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    DSL Bandwidth Monitor

    I am looking for a basic simple easy to configure bandwidth monitoring for my DSL connection..

    We're being hit with 200 and 300 $ DSL bills thru AT&T and, because we're rural, we have no other option than the ATT plans..

    What I have is a DSL connected to a wi-fi router where we have 2 or 3 workstations, plus various wi-fi connected phones, TVs and tablets.. I also should add that, because we're rural, the possibility of my local network being accessed from off premises is as remote as we are..

    I need a monitoring program that I can configure on one workstation that will monitor the entire network..

    I am somewhat (emphasis on 'somewhat') well versed in network operations.. To an amateur, I am a network guru.. To an ACTUAL guru, I am a talented amateur, if that helps explain my level of expertise..

    Any thoughts???

    #2
    Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

    Originally posted by Michale32086 View Post
    I am looking for a basic simple easy to configure bandwidth monitoring for my DSL connection..

    We're being hit with 200 and 300 $ DSL bills thru AT&T and, because we're rural, we have no other option than the ATT plans..

    What I have is a DSL connected to a wi-fi router where we have 2 or 3 workstations, plus various wi-fi connected phones, TVs and tablets.. I also should add that, because we're rural, the possibility of my local network being accessed from off premises is as remote as we are..

    I need a monitoring program that I can configure on one workstation that will monitor the entire network..
    I'm not sure of exactly what you're seeking.

    Your $$$ comment re: ATT suggests you may be motivated to see if you can downgrade to a slower service/provider. Hence, an interest in the average bandwidth.

    Your enumeration of the various clients that you have suggests you may be interested in understanding who the data hogs are likely to be. Then, perhaps, focusing on them explicitly to reduce your need for whatever bandwidth you're currently found to be using.

    Are all of your clients "wireless"?

    The only realistic spot to gather the data regarding your total -- as well as per-client -- usage is at the router. And, relies on the router (or its replacement) cooperating with your monitoring attempts.

    (You could, conceivably, set up a packet sniffer to monitor the wireless traffic. But, this would be clumsy and not particularly robust. E.g., if it doesn't see all of the traffic then it can't measure it)

    Have you tried poking around your router (usually they have web interfaces) to see what sort of metrics it already provides?

    Comment


      #3
      Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

      Thanx for the reply..

      I actually have a pretty decent router.. It's an ASUS RT-AC66U and, now that I think of it, it may have some decent protocols for monitoring..

      My order of usage... At least what I believe is the order..

      Workstation
      INTREPID- Variable torrent download (24/7 when son is home from Alaska)
      ENTERPRISE- 4-6 hr of YOUTUBING (grandson)
      WIRELESS- 4-6- hr Fortnite (other grandson is home)
      SAMSUNG 4K TV 4-6 hr streaming Mother Goose/Netflix (other (autistic) grandson)
      SAMSUNG 4k TV 2-3 hr streaming Hulu/Amazon (daughter)
      Samsung TV 1-2 hr hr streaming Netflix/Amazon (me and wife hiding in bedroom)

      Of course, other than the almost 24/7 torrents from Alaska son, the other activities are not every day... But still it's all a lot..

      I just want to see our daily usage and use that to determine how, and where, we should cut back.. Other than making our house kid-free, of course..

      I have HEARD of the "empty nest" syndrome.. Just never have experienced it.

      Thanx again for the reply...

      Comment


        #4
        Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

        not so simple,
        if you running windows10 then it's going to murder your connection with spying and using your network as a node for sharing updates!!

        Comment


          #5
          Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

          Yea, I can see that.. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil..

          Comment


            #6
            Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

            Originally posted by Michale32086 View Post
            I actually have a pretty decent router.. It's an ASUS RT-AC66U and, now that I think of it, it may have some decent protocols for monitoring..

            My order of usage... At least what I believe is the order..

            Workstation
            INTREPID- Variable torrent download (24/7 when son is home from Alaska)
            ENTERPRISE- 4-6 hr of YOUTUBING (grandson)
            I assume the above two are WIRED (because you note the next as being "WIRELESS")?

            WIRELESS- 4-6- hr Fortnite (other grandson is home)
            Are these (below) wired or wireless?

            SAMSUNG 4K TV 4-6 hr streaming Mother Goose/Netflix (other (autistic) grandson)
            SAMSUNG 4k TV 2-3 hr streaming Hulu/Amazon (daughter)
            Samsung TV 1-2 hr hr streaming Netflix/Amazon (me and wife hiding in bedroom)
            Hmmm... I've heard "it" called lots of things... but, never "hiding"!

