Networking → [Other] need a bandwidth documenting tool for a different IP addr

Kids gave us a Netflix package for our TV...
I'd like to be able to monitor the bandwidth it uses, but don't know how to do it except via a computer on at all times....

Does such a thing exist?

Router is a RVS4000 and has QOS bandwidth limiting, but no bandwidth measurement that I've seen...

Couple options off the top of my head :

a) load an alt firmware (DDWRT, tomato, etc) onto the RVS4000
b) build your own router from an old PC and get a distro with bandwidth monitoring
c) get gear that can do this -- cheapest I know of offhand is the Ubiquiti ERL @ $100USD -- and get software like M/PRTG

My 00000010bits

Regards

Not clear what features are supported.... It seems to only have one update...

Found the Comcast data-use site, and will start checking that monthly for it's last 3 months of data use.... and track it that way....

Sorry, but ... WHAT are you referring to?

Did alittle knocking around Google Images, here's a couple examples of Tomato's traffic graphs

»cdn.nextgendigitalhome.c ··· 4534.png

»www.wi-fiplanet.com/img/ ··· hour.jpg

which sounds like basically what you want. DDWRT should be able to do the same thing.

I also have a station running PRTG on my LAN essentially doing the same thing as what the Comcast data-use site is doing...

Regards

I regularly use the monitoring function of data used (MB) on Comcast website. Found this correlates well with numbers in the cable modem router (usually 192.168.100.1). Although this doesn't separate the various functions you can estimate what's going on from your prior usage (before Netflix) and current usage.

Maybe of help to you without any new equipment and/or programs.

Paul

There is a daily bandwidth chart on Comcast's site... Using that daily is giving me an idea of what I want... As mentioned, it is all data.... but I know we watched x number of movies, and see y data used for that day.... (less the 'before/30), that's beginning to get data that is making sense.... If I continue to do this daily for a month, I should have an idea of approx bandwidth per movie (or time, I'm still debating that)....

I seriously considered 3rd party firmware for router, but never did that for reasons that centered around no manual (And Boy did I get jumped on when I asked for a manual, too!)..... Not having a router that is 'Popular' doesn't help much, either.. RVS4000, which I don't see on the Tomato list.... (and on DDWRT only one file, never updated)

Seeing that I'm self trained on networking stuff, I still read manuals.... and the manuals I do have are chock full of notes written in between the paragraphs!! !

Instead of waiting a month, try this :

Netflix's estimated data useage per hour, based on quality settings

here's a couple for some other services

Otherwise, if you know the bitrate of a stream, pretty easy math to calculate how much data was used.

Also, as far as I know the RVS4000 supports SNMP polling, which means you don't need to worry about alt firmware at all... grab yourself
PRTG, a spare computer, and you can do your own monthly traffic graphs like I posted earlier.

Here's a post on PRTG about the RVS4000 specifically. In the end, its whatever works for YOU op...

My 00000010bits

Regards

I agree with what Hellfire is saying. If you just need estimates, then you can use those links to get estimates. If you really want to have an active monitoring of the data used, then there are other alternatives that have been posted here.