astraweb. Pay as you go for $25 / 180GB that doesn’t expire or unlimited for $10-$15 a month, and you can flip flop between the two as needed (with different accounts). So I’ve been using the pay as you go account normally, going through my quota in about 3-4 months. Then when I have, say, 120GB in older files to queue up, I switch over to the unlimited account and renew for a month. It’s definitely the cheapest/most convenient option I’ve found.
bt
Saturday, June 12th, 2010 at 12:50 am
Nice post, but a couple additions I think are crucial:
-Totally agree with the first poster, and was planning on saying the same thing. Astraweb is $11/mo for unlimited currently, and it has equal retention and speed to Giganews (I used Giganews for 3 years).
-NZBDrop is probably the most simple client to use if you want to gear the post towards newbies. Unison is great once you have some experience, but NZBDrop is an easy option when you’re starting out.
-Some finer detail about the search engines. Binsearch.info has the more files indexed than NZBMatrix, but if you’re getting TV shows on binsearch you have the possibility of getting a password protected (see: unusable) file. NZBMatrix also has a one-time fee for member access ($10 I believe, still cheap), but it only indexes high quality files. I’ve found a good rule of thumb is to check NZBMatrix first, then if I can’t find it check binsearch.
Again, great post, hope this info can help.
magnifico
Sunday, June 13th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Astraweb is really a great bargain. I was using their $11/month plan, then moved over to a yearly subscription for, I think it was $96. My connection almost always maxes out. This year, am up to 3TB downloaded. I am a fan of Newsbin as a newsreader, but it will cost you a one time $30. But, I think it is well worth it as it’s very smooth and bug free. For free ones, I like GrabIt. I also use Newsbin’s search, which runs, I think $2/month or something close, but find it also is well worth it. It is now searching out to 600 days. For free ones, NZB’s (dot) is excellent and Binsearch.