Usenet has all sorts of advantages when compared to torrenting. But it can be a little confusing when you’re just getting started. And that’s exactly why we created this guide.
Keep reading for our easy-to-follow, no-nonsense guide on how to switch from torrents to Usenet.
TL;DR: Newbie’s Guide to Usenet (Usenet for Dummies)
- Usenet Provider: Sign up for Newshosting
- NZB Site: Sign up for NZBGeek
- NZB Downloader: Download SABnzbd
- Set up SABnzbd with Newshosting
- Use NZBGeek to find NZBs
- Use SABnzbd to download them
How to Switch from Torrents to Usenet: In-Depth Guide
For a more detailed guide, here’s everything you need to know about switching from torrents to Usenet, step by step.
Sign Up for a Usenet Provider
First, you’ll need a Usenet provider. This is the one area where your Usenet setup differs significantly from your torrent setup. Rather than files being hosted for free by other users, they’re hosted on large servers or “backbones”. Since storing all of this data isn’t free, Usenet providers charge a small fee for access to their servers, which covers their overhead and maintenance.
Now, there are a variety of different backbones and tons of providers to choose from, but when you’re just getting started, a service on the Omicron backbone is a good choice.
That’s because the Omicron backbone is the biggest, with the longest retention, and it generally offers a bit more stability. In short, it’ll give you access to the most files with the least hassle.
You can check out our list of the best Usenet providers for a more in-depth breakdown, but to keep things simple, we’re going to recommend Newshosting due to its quality, reliability, and easy of use.
Sign Up for an NZB Site or Indexer
Next, you’ll need an NZB site, also known as an indexer. These operate much like a torrent tracker or torrent site.
It’s where you’ll search for the files you want (or browse through the new uploads), whether that’s movies, TV shows, music, or whatever you’re into. Just like a torrent tracker, these sites don’t actually host the files, they just show you where to find them.
For a simple recommendation, we'd suggest NZBGeek, since it's a very popular, well-respected provider, and memberships are only $1 per month.
Download an NZB Downloader
Last but not least, you’ll need an NZB downloader.
You can think of this kind of like a torrent client. You find an NZB (using an indexer, like NZBGeek), feed it to the downloader, and it downloads the file for you, without actually providing or hosting the file itself.
The most commonly used NZB downloader is SABnzbd, which is quite intuitive… and it’s free! You can download SABnzbd here.
Configure Your Setup
So, now that you have everything you need, it’s time to get it all setup. It’s easy, we promise!
If you signed up for Newshosting, you can use our detailed guide for setting up SABnzbd with Newshosting.
- Install SABnzbd.
- Run SABnzbd.
- Setup your server details.
- Find an NZB (using the NZB site you signed up for) and download it.
When setting up your server details, you’ll be asked for a few things.
- Server: This will be given to you by your Usenet provider, and will look something like news.newshosting.com
- Username/Password: This will be the username/password associated with your Usenet provider
You can stop there. However, we’d recommend clicking on the SSL box, then Advanced Settings, and setting your port to 463. This will improve your security.
Then, you can also consider setting your number of connections.
How to Switch from Torrents to Usenet: Wrap-Up
See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? While there are a few things to sign up for and configure, including a Usenet provider, NZB site, and NZB downloader, it’s actually really easy. And once you’ve got everything setup, downloading from Usenet is just as simple as using torrents.
Still having trouble? Feel free to drop any questions you have in the comments, and we’ll do our best to help you out!