App to monitor computer network usage FROM my iPad
February 10, 2017 6:00 AM Subscribe
My computer is in the basement. I am not always. I would like to be able to use my iPad to check if a file I am downloading on my computer is done downloading, or if not done, what speed it is downloading at. Is there an app for that? I do not need the ability to monitor the usage of my network BY my iPad. (The whole house is Apple networked.)
In case the reason helps:
Upstairs sometimes my Apple TV runs slowly, and sometimes my iPad internet runs slowly (or does not work). Right now I must go downstairs to see if this is related to downloading on my computer.
When I search for this I seem to get apps that would allow me to view the network use by the iPad, or that monitor the connections to my WiFi network.
In case the reason helps:
Upstairs sometimes my Apple TV runs slowly, and sometimes my iPad internet runs slowly (or does not work). Right now I must go downstairs to see if this is related to downloading on my computer.
When I search for this I seem to get apps that would allow me to view the network use by the iPad, or that monitor the connections to my WiFi network.
There may be a more elegant solution, but I can use VNCviewer on my ipad to see what my remote mac mini is doing. You'd need to allow screen-sharing on the server.
posted by pompomtom at 6:30 AM on February 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by pompomtom at 6:30 AM on February 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
Chrome Remote Desktop is even simpler than VNCviewer, if you are not Goog-averse.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:35 AM on February 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Rock Steady at 6:35 AM on February 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is the computer a mac or a PC? If it is a PC, Microsoft has a Remote Desktop app.
posted by soelo at 7:22 AM on February 10, 2017
posted by soelo at 7:22 AM on February 10, 2017
Response by poster: It's a Mac. Thanks for the answers so far!
posted by OmieWise at 8:12 AM on February 10, 2017
posted by OmieWise at 8:12 AM on February 10, 2017
Thinking about it a different way.... if you had the ability to throttle the download that your Mac was doing, such that it was downloading at a speed slow enough to not interfere with the rest of your internet activity, you wouldn't need to monitor anything. (At the cost of downloads taking longer to complete.)
posted by Wild_Eep at 8:33 AM on February 10, 2017
posted by Wild_Eep at 8:33 AM on February 10, 2017
I set my folks up with a router running OpenWRT, an aftermarket open source firmware, and installed the wtBRMon utility to give everyone in the house the ability to see who's slowing everyone else down.
There is a fork of OpenWRT called Gargoyle which is supposed to offer this functionality built in, but I haven't tried it. And the other popular alternative router firmware is DD-WRT, which is reputed to be easier to use than OpenWRT, but I haven't tried it as it wasn't supported on their hardware. Another firmware is Tomato, but I know even less about that one.
Monitoring from your router is the only way to see the usage of all devices on your network at once, though if you just want to monitor one other device, the remote-desktop ideas mentioned above are probably easier. If you're technically inclined enough to install such firmware, though, you can get a lot more info, as well as give your network some other extra features. If your current router is compatible with any of these, great, otherwise there are models as cheap as $20 or so which are compatible. If you're not so technical, or don't have access to someone who is, there are also some higher-end routers which include this feature in the factory firmware.
posted by MoTLD at 9:30 AM on February 10, 2017
There is a fork of OpenWRT called Gargoyle which is supposed to offer this functionality built in, but I haven't tried it. And the other popular alternative router firmware is DD-WRT, which is reputed to be easier to use than OpenWRT, but I haven't tried it as it wasn't supported on their hardware. Another firmware is Tomato, but I know even less about that one.
Monitoring from your router is the only way to see the usage of all devices on your network at once, though if you just want to monitor one other device, the remote-desktop ideas mentioned above are probably easier. If you're technically inclined enough to install such firmware, though, you can get a lot more info, as well as give your network some other extra features. If your current router is compatible with any of these, great, otherwise there are models as cheap as $20 or so which are compatible. If you're not so technical, or don't have access to someone who is, there are also some higher-end routers which include this feature in the factory firmware.
posted by MoTLD at 9:30 AM on February 10, 2017
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posted by bluecore at 6:30 AM on February 10, 2017