Port closed but still receives slowly

[user1123581321]

I have recently installed the PIA VPN, which for the most part works well with good speeds on my interwebs connection. However there is a strange issue happening with Transmission and that is if I use the VPN, sometimes it works fine but a lot of the time the port is reported as 'closed' even though it is still uploading, which I understand it can do with the port closed, but it is also still downloading with the port closed but at a generally slower speed.

I am puzzled as to how it is able to download at all when transmission reports the port as closed.

Thanks.

[dadrepus]

I'm getting the same thing. I have tried various servers from my vpn US, Canada, England...etc. Ports say blocked but getting occasional connection anyway with minimal upload and downloads.
what gives? I am locally on Verizon if that matters.

[user1123581321]

you have to ask the vpn service to open a port for you. only incoming connection requests require an open port.

OK I will try that, but it even though it says port closed it will still download certain torrents at a normal speed.

EDIT: I just discovered that my vps PIA, allows me to selects from a list of special servers in the advanced settings and switch on port forwarding which displays a port in the menubar tooltips to add in Transmission.

However now it doesn't seem to make much difference.

Is it normal for Transmission to be able to receive files with the port indicating closed? Is this just an anomoly when using a vpn and the port is really open even though it says 'closed'?