Comments on: Bandwidth analysis

Question: Bandwidth analysis

Raichle — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:55:30 -0800

Can anyone recommend a free tool to do a long term bandwidth analysis?

Basically I need a tool that I can run for a few days to see what overall/average upload and download speed I am getting.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:12:52 -0800

Please provide more information. Are you interested in monitoring one computer, several, a business? Do you have access to the router? Can you add/remove devices to/from the network?

What is your operating system? What type of router do you have?

By: polyglot

polyglot — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:23:55 -0800

MRTG is where it's at, so far as I know.

By: Raichle

Raichle — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:39:35 -0800

I run 4 businesses using the same ISP. I have full access to the routers but they vary in firmware. Some run DD-WRT and the rest are running the basic linksys firmware. I can add/remove devices but would prefer to run something on an existing computer that is always directly connected to the router. We are running wireless at each place for about 15-30 people per day and about 10 wired computers. We are supposed to be receiving 4 Mb/s and I am not seeing that in quick tests (with no one else connected) via cnet, etc. I would like to run a more comprehensive test before getting really nasty with the ISP.

By: Jairus

Jairus — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:54:11 -0800

A computer connected to a router is only going to see the traffic that the router sends it.

You need to either get the stats from the router (Tomato can do this, I haven't used DD-WRT),, put a machine between the router and the internet connection running Smoothwall or m0n0wall, or use a switch as a traffic repeater to send the data to a third PC.

If you hate yourself, you can build a passive ethernet tap and run the data to a Snort box.

By: Raichle

Raichle — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:18:04 -0800

Well, I have a 4 port modem I can plug into and that should bypass the router problem right? We have 4 dedicated IP's, so I can just assign that way.

So, what tool should I use?

By: Jairus

Jairus — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:48:22 -0800

I'd just use a router running Tomato.