How to Check Bandwidth Usage and What's Slowing Your Wi-Fi

Are you experiencing a slow Internet connection? Do you get a usage-cap warning too often? Is one of your devices hogging the network? No matter why you aren’t happy with your network performance, you need to find out what’s using your bandwidth.

In this article, we will tell you all you need to know about network bandwidth monitoring. Keep in mind that the exact tools and steps may vary based on your specific hardware, ISP (Internet service provider), or operating system permissions:

Key takeaways

• There are several ways you can track your network traffic and bandwidth usage.
• This includes built-in tools, router’s dashboard, IP monitoring software, and bandwidth usage apps.
• By using these methods, you can see which device and which app is using the most bandwidth.
• There are also several options for limiting data usage: enabling QoS, dropping streaming quality, etc. 

Why monitor bandwidth usage?

There are several reasons why you should monitor your bandwidth usage. It will show you which apps and connected devices use the most bandwidth, which will help you minimize bandwidth consumption if some apps are using too much. 

Connected devices share your bandwidth like slices of a pie, and if one app uses too much, this leaves less bandwidth for other devices and can even reduce device performance if it slows down internet speed too much. 

By monitoring bandwidth usage, you can troubleshoot slow internet and also manage usage caps, avoiding overage fees. This also helps protect your network’s security by identifying suspicious or unknown devices using said network. 

If you choose not to monitor your bandwidth usage, it may lead to several consequences. Your business operations could suffer, your overage fees might cost you a lot of money, and you might run out of data in the worst possible moment. 

Built-in tools: how to check bandwidth usage on PC (Windows and macOS)

Your PC has some built-in tools that will help you understand bandwidth utilization trends. This option is great when you feel like your PC’s internet usage feels sluggish for no obvious reason. 

Windows:

1. Open the task manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc simultaneously, find the Performance tab on the left-hand menu, and click it.
2. From the resource list, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
3. Look at the Send (upload) and Receive (download) graphs.
4. For more details, click the Processes tab and sort by the Network column.

macOS:

1. Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight. Type Activity Monitor and press Enter.
2. Choose the Network tab at the top.
3. At the bottom, you can see the total Data received, and the total Data sent (downloaded and uploaded).
4. You can sort columns “Sent Bytes” and “Rcvd Bytes” to see which apps use the most data.

Additional Tips:

Pro tip: Focus on your uploads (Send for Windows, Data sent for macOS). Background cloud uploads (OneDrive and iCloud) can use too much data and basically paralyze your downloads.

Common pitfall: If Task Manager or Activity Monitor doesn’t show any activity, don’t just assume everything is ok. There might be another device connected to your network, slowly draining it. 

Keep in mind that this method doesn’t test your connection speed, but shows how much it is being used. Also, don’t forget that these tools will only show your computer on the network. They don’t show other devices. If you need to see other devices on your network, you’ll need to use your router dashboard instead.

Router dashboard: How to check bandwidth usage on router

The router dashboard is the go-to method for many users, as it shows per-device usage and gives more comprehensive insights into what’s happening with your network. This is the only way to see the whole network in one view.

Router Dashboard Step-by-step (general)

1. Open your web browser and type in your default gateway IP (the most common ones are 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) and press Enter.
2. You’ll get a login screen. Unless you changed them, the login credentials are printed somewhere on your router.
3. Once you have logged in, look for Device List, Connected Devices, Client List, Traffic Statistics, or Bandwidth Monitor, and click on it.
4. Look at all the devices connected to your network, and observe their uploads, downloads, and link speeds.
5. You might notice one device with particularly high data usage, while other devices aren’t using nearly as much.

Brand Differences

Keep in mind that interfaces differ by brand. The above steps might not be the same for every router brand. For example, if you are using the TP-Link Deco, here is how to do it:

1. Open the Deco app on your phone.
2. You’ll see a Device list on the home screen with a live speed readout (for example, 3 MB/s) next to every connected device.
3. Find the “More” icon and click on it.
4. Select “Monthly Report” to see a summary of which device used the most data during the past 30 days.

If you’re using an Asus router, look for the Adaptive QoS menu in the sidebar. Then, choose the Bandwidth Monitor option, which will show you a graph full of color-coded bars. Different colors show different devices that are using the bandwidth in real-time.

