Bandwidth Monitors

[moonshinemadness]

Hi guys, does any of you know of any software that allows me to monitor what is using my bandwidth. I have something that graphs how much is being used but i dont know what uses it. Also does anyone know how A) I can speed up my internet connection. AT the moment i have a 56k dial up modem that only connects at a maximum of 31k. If not B) is there a way i can fully optimize the use of my bandwidth to speed up downloads that only run at 1.2kbps. Thanks

By the way im running XP pro if it makes a difference.

 

[jfall]

You can try a program called DUmeter for that.

As for your dialup connections speeds, there really isn't much you can do. It is usually your local phone lines that are the limiting factor. Also, how far you are away makes a difference. The only thing I can think of is if you have a fairly long phone cord from the jack to your modem, then you could try to shorten it up, but there isn't much else that you can do.

 

[moonshinemadness]

Thanks 4 that im downloading it at the mo, slowly

 

[dakels]

wait you said you only download at 1.2kbps? Did you mean 1.2 KBYTES? You should be able to DL at least 1.2 KBYTES which is about 10kbits/sec (1 byte = 8 bits). For 30k connection you should be able to get 3-3.75 KB/sec.

If you are connecting at 30k and only getting 1.2kbps or even KBps, something is wrong. First check to see what else could be taking up your bandwidth. then check thing like your modem settings and connection settings, then consider replacing lines. Like if you are using some 80' phone extension cord, try getting one as short as possible, preferably under 10'. Long signal cables of any kind usually cause delays in your data thruput. Also, do yu live in a very rural area that you can only connect at 30k? Try calling you ISP and see if they have any other local numbers available that support a 56k connection.

 

[moonshinemadness]

My mistake 1.2 kb/s sorry bout that. Things like Kazaa run at that speed for about 10 mins then drop to around 0.25Kb/s until i reconnect. I live in a very rural part of derbyshire and have quite a long extension cord to the computer. Surely i should be hitting faster than this though or is this normal? Thanks

 

[igowerf]

We had a problem with unstable 56K connections a few years ago. It turns out that our phoneline was "dirty" or "noisy." We could actually hear phone conversations of other people when we dialed up and I think they could hear us dialing up. We called the phone company and they came and fixed it. After that, we got solid 48K connections.

 

[Lonyo]

The Kazaa download speed is not something you should be worried about.

Its the speed from webpages that give a real indication of your connection speed.

I can get 5k/s from Kazaa, or sometimes only 0.01k/s, it just depends on the users you're downloading from.

 

[dakels]

Kaaza or Kaaza lite? You really should be using Kaaza Lite.
The regular Kaaza has so much adware and spyware that on a small connection like yours, it will seriously eat up bandwidth slowing you down alot. Try normal FTP sites to test your speeds on not kaaza. Any Kaaza or peer to peer networking is not a good indicator of your possible bandwidth. Peer to peer networks rely on many things especially the upload potential of the host you are DLing from. IF they are swamped then you may see very limited bandwidth that fluctuates alot. Still, you are only asking for 1-3KB/sec, most people who use broadband shouldn't have a problem with that if you are able to connect. like igowerf said, your town may have some old/bad phone lines limiting your transfer rates. Still, .25K is pretty pathetic. Thats equal to 2k modem (compared to 56k) .

Try some FTP links and bandwidth tester sites to DL from and se what your rates are. Also try running a short phone extension directly from the jack itself (not thru a phone). If it's better with a short line but you need the length and your line is a bit old, then try buying a new line and try to be efficient with the distance:cord length so you dont have 50' xtra feet of wire. Also try to avoid going thru phones or answering machines then to the computer.

Don't be afraid to write some letters to your local phone company for better lines. Complain there is alot of static or crossed signals, and bad modem connections. Stress the phone call problems first since they probably could care less about modem connections if they aren't your ISP.

 

[moonshinemadness]

I cant hear phone convos but i think the telephone cables are anything up to 37 yrs old. I tried something with that DU meter which allows you to ping certain sites, mine all times out which i thought was quite strange. i will sort some times out n get bacdk to u on that. Thanks

Edit * Kazaa Lite*

 

[moonshinemadness]

Ok so here are some results for you.
My ISP is freeserve. I have a dedicated line for the net. I use an external rockwell modem connected to my coms port. Both the modem speeds and coms port speed are maxed out.

I tested 3 sites, Google, my homepage and Hotmail once when i logged on and once 10 minutes later.
It took me 5 attempts to logon to the net when it connected it connected at 28.8Kb/s and Ativa net meter said the maximum speed was 6.8kb/s throughout.

ok
Google:

@ Logon: 2.5s
@ 10 mins: 6.94s


My Homepage:

@ Logon: 25:27s
@10 Mins: I gave up after 3 minutes, nothing had changed

Hotmail:
@ Logon: 11.62s
@ 10 mins: 19.66s

Hope this is of any use.

