PASV Mode slower than active ftp?

Just wondering if switching to PASV mode in an ftp client will slow your transfers down than not having the box checked?

I have a netgear RT311 and cable isp. I have downloaded pretty fast (150+ kb/s) from websites and webftp but when my friend and I try to move files my speed is like 20 or 30kb/s.

That is download and upload speeds. Just wondering if it is related to PASV mode or maybe there is a bottleneck out there in a router between us. I am in the states and he is in canada.

Thanks,

Thornn

 

As I understand PASV, the only real change from normal, "active" FTP is the use of TCP ports other than the usual 21 / 20. Supposed to make it harder for an outside program to trap and copy/steal the data stream.

I would imagine a slight delay in the beginning while the two machines negotiated the port number to be used but after that, normal speed.

Some personal firewalls (older ones mostly) aren't smart enough to do all the required NAT manipulations but in that case, you never get data transfer at all.

User-style broadband connections like cable and DSL do uploads much slower (by design) than downloads and you may just be running into that.