Tips and tricks for using Usenet

Once you have a Usenet provider, an NZB client and an indexer, you are ready to go. New to Usenet? Start with our guide to getting started with Usenet. On this page we share some tips to get even more out of Usenet.

1. Stay safe on Usenet

Just like anywhere else online, it pays to think about your privacy. The most important step is simple: always use an encrypted SSL connection to the Usenet server. Your provider then handles the connection securely, and others on your network cannot see what you download. With SSL enabled you do not need a VPN for Usenet, although a VPN never hurts on public Wi-Fi.

To enable SSL in SABnzbd:

1. Open SABnzbd and go to Config (the gear icon).
2. Go to Servers and click Show details for the Hitnews server.
3. Tick SSL, set the port to 563 (or 443) and save.

2. Get to know newsgroups

All content on Usenet is organised in newsgroups. The names form a tree: a top-level category followed by more specific subcategories, separated by dots. For example, comp.lang.python is about the Python programming language within the computers category, and groups starting with alt.binaries contain files.

There are more than 140,000 newsgroups on a wide range of subjects. Each group has its own purpose and type of content, and indexers use these groups to build their search results. Knowing which groups are relevant to you makes finding things a lot easier.

What do newsgroup statistics mean?

Indexers often show statistics per newsgroup. These are the most common ones:

• Newsgroup: the name of the group, which tells you its topic.
• Retention: how long posts in the group are kept on the server. More retention means more content is available.
• Files: the number of individual files posted in the group.
• Parts: files are split into many small parts when posted. Your client downloads these parts in parallel over multiple connections.
• Total size: the combined size of all files in the group.

3. Follow the netiquette

Usenet is a community built by its users, and over the years it has developed its own etiquette, the netiquette. Following it keeps Usenet pleasant for everyone:

• Be polite: treat others with respect and avoid offensive language or personal attacks.
• Stay on topic: read a group's rules before posting and keep your messages relevant to it.
• Do not spam: never post advertising or large numbers of pointless messages.
• Do not cross-post: post a message in the one group where it belongs, not in many groups at once.
• Do not hijack threads: start a new thread for a new subject instead of taking over someone else's discussion.
• Use a clear subject line: so others can easily find and follow your post.
• Respect copyright and the law: only download and share content you are allowed to. See our Acceptable Use Policy.

4. Automate your downloads

Automation tools keep an eye on the content you are interested in and send new releases to your NZB client as soon as they appear. They search your indexers, often via RSS feeds, and hand the NZB file over to SABnzbd or another client. Afterwards they can rename and sort the downloaded files for you.

Popular open-source tools are:

• Sonarr for TV series.
• Radarr for movies.
• Lidarr for music.

Setting them up is straightforward: they include ready-made settings for common NZB clients such as SABnzbd. You only need to enter the address of your client, its port and its API key.