 

[dakels]

heh, the site loading doesn't really tell me a whole lot, not real details anyways. Try running these tests on these sites listed below at least 2 times. Do it when you have the time cuz each test may take 30-60+ seconds. The one on the bottom with a java applet is usually good cuz they tell you ms latency times and not just thruput speeds. Sometimes you can have a great latency yet terrible thruput/bandwidth and vice versa. Latency is the reaction time for your signal to get to the server. Like the delay from when you click a link, to when the server recieves your click and starts to load another page. Latency also depends alot on how fast the target server is responding. If you go onto CNET or whatever, the latency may be much higher then another site you were just on due to the fact that the CNET site may be too busy to process your commands very quick. Latency is easily measured with the windows TRACERT command. Bandwidth can be different in that it's the pipeline speed on how fast you can load that information. Bandwidth should be measured with these tests below. The java applet test both your latency from you and your ISP to them and the bandwidth. Clicking around web sites utilizes both latency and bandwidth. Downloading is mainly bandwidth since you have already told the server what you are doing, and now all the server is doing is feeding you information. Latency is very important for online action games. You can have a very high bandwidth but it won't matter when you have a 1 second latency which will give all of your commands a one second delay. Typical good response time/latency/ping for playing action games is below 200ms (.2 seconds).

lol ok I just went into a lecture. Try the links below at your leisure and lets see what you get. Don't forget that high traffic times on your ISP can also screw things up. tests at different times of the day are the best way to compare.

http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/

http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/Bandwidth.asp

http://www.dslreports.com/stest

 

[moonshinemadness]

I cant play games online my lag is to high Ill try those out when i get a minute
Thanks!

 

[dakels]

well, if the connection gets cleaned up a little, you may be able to play some games online. I know people playing alot of online games on 56k modems, even 28.8! Even newer FPS games like quake and UT can be played online on 56k. You just have to have a good clean connection and be willing to tolerate 150-200 ping which many players on broadband find a little high. It depends alot on the netcode as well. Games like BF1942 have a horribly obtuse netcode that requires way too bandwidth when in reality it could be slimmed and optimized down to 1/4 or even less. Other games like Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Quake, and others only need about 10-30kbit streams and a fairly low (150-250) latency to play online.

take your time and report back the stats you get on the bandwidth testers. Still, they are only for diagnosis, you still haven't solved the fact that you're getting horrible speeds. Changes in phones lines, different dial up numbers, etc are the only way you're going to fix the problem. You said you were getting speeds as low as 2k (bit), you should at least hope for 28-30k like what you are supposedly connecting at.

 

[moonshinemadness]

Ok so i ran those tests, and well, all i can say is oh dear!

Firstly i cant run the last test as i dont have java script and my internet connection is to un reliable to download it from either microsoft of sun, last time i checked it was 15 hours for sun and well god knows for sp1 for XP. Either way i cant use resume and the internet wont stay connected that long.

I ran them as soon as i logged on and after 10 mins , here are the results. They were run around six PM i will run the same again around midnight and get those results to you.

BandWidth Place

@ Logon: 16.3 Kilobits Per Second

@10 minutes: 16.1 Kilobits Per Second


PC Pit Stop

@ Logon: Download: 8 kb/s Upload: 41 kb/s

@10 Minutes: Download: 13 kb/s Upload: 46kb/s


Also I did the ping test, i have the results, if they are any use please say and I will post them, Thanks!!

 

[moonshinemadness]

Bump

 

[Mavrick007]

Well, it is either your modem or the "freeserve" service. Is freeserve a "free" isp?
If so, they might be limiting the bandwidth for all their users. Do you know anyone else on freeserve that gets better speeds than you?

 

[moonshinemadness]

It is a free isp in that i dont pay for the phone line but i do pay £13.99 a month to connect to there servers. I dont know anybody else who uses the service.

 

[dakels]

@ Logon: 16.3 Kilobits Per Second
@10 minutes: 16.1 Kilobits Per Second

@ Logon: Download: 8 kb/s Upload: 41 kb/s
@10 Minutes: Download: 13 kb/s Upload: 46kb/s

Download: 8 kb/s Upload: 41 kb/s this I dont understand... why would you have a 8kbps DL and 41kbps upload...? well its a big difference from the first site of 13kbps and the latter 46kbps. If your connection settings/log in states that you are only connected at 31kbps, then obvisouly the 2nd number of 41-46kbps is wrong. It's probably reading a burst.

Looks like your connection is more like around 16kbps which is pretty bad. Again, it could be internal phone lines in your house, external phone lines in your town or a cap given to you by freeserve. Its really hard for me to say. I would think even crappy phone lines could handle 30k but if you're losing alot of packets, that means your system is resending alot of packets slowing down the overall transfer rates.

You may want to contact freeserve and tell them what a crappy connection you are getting and see what they say, chances are they will give you some fluff answers though. Are there any other affordable internet connection services in your area? btw £13.99/month is hardly free but I know what you mean. No per minute charges which happens alot with UK ISP's. Most ISP plans here in the US are pretty much unlimited connection time with a flat monthly fee. I'd pressure freeserve to give you an answer on why your connection stinks and threaten to leave if they don't do something about it. Maybe if your lucky they'll run some line tests to see what's going on.

 

[Mavrick007]

Over here, most people who can not receive high speed access pay for a phone line and "maybe" get the internet for free,
but I agree that freeserve doesn't sound very "free".