What is the "Onion Network with Speed Control" extension and how does it work?

This extension connects your browser to the Tor network through multiple Tor channels to increase the connection speed and user anonymity. When the extension is installed, you can use the right-click context menu item over the toolbar area to set the total number of connections that are needed. By default, the extension uses two simultaneous connections which means that when both connections are established (100% bootstrapped), half of your network traffic goes into each Tor client. Since this extension needs to run the official Tor executable, it needs to have a native client to be able to run OS-level commands. The native client that this extension uses is the official NodeJS executable. This native application is the bridge between the Tor executable and the extension side. Basically, when the extension is enabled, one or multiple Tor executables are being initiated and the extension waits until at least one of these clients are fully ready. At this point, a PAC script is installed in your browser which allows the extension to use load balancing between these Tor clients.

What's new in this version?

Please check the Logs section.

Do I need to have Tor executable for this extension to work?

No, this extension has the official Tor executable with the native client. You can still use your own Tor if you prefer. If so delete the Tor executable and edit the tor.sh or tor.bat file to point to the correct Tor client. Note that this extension runs Tor executable without torrc file so even if you use your own Tor executable, still the extension uses the internal configuration. You can use the options page to provide custom commands and configurations to the Tor executables.

What happens to the Tor connections when the extension gets disabled from the toolbar area?

This extension run the native client only when it is enabled and the user has requested to move browser's traffic to the Tor network, otherwise, the extension kills all the Tor clients that it has initiated itself. If for any reason there is another Tor client that you need to terminate, use the right-click context menu item called "Kill all Running Tor Instances"

How does the extension communicate with the Tor executable?

This extension starts all the Tor executables with proper command-line options and it does not open any controlling port. It only opens the SOCKS port only. This way any application can use the SOCKS server but no application can control the Tor client. If you have modified the command-line options, you will need to disable and reenable the extension to apply the new changes. By default the extension uses 2020-2030 local port range for the Tor clients

Can I use this extension when I already have another extension that controls my proxy configuration?

By browser design, only a single extension can take control of the network. If for any reason another extension is controlling your network, this extension will show a desktop notification to warn the user. If you get such a warning, you will need to disable the extension that is controlling your network proxy and then use this extension once again to connect to the Tor network

What is the meaning of the toolbar button's colors and what is the badge number for?

Toolbar of this extension can gets 3 color codes. The gray color is used when the extension is disabled, meaning that there is no active Tor instance and this extension is not controlling your network at all. Basically, the extension does nothing and is not using any resource. At this state, you can press the button once to start the Tor clients. The extension monitors these clients until a single one connects successfully. If so the toolbar color becomes pink and the badge area displays the total number of active Tor connections that you have. If for any reason all the Tor clients are being terminated, the toolbar color becomes red and your browser is not being connected to the Internet since there is no Tor client to pass the traffic to. To protect user privacy the extension still keep the network proxy and rejects all the connections until the user manually turns the extension on or off

How can I disconnect from Tor network?

When the toolbar color is pink, you are connected to the Tor network. Just press the toolbar once to get disconnected

How can I increase or decrease the total number of connections to the Tor network?

Use the right-click context menu item over the toolbar area. In this menu, you can set the total number of simultaneous Tor clients from one to five. To completely disable the Tor network, just press the toolbar button once when it is connected to the Tor network to change the color to gray