            Of course, other than the almost 24/7 torrents from Alaska son, the other activities are not every day... But still it's all a lot..

            I just want to see our daily usage and use that to determine how, and where, we should cut back..
            The router will let you monitor number of octets moved over each interface. You may not be able to "reset" the totals so may have to rely on jotting them down on a slip of paper (with timestamp) and then subtracting these figures from the "new" figures you read at a later date/time.

            You can also use the QoS capabilities to shape the bandwidth for each task (so YOUR movies get precedence over daughter :> )

            I have HEARD of the "empty nest" syndrome.. Just never have experienced it.
            "Don't PLAY unless you wanna PAY!" :>

            Comment


              #7
              Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

              Originally posted by Curious.George View Post



              "Don't PLAY unless you wanna PAY!" :>
              Sounds like what some people think of Nvidia, lately!
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              "¡Me encanta "Me Encanta o Enlistarlo con Hilary Farr!" -Mí mismo

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              "did I see a chair fly? I think I did! Time for popcorn!" -ratdude747

              Comment


                #8
                Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                "Don't PLAY unless you wanna PAY!" :>
                Heh... Touche

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                  OK, took me a while to get to this but I was finally able to check my router...

                  And what I found was, in I am reading it right, VERY interesting..

                  First, allow me to review my setup..

                  I have a NETGEAR ATT DSL modem that runs my Internet Connection.. Hooked up to that is an ASUS RT-AC66u router.. Two computers are hardwired into the router in addition to a SAMSUNG SMART TV, an LibreElec KODI and another wireless router for the other part of the house... At various times, laptops and phones and tablets are linked wirelessly to the ASUS Router..

                  In short, to the best of my knowledge and ability, everything that is anything on my internet goes thru that ASUS ROUTER...

                  Here's the kicker...

                  According to my ASUS Router my usage for the last 30 days (28 Jun - 27 Jul) was 26.1 GB.. During that same time frame, ATT added 50GB Data Packages SIX TIMES and charged me $10 each time...

                  The raw numbers look like this:

                  2018-07-26 8.11GB 0.56 GB 8.67 GB
                  2018-07-25 6.86 GB 0.56 GB 7.41 GB
                  2018-07-24 3.24 GB 0.22 G B 3.46 GB
                  2018-07-23 4.63 GB 0.43 GB 5.06 GB
                  2018-07-22 1.08 GB 0.06 GB 1.14 GB

                  Last 30 Days (2018-06-28 ~ 2018-07-27)
                  Reception 24.25 GB
                  Transmission 1.91 GB
                  Total 26.17 GB

                  26 Jun 50GB Pack added $10
                  30 Jun 50GB Pack added $10
                  2 Jul 50GB Pack added $10
                  12 Jul 50GB Pack added $10
                  18 Jul 50GB Pack added $10
                  23 Jul 50GB Pack added $10
                  Apologies.. The formatting doesn't seem to want to keep..

                  Now, on the one hand, that's a pretty big indictment of AT&T...

                  But I just can't believe I am interpreting the data from the router correctly.. With all the downloading my son does (torrents) and all the gaming my one grandson does (Fortnite) and all the videos my other 2 grandson do...

                  I just can't believe that it only comes to 26.1 GB for the last 30 days..

                  So, am I reading the data right?? Is the idea that everything that I do on the net goes thru this one router an accurate assumption??

                  Has AT&T *REALLY* been scroowing me over so bad for a year??

                  Also, if anyone knows the ins and outs of the ASUS RT-AC66u router, is there any way to access log files from previous months?? Maybe even going back a year??

                  Thanx again to all the replies..

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                    Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                    I assume the above two are WIRED (because you note the next as being "WIRELESS")?



                    Are these (below) wired or wireless?
                    The 4K TV is hard wired. The other samsung TV is a dumb one, but it's hooked up to a samsung Blu Ray smart box and that is wired...


                    Hmmm... I've heard "it" called lots of things... but, never "hiding"!
                    Heh We always have one foot on the floor, I swear!!!




                    The router will let you monitor number of octets moved over each interface. You may not be able to "reset" the totals so may have to rely on jotting them down on a slip of paper (with timestamp) and then subtracting these figures from the "new" figures you read at a later date/time.

                    You can also use the QoS capabilities to shape the bandwidth for each task (so YOUR movies get precedence over daughter :> )
                    These accommodations are temporary. Oldest son is going back to Alaska soon and the daughter is in the process of buying her own place..

                    So I don't really want to make any huge changes.. I am in bed usually by 1900hrs anyways, so there is usually no conflict..

