Your bandwidth is a measure of how much data your network can transfer at a given time. When it’s limited, you may run into issues while playing video games, streaming media, or performing other demanding tasks on your computer. Bandwidth consumption is also limited in most data plans. You want to avoid hitting this limit at all costs because it can cause your service provider to charge you extra or slow your Internet connection to a crawl. Therefore, checking your bandwidth usage every so often is essential if you’re a heavy Internet user. Utilize these easy ways to monitor your bandwidth consumption to do so.
Use a Windows-Based Program
One route you can go down to keep track of your bandwidth consumption is to use a Windows-based program. This option will work for most computers that use a Windows operating system. The program will record your data usage over time and make it easy for you to see it through tables and graphs. You’ll also be able to tell when you’re close to reaching your maximum, and you can even set up an alert system to notify you when this happens. Another benefit to these programs is that you can find them for free. NetWorx and BitMeter OS are two examples that won’t cost you anything.
Look at Your ISP’s Tool
Your Internet service provider must carefully observe how much data you download and upload to provide you with the amount you’ve agreed upon—and slow down your connection or charge you an additional fee should you exceed it. Since they’re already collecting this information, they may have a tool on their website that lets you see your overall activity. You may just need to log into the account you have with them to find it. Since this isn’t very involved on your part, it can be an easy way to monitor your bandwidth consumption. The downside is that your ISP may not update their records as frequently as you might want.
Monitor with a Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi is popular among electronics makers, but it’s also applicable to projects beyond this sphere. People have created guides online that teach you how to connect the Pi to your network and code it to automatically keep tabs on your bandwidth traffic. You can also monitor broadband speeds with Raspberry Pi to locate the roots of problems with your Internet. Along with Raspbian OS-compatible software, such as BandwidthD, you’ll have the ability to view the same type of information you might get with a Windows-based program. The advantage is that it lets you look at your consumption on multiple devices collectively, rather than just on one.
