Download torrents with Torrent Tornado for Firefox

Firefox users who download torrent files occasionally can install the Torrent Tornado add-on for the web browser to do so.

The main advantage over installing a dedicated torrent client is its simplicity. Torrent Tornado does not require the installation of binary components or another program outside of the browser which means that it can be used right after installation of the extension in the browser and the required restart of it.

The browser extension adds a new icon to Firefox's main toolbar which you can move around or hide if you prefer to do so.

Torrent Tornado maps magnet links and the torrent file type so that it is automatically used whenever you click on either in Firefox. It is possible to disable that in the options which can be useful if you use a dedicated client most of the time but want to use the add-on occasionally only.

The extension displays an add torrent dialog whenever you click on a torrent file or magnet link in Firefox. The dialog highlights information about the torrent in the first step and displays all of its files in the second.

Each torrent is added to the download queue of the extension which you can open with a click on the icon in the Firefox interface or by loading about:downloads-torrent directly instead.

There you find all relevant information listed including names, save locations, the download speed, connected peers, completion and more.

Additional information are displayed at the bottom for the selected torrent. This includes the trackers used, a list of files and their completion status, and the connected peers.

Torrents can be paused, resumed or canceled at any time from the interface. It is furthermore possible to add new torrent files manually. This can be a torrent from the local system or a url pointing to a torrent or a magnet link.

As far as options are concerned, they are limited in comparison to dedicated torrent clients.

You can change the maximum memory cache size and maximum number of peers in there. Options to set download and upload limits, to block IP addresses or configure other advanced features such as prioritized downloading are missing from the client.

Not every user needs those features on the other hand.

Verdict

If you are using Firefox and prefer to use a client integrated in the browser, then you will find that Torrent Tornado fits that profile.

While it does not offer many advanced features, it makes up for that somewhat by being easy and comfortable to use. It can also be a valid option in environments where you cannot install torrent clients on the computer system but are allowed to install browser extensions.