Bandwidth monitoring?

[metallifux]

Hi all, sorry for the newb question so I apologise in advance. I'm about to move into a new shared house and I will be in charge of getting the net up and running. Just wondering how i can monitor bandwidth between our different laptops? Thanks

 

[Catsrules]

Well as far as i know it will need to be a device that everything goes through, Like a router, your just need to find a router that will do what your want it to do. Or that can be hacked to do so.

What are you looking for as far as a monitor, like a report that will tell you laptop A used 5GB today, or like a live update like laptop A is downloading at 500kbps.

Untangle will do this, but you have to pay a monthly fee for the bandwidth control app, and you need a dedicated computer with at least 2 network cards to run it.

With what your are trying to do, I think a router is your best bet, as far and the easiest and cheapest way. There maybe software your can install on each computer that will do that as well.

 

[metallifux]

Well as far as i know it will need to be a device that everything goes through, Like a router, your just need to find a router that will do what your want it to do. Or that can be hacked to do so.

What are you looking for as far as a monitor, like a report that will tell you laptop A used 5GB today, or like a live update like laptop A is downloading at 500kbps.

Untangle will do this, but you have to pay a monthly fee for the bandwidth control app, and you need a dedicated computer with at least 2 network cards to run it.

With what your are trying to do, I think a router is your best bet, as far and the easiest and cheapest way. There maybe software your can install on each computer that will do that as well.

Thanks for your response, bascially we will have a monthly download limit of about 50Gb and we would like to be able to split that evenly amoungst the 4 of us.

 

[Catsrules]

Thanks for your response, bascially we will have a monthly download limit of about 50Gb and we would like to be able to split that evenly amoungst the 4 of us.

Hmm the best way to do it, is to have an actual device monitoring traffic. But don't know of a home device that will be able to accomplish this. (just because I don't know, doesn't mean one doesn't exist)
I would look in to DD WRT at www.dd-wrt.com
It an OS for routers that replace there current OS on them. I have personally never used it, but I know some people that do and they love it. But I don't know if it will do bandwidth monitoring. and I don't know how easy it is to install or how user friendly it is, having never used it. I would get on there forums they have there and ask.

The only other way is software, but that will cause problems with laptops, because it might not be able to tell if you are at home or somewhere else, it will just tell you how much that laptop has accessed the internet that month. I think i have seen a firewall software do this, I think it was mcafee but I am not sure.

 

[Catsrules]

http://www.bandwidthmonitorpro.com/

Use this its free

Are you sure it is free, they are saying is it a 30day trial, and it cost $19 a license. Is the a non Pro version link I am missing?

 

[metallifux]

Best answer selected by metallifux.