                    My goal is to determine if we're actually using that kind of bandwidth or is AT&T scrooing me over by charging me for non-existent bandwidth...

                    And, correct me if I am wrong, but if I had some yahoo tapping into my WiFi router, it would still count as usage on my router, right???

                    Whatever goes thru that router, from whatever source, is the usage included in the mentioned total..

                    Right??

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                      Originally posted by Michale32086 View Post
                      I just can't believe that it only comes to 26.1 GB for the last 30 days..

                      So, am I reading the data right??
                      If you are correct, AT&T is definitely overcharging you. I would phone them and ask them why the 50GB is being added without your consent?

                      On my provider, they provide a portal to pay bills, change options, etc and they show my usage for the month. I'm well under, but if I needed, I can check and it should be close enough to my router stats.
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                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                        Looks like AT&T has similar portal ...

                        https://www.att.com/esupport/article...rnet/KM1116099

                        How to Check Broadband Usage
                        Learn how to keep track of your broadband usage online and prevent overages. Just log on to the att.com Overview page. Easily check for overages. Need more? Easily change your Internet plan.

                        Data usage notifications
                        With data usage notifications, we'll alert you when you've gone over your data limit and will be charged for overages:
                        In the first bill period that you go over your monthly data limit, you'll get a notice, but we won't charge you.
                        In the second bill period that you go over, you'lll get notices when you use 65%, 90%, and 100% of your limit, but we won't charge you.
                        Starting with the third bill period that you go over, you'll again get notices when you use 65%, 90%, and 100% of your limit. Once you go over, we'll automatically add more data in 50GB increments at a cost of $10 per 50GB. The most we'll charge for overages in a bill period is $100 for AT&T Internet or $200 for DSL and Fixed Wireless Internet.

                        We'll send data usage notices to the primary email address you set up when you signed up for service. You can find your primary email address at Account overview > My Internet > Manage my plan > Plan details > My email addresses.
                        --- begin sig file ---

                        If you are new to this forum, we can help a lot more if you please post clear focused pictures (max resolution 2000x2000 and 2MB) of your boards using the manage attachments button so they are hosted here. Information and picture clarity compositions should look like this post.

                        We respectfully ask that you make some time and effort to read some of the guides available for basic troubleshooting. After you have read through them, then ask clarification questions or report your findings.

                        Please do not post inline and offsite as they slow down the loading of pages.

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                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                          Why stay with dsl, there are other options even if you live in the boonies.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                            There are known vulnerabilities for your router that may allow an attacker to get the router password, change router settings without authentication, execute code, and exfiltrate router data. Even there is a chance that your excess bandwidth was the result of a DDOS attack generated from your router.

                            Look for the latest firmware for your router, or better yet, install either Asuswrt-merlin or DD-WRT. Also, change your logins and disable all external services that you don't use.

                            Some info about this:

                            https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/new...-simple-hacks/

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                              Originally posted by brethin View Post
                              Why stay with dsl, there are other options even if you live in the boonies.
                              The only other option is satellite.. :^/ And I'de rather use dial-up..

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                                Originally posted by hasefroch View Post
                                There are known vulnerabilities for your router that may allow an attacker to get the router password, change router settings without authentication, execute code, and exfiltrate router data. Even there is a chance that your excess bandwidth was the result of a DDOS attack generated from your router.

                                Look for the latest firmware for your router, or better yet, install either Asuswrt-merlin or DD-WRT. Also, change your logins and disable all external services that you don't use.

                                Some info about this:

                                https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/new...-simple-hacks/

                                Yea, I have been reading up on the SNB forums about ASUS Merlin.. Just waiting for some slown net time home to install the Merlin firmware. Probably Monday...

                                Thanx to all for the replies..

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                                  Originally posted by retiredcaps View Post
                                  Looks like AT&T has similar portal ...

                                  https://www.att.com/esupport/article...rnet/KM1116099

                                  How to Check Broadband Usage
                                  Learn how to keep track of your broadband usage online and prevent overages. Just log on to the att.com Overview page. Easily check for overages. Need more? Easily change your Internet plan.

                                  Data usage notifications
                                  With data usage notifications, we'll alert you when you've gone over your data limit and will be charged for overages:
                                  In the first bill period that you go over your monthly data limit, you'll get a notice, but we won't charge you.
                                  In the second bill period that you go over, you'lll get notices when you use 65%, 90%, and 100% of your limit, but we won't charge you.
                                  Starting with the third bill period that you go over, you'll again get notices when you use 65%, 90%, and 100% of your limit. Once you go over, we'll automatically add more data in 50GB increments at a cost of $10 per 50GB. The most we'll charge for overages in a bill period is $100 for AT&T Internet or $200 for DSL and Fixed Wireless Internet.

