Eweka

This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)

Eweka is a local celebtriy in The Netherlands. This Usenet provider has its servers in a data center in Amsterdam, making this an excellent Usenet provider for the Western European region. In this review we test Eweka’s speed and the stability of their servers. Furthermore we scrutinize the completeness of the files we download from Eweka’s server network and we see what privacy policies they uphold.

Eweka features

Eweka is a Usenet provider that focuses completely on facilitating fast and stable Usenet access for customers in Western Europe. The service is not that popular in for instance the United States, where alternatives like Newshosting might be more interesting. This is due to the fact Newshosting has Usenet servers on both US and European soil.

Unlike some other Usenet providers, Eweka does not divert from its core purpose, which is providing Usenet access. No additional services are included (e.g. a complementary VPN service). Via Eweka’s servers you can view news and download and share movies, series, music and software. When subscribed to Eweka you gain access to all newsgroups, from which you can download files which are stored for an impressive 3300+ days. This means files will be available for almost 10 years after making their first appearance. Pretty impressive!

Eweka’s features summarized:

• Servers in Europe.
• Fast servers offering 300mbit/s download speeds (from the Netherlands we were able to push our download speeds all the way to the limit of our own internet service provider).
• 3300+ days of retention.
• SSL encryption: Eweka offers the possibility to encrypt your download traffic with a 256-bit encryption protocol. This way, nobody will be able to see what you download.
• Good privacy regulations; no logs are kept.
• Supports all newsreaders, including Radarr, Sonarr, CouchPotato and Sickbeard.
• Complete files (99.99% completion guarantee)
• Customer support in English, German, French and Dutch

Eweka subscriptions and prices

Eweka offers three different packages. Whatever package is best for you depends on how fast you would like to download. And you will have to decide if you want a prepaid package or a monthly recurring subscription. The monthly subscription is by far the most competitive package in terms of features and price. There are really downsides compared to the monthly prepaid package, since the monthly subscription of €7,00 can just be cancelled at any point if you please. This is the package you should be aiming for.

Downloading with Eweka

When you register for an account at Eweka you’re asked to choose a username and password. These login details can be combined with the server address mentioned below to connect to the news servers of Eweka. Searching files on Usenet can be done with a Usenet search engine (newsreader), a forum or Spotnet. The connection settings (server address) for the Eweka servers are as follows:

• News server hostname: sslreader.eweka.nl (or news.eweka.nl for the non-SSL version)
• Ports: 563 (SSL = encrypted) or 119 (Non-SSL)

Security and privacy Eweka

Eweka has a short but clear privacy statement on the website. On their privacy page they indicate that during registration several user details are stored, such as user name, e-mail address and payment information. Additionally, Eweka states not to keep track of which newsgroups you visit or what files you download or upload. All data traffic can be secured through SSL. Eweka does state that when a court order comes which includes a demand for handing over user information, they will comply. This is a theoretical clause in their terms and conditions, although in practice it is not expected to happen frequently. Furthermore, since Eweka does not log user activity, there is not much information to hand over.

Unlike some other Usenet providers, Eweka does not offer its users a VPN service. Using a VPN is kind of a necessity for everyone who values their online privacy and safety. So in case you do opt for Eweka, you will need to get your VPN elsewhere.

All things considered, we can’t really complain about Eweka’s privacy policy and security features. SSL encryption, no logs; that’s a solid basis. The VPN is missing, but that’s something we can solve ourselves.

Eweka support

The customer support of Eweka is only available during working days. This means Mondays to Thursdays from 09:30 AM till 01:00 PM, and from 01:30 PM till 05:00 PM (Central European Time). On Fridays customer support can be reached from 10:30 AM till 01:00 PM, and from 01:30 PM till 05:00 PM (CET). On the contact page it is mentioned that a reaction from the support team can take up to three working days.

Speed Eweka usenet

We tested the speed of the Eweka servers with an SSL connection. We prefer to test with SSL as we feel the extra security SSL offers is a very welcome addition when utilizing Usenet. The speed from which we could download files from the Eweka servers was similar to the maximum speed of our own internet connection, which is 200 mbit/second. The connection was stable and all files were complete when the download was finished. In every day practice most users will have no problems at all in terms of speed. We do have to state that Eweka just has European servers, and we ourselves are located in The Netherlands. So from The Netherlands speeds are absolutely fine, we can vouch for that. However, for Usenet users from outside the European Union, download speeds could be affected by the distance to the servers. This is something to keep in mind in case you are not located in Europe yourself.

Conclusion: Is Eweka a decent choice?

Eweka is a reliable Usenet provider with fast servers in Amsterdam. Download speeds are capped at 300 Mbps, which is absolutely fine. Just forget about the prepaid monthly packages, especially the 50 Mbps version. The cheapest and also best option is the monthly subscription, which you can cancel at any time if need be. Customer support could improve by a margin, but that’s the way we feel about almost every Usenet provider. We have said it before, but personally we are big fans of direct chats. We think Eweka is awesome for Dutch people (and other Western Europeans), but it might not be the best option for the non-Europeans out there. Instead, go for a service like UsenetServer.

Visit Eweka