On the other side, if you have a Netgear router, look for the Attached Devices tab in the dashboard. It will show you a clear list of all devices connected to your network, as well as their upload and download speeds. 

Additional Tips

Pro tip: If your router dashboard allows it, rename every device that has a gibberish name, such as DESKTOP:547H4. This will help you make a clear distinction between connected devices.

Common pitfall: Even though it might be your first instinct when your Internet slows down, don’t reboot your router before you run the check and identify the culprit. 

Monitoring software: how to check bandwidth usage per IP address

If you wonder, “Which device is using the most data?” you can also check bandwidth usage per IP (Internet Protocol) address. With this method, you can get a deeper insight into traffic patterns and your network connections.

The IP monitoring software scans your network and matches each device to its IP address. Then it displays a live leaderboard showing how many gigabytes each numerical address is using. This way, you get granular tracking and data on specific bandwidth usage patterns.

You see which device is using the most data, which app is running, and during which periods of time it is doing so. You also need to understand DHCP reservations. Usually, your router assigns new IP addresses to your devices whenever you reconnect or reboot it. 

Because of this, it can be hard to identify your devices by their IP addresses. To avoid this issue, DHCP reservations pair a device’s unique physical identity (MAC address) to a fixed IP address. You can track your devices easily, without mixing them up.

However, keep in mind that the router is the only shared vantage point. HTTPS encryption hides a lot of details, and tracking each device usage is hard without better hardware or custom firmware.

Now, what if you realize that you have some idle background bandwidth that goes unused every month? Well, there is an option to sell internet data that you wouldn’t use otherwise. Honeygain is a platform that lets users earn passive income by sharing their unused internet bandwidth.

Using a bandwidth-sharing app is a smart option only if you are certain you have additional bandwidth that you don’t use. So, first check how much of your bandwidth you are using every month, and then consider trying Honeygain. Learn more about it here:

• What is internet selling
• Is selling bandwidth safe

Apps to check bandwidth usage across your whole network

If you are unsure how to check bandwidth usage on network, there are some apps you should try:

• GlassWire – Perfect for everyday users, will alert you as soon as an app/IP address spikes in network usage. 
• PRTG – Advanced tool for tracking long-term network bandwidth utilization.
• Fing – Desktop/mobile scanner that shows every device, MAC address, and IP address connected to your network.
• Wireshark – An open-source packet analyzer made for advanced users who want to analyze raw network traffic.

What makes these apps stand out from other monitoring methods is that they offer several features: usage history over time, alerts, and a clearer view of every device. This gives you an even more detailed view and a better understanding of your usage habits. 

Common causes of high bandwidth consumption

There are some common causes of high bandwidth consumption, and knowing about them is a great way to fix this issue:

• 4K/HD streaming video services
• Cloud backups and file sharing
• Game/OS updates
• Video calls 
• Malware and intruders
• Unknown devices
• Various background apps 

By using one (or more) of the above-mentioned monitoring methods, you can pinpoint the root cause of your Internet connection being too slow. 

For example, maybe you notice a sudden drop in your Internet connection speed. You go to your router’s dashboard and notice that your PlayStation 5 is using 80 Mbps for an update, while your laptop is getting less than 1 Mbps. 

There are several things you can do to fix this issue:

• Enable Router QoS: Set QoS to always prioritize work computer and business applications over games and entertainment.
• Pause or Limit the Device: You can use your router’s dashboard to pause or limit a specific device from using the Internet.
• Drop Streaming Quality to SD: Reduce the video streaming quality to lower settings.
• Schedule big downloads off-peak: These updates can happen during the night, when you don’t use the Internet otherwise.

How much data different activities use

Here is a brief overview of typical data use for every activity. This way, you can see if your data usage is normal. Here are the approximate numbers, according to Welcome to GO and Saily:

Activity	Typical data use
Browsing and email	25 MB per hour
Music streaming (per hour)	40-150 MB per hour
SD video streaming (per hour)	0.7 GB per hour
HD video streaming (per hour)	1.5-3 GB per hour
4K video streaming (per hour)	7-9 GB per hour
Video call (per hour)	500 MB – 8 GB per hour, depending on the app used
Online gaming (per hour)	100 MB – 1+ GB, depending on game complexity
Large game or app download (per item)	1-50 GB and above, depending on the game/app size