                                  We'll send data usage notices to the primary email address you set up when you signed up for service. You can find your primary email address at Account overview > My Internet > Manage my plan > Plan details > My email addresses.
                                  Thanx for the info.. Been trying that...

                                  I get an error message that says they are not able to display my internet usage at this time..

                                  Things that make ya go 'hmmmmmm'
                                  Attached Files

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                                    Originally posted by Michale32086 View Post
                                    I have a NETGEAR ATT DSL modem that runs my Internet Connection.. Hooked up to that is an ASUS RT-AC66u router.. Two computers are hardwired into the router in addition to a SAMSUNG SMART TV, an LibreElec KODI and another wireless router for the other part of the house... At various times, laptops and phones and tablets are linked wirelessly to the ASUS Router..

                                    In short, to the best of my knowledge and ability, everything that is anything on my internet goes thru that ASUS ROUTER...
                                    Yes. The question then is how/where the various statistics are reported. Are totals reported per (wired) port? For wired vs. wireless? etc.

                                    According to my ASUS Router my usage for the last 30 days (28 Jun - 27 Jul) was 26.1 GB.. During that same time frame, ATT added 50GB Data Packages SIX TIMES and charged me $10 each time...
                                    2018-07-26 8.11GB 0.56 GB 8.67 GB
                                    2018-07-25 6.86 GB 0.56 GB 7.41 GB
                                    2018-07-24 3.24 GB 0.22 G B 3.46 GB
                                    2018-07-23 4.63 GB 0.43 GB 5.06 GB
                                    2018-07-22 1.08 GB 0.06 GB 1.14 GB
                                    I assume the above is expected to convey:
                                    Date Received Sent Total


                                    Last 30 Days (2018-06-28 ~ 2018-07-27)
                                    Reception 24.25 GB
                                    Transmission 1.91 GB
                                    Total 26.17 GB
                                    And, your "reception" total is 8.11+6.86+3.24+4.63+1.08=23.92
                                    with a transmit total of 0.56+0.56+0.22+0.43+0.06=1.83
                                    and a grand total of 8.67+7.41+3.46+5.06+1.14=25.74
                                    (I attribute the difference between 23.92+1.83 and 25.74 to rounding)

                                    I'll assume you've added another day that you didn't report, here to explain the discrepancies between your numbers and mine; or, one of us can't add worth a damn!

                                    So, total traffic of ~26GB... over the course of FIVE DAYS (not the 30 days you mention, above).

                                    Assume the average of ~5GB/day happens over the course of an entire month suggests your total traffic is ~150GB. Of course, that's a big extrapolation with just these 5 data points...

                                    Note that the router may also introduce traffic that it may fail to record in those totals (e.g., if it provides your DNS service, responds to ICMP messages from the WAN, routed traffic, etc.)

                                    But I just can't believe I am interpreting the data from the router correctly.. With all the downloading my son does (torrents) and all the gaming my one grandson does (Fortnite) and all the videos my other 2 grandson do...

                                    I just can't believe that it only comes to 26.1 GB for the last 30 days..
                                    I don't believe it, either!

                                    You could see if your modem maintains any statistics. That would reflect the total traffic to/from the router. Note that the PC's should have counters as well (but that means looking at more devices to see where ALL the traffic is going)
                                    Last edited by Curious.George; 07-28-2018, 04:28 AM.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                                      Yea, the more I research it, the more I believe that the ASUS is wrong on the monthly listing..

                                      I am going to put in MERLIN firmware in the ASUS on Monday and then do a recheck of the stats...

                                      The MERLIN firmware also has the ability to track usage via IP so that should help track down the heavy users..

                                      Thanx for the reply...

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Re: DSL Bandwidth Monitor

                                        Originally posted by Michale32086 View Post
                                        Yea, the more I research it, the more I believe that the ASUS is wrong on the monthly listing..
                                        Ah, so it came up with that "monthly total"? Are you involved in that process in any way (i.e., perhaps it reset the counter when you started taking measurements so the month ended with just those 5 days tabulated)

                                        The MERLIN firmware also has the ability to track usage via IP so that should help track down the heavy users..
                                        Even if you ignore the actual numbers (because you have no real way of knowing if they are "exact"), it will give you a feel for whether the number make ANY sense ("Why is so much traffic being reported on this desktop system? I rarely use it for much on-line! Perhaps there's some malware using it as a relay for the Kremlin??" )

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