When we sit at our computer connected to the Internet, we have several ways to download the files we need. Whether they are a lot or a few, we can choose the usual download via HTTP , or opt for another of the most used systems, P2P networks. For this we will need, in most cases, a specific client for it, as is the case that we will talk about in these lines, Lphant.
This is one of the many programs that we can use at the moment and that offers us everything we need to download torrent files. The truth is that Lphant is one of the most veteran proposals of this type and that it has not received updates for a long time. That is why it could be said that it becomes an option of this type more than valid for users who do not want complications.
This is basically due to the fact that, on the one hand, it has much fewer configurable and customizable options than its more up-to-date competition. At the same time, it presents us with a clear and concise interface so that we can get the most out of it without getting too complicated. Thus, those who wish to download their favorite torrent without having to mess with complex configuration parameters, this is a good proposal.
In addition, to all this we can add the fact that from the outset it is already prepared to work perfectly from the first moment. Of course, at the same time, before finalizing its installation, it allows us to make some basic preliminary adjustments, as we will see.
How to install Lphant on your computer
First of all, we will tell you that, as you already know, torrent files have been with us for many years and are widely used. That is why, as we mentioned before, there are many developers who have gotten into this sector with their own projects in the form of clients. But what we must be clear about, contrary to what some people think, is that everything related to these clients and P2P networks is totally legal.
The type of content that is shared and downloaded also comes into play here, as it happens on the rest of the Internet. But let’s move on to what really interests us in this case, which is the Lphant client.
To begin with, we will tell you that there are several websites that currently offer us the download of the program as such, so we can get the program from here . Once the file has been downloaded as such, we save it on our local disk drive on the PC. Then we will already have the executable of the program as such so that we double click on it so that it is installed on the computer.
First of all we will tell you that we must be attentive to the installation process of the program. We tell you this because the wizard proposes the installation, in parallel, of our own navigation bar that probably does not interest us. This is something that we can reject, just by unchecking the corresponding box , as we see in the screenshot.
After this we find a window that allows us to configure the system firewall to give Lphant permission. On the other hand, as we mentioned, before the installation as such is finished, the application allows us to configure certain basic parameters for the operation of the program.
From these windows that appear in the wizard, we have the possibility of specifying our own username, for example. At the same time, we can specify the bandwidth that we want to assign to the program’s connections, or the default folders on the hard disk . Anyway, something we should know is that all this, and more, we can change later, as we will show you in these lines.
Once we have passed these windows and finished the installation wizard, we can start the program for the first time.
Lphant user interface
As we told you before, we are faced with a simple user interface that is quite common among this type of torrent programs . Therefore, to start working with it, we only have to drag the corresponding file to the central panel. At the same time we can add more files just by clicking on the Add file button that we find at the top.
Also, at the bottom there is another panel that acts as an informational sub-window with several tabs. Here, if we wish, we can find more detailed data about the status of each of the torrent that we have loaded into the program as such. Anyway, this is a panel that we can hide if we think we don’t need it, or if we have a lot of files loaded and they don’t look good.
On the other hand, when configuring the program as such, we have to take a look at the top of the main interface of the application. In it we can see a series of direct access buttons to some of the main functions of Lphant. Here we can access with a single mouse click to different sections such as the statistics screen, the servers that we can use, or to see the added contacts.
But what really interests us in the present case is the access called Options. and it is that from here we will have the possibility to configure the parameters that the program makes available to us. As we mentioned, it could be said that these are less than what we usually find in other more updated P2P clients .
Configure Lphant from its options window
Therefore, what we do to enter this section and take a look, is to click on the button that we are commenting on. Then a new window will appear on the screen, cataloged in several sections so that we can go directly into the one that really interests us in each case. First of all, something that we must be clear about is that Lphant can work with both eDonkey and Bittorrent networks.
Principal
In the first place we find the Main tab, where we are going to configure some important parameters of the program. For example, if we go to this particular section, we can automatically check the connection ports that we have specified as input. To do this, just click on the Check ports button. Of course, at the same time we can also change them for others that work better or have open.
Another of the extremely important sections that we find here refers to the maximum speed or bandwidth that we want Lphant to use. We specify this both in the download and the upload of data. Therefore, in the event that while we use the program we continue to use the Internet for other tasks, we can limit its use here.
This will allow us to limit the use of the bandwidth available in the program to be able to follow others with ease. Something similar happens with the section of the maximum connections that we want to make at the same time. It should be mentioned that this is something that we can specify both when using the eDonkey and BitTorrent networks . The operation is similar to that mentioned before, to limit the use of the program in some way.
Directories
As we mentioned before, when we install this P2P client for the first time on the computer, we can specify the folders that will be used by default. But of course, depending on the circumstances of each one or the moment, this is something that we can change. And it is that especially if we work with a good amount of files of this type, we may be interested in distributing them in the best way. For this there is nothing better than ordering them properly in their corresponding folders and subfolders .
That is precisely what this section we are talking about now. This will give us the opportunity to specify the temporary folders, or the one for downloads. In the same way, here we have the possibility of adding or eliminating the folders on the disk that we want to be shared with others. Rather, the contents that are stored here will be those that other users of the network will be able to access.
Interface
When it comes to getting the most out of this program, as with most of the ones we use in Windows, the best we can do is customize its interface . It is true that there are software solutions that present us with a greater customization capacity than others. With everything and with this, with this what we achieve is to adapt the work environment to our personal needs in each case.
Well, this is something that in Lphant we can carry out from the section called precisely, Interface. Here we find a series of selectors that we can activate or not depending on what we want to see. Therefore, in the window we will see aspects related to notifications, behavior of links , message windows, etc. It is also interesting to know that here we have a section called Skin from which we can change the general skin of said interface. This will give the whole program another look.
Advanced
Next we will see, in the Advanced section, two tabs to configure the program, on the one hand in the eDonkey network, and on the other in Bittorrent. This way we can specify the messages we want to receive, the connection failures allowed, or add a list of servers.
In addition, in the second commented section, Lphant allows us to specify the transmission rate of the torrent to share it, or where to save those that we also share with others. Here we also find a safe mode of the program to use if we see that it is crashing for whatever reason.
WebCache
This is a section that will basically allow us to use a storage space as a cache memory on a remote server. Obviously, this way the transmissions will be more effective in certain cases, as long as that remote server allows the use of this functionality . How could it be otherwise, from here we can also specify the server we want to use for these specific tasks.
