Program for tracking traffic loss. Programs for monitoring Internet traffic and their features. Benefits for the system administrator

A program for accounting for incoming and outgoing traffic on your computer. It will help not to exceed the traffic limit and not be without the Internet at all.

ATTENTION: starting from the 6th version, the program has become paid, so in order to avoid misunderstandings, do not update it. Here is the last free version 5.5.5.

Who used the Internet five years ago, he probably remembers the main problem of the user - to constantly control the amount of traffic. After all, then there were no unlimited packages, and Dial-Up connection required money for each downloaded megabyte of information.

As a result, if you do not control the consumption of traffic, then you could "fly a pretty penny" :). But the people are resourceful and they came up with many programs to measure and limit the flow. Today, the need for such utilities has diminished a little, but they are still in use, because during their existence they have acquired many additional useful functions.

Thanks to such programs, today it is possible to measure the speed of an Internet connection, check all processes that have access to the Internet, measure the use of traffic in corporate networks, and much more.

All of the above functions have a small program - NetWorx. In addition, it has a number additional features, which will be useful to both the system administrator and the ordinary user. The same simple but powerful tool can be called a paid program - DU Meter.

Comparison of a free program for accounting NetWorx traffic with a paid analogue DU Meter

In addition, NetWorx can impose a quota on the amount of traffic, as well as run various applications on a schedule. The program itself comes in two versions: portable and installation. I think it's easiest to use the "portable" version, although if you're into installers you can easily install NetWorx using the standard setup wizard.

Installing NetWorx

I will assume that you have downloaded the portable version. To get started, you need to unpack the archive with the program and run the executable exe file. Before starting NetWorx directly, let's make a couple of settings. The first is to specify the language of the program, and the second is to enable or disable checking for new versions. That's all:).

After that, the program icon will appear in the tray (the place next to the system clock), with the help of which we will manage it.

NetWorx will be controlled through the right-click context menu.

Here in this menu all the functions of the program are listed, but before use, you can make some settings. To do this, click on the menu section of the same name.

NetWorx Settings

"Settings" consists of several tabs. In the "General" we can configure the speed units, the information displayed in the tray, and (most importantly!) Which of the connections to monitor (by default, all traffic is counted).

The Graph and Graph Colors sections allow us to customize appearance schedule of incoming/outgoing packets of information. In "Notifications" you can enable and configure service messages from the program, and in "Additional" we have the opportunity to configure the collection of statistics.

The very last tab, Dial-up, allows you to set a default connection and add applications that will run with NetWorx.

After the settings are made, first click the "Apply" button for them to take effect, and then "Ok" to exit the settings.

Traffic Monitor

Now let's go directly to the NetWorx tools. The first and main one is the traffic monitor. It is presented in the form of a graph, which is called by the "Show graph" button.

The graph can be presented as a histogram (in my opinion, the most convenient), curved lines or just numbers. In this case, there will always be two numbers at the bottom. The number with the index "D" (default blue) shows the amount of incoming traffic (from the English download), and "U" (green) respectively outgoing (from the English upload).

Corresponding colors on the graph show the curves of speed change, numerical value which can be correlated with the scale on the left.

Speed ​​measurement

The next button - "Speed ​​measurement" - measures, unfortunately, not the overall speed of your Internet connection, but only the current background packet transfer rate. This may be needed to compare (saving is available) the results at full load on the channel (for example, downloading a file) and in the “rest” state.

To start the test, just press the "Start" button and detect a certain period of time. The result can then be saved to text file, and then compare with the new data obtained during the “loading” of the channel.

Statistics

Most of all, system administrators will like this feature, since it is possible to conduct both a general traffic count and display detailed statistics for each network user. Results can be exported to xls format ( spreadsheets Excel) and save to your computer.

There are also tools for backing up statistics and its further restoration (for example, if you need to save all data after reinstalling the system).

Traffic quota

Moving on, let's move on to the "Quota" section. This feature is most suitable for users with a Dial-up connection or limited traffic (for example, mobile Internet). It allows you to set the maximum amount of received or sent information and will always warn the user about overspending the specified limit.

By default, the quota is set to 0.00 KB, so if you want to use this function, you will need to "Configure" it first :).

In the settings, we specify the type of quota (daily, weekly, monthly, last 24 hours) and the type of traffic (incoming outgoing or all). You can leave the clock as it is, and then specify the units of measurement and the quota itself.

To save the settings, click "Ok", and in the quota monitoring window, do not forget to check the box "Notify me when the quota is used up, by %" in order to receive information about overspending in time.

Trace route

We have already considered the "Settings" item, so let's move on to the next one - "Trace route". If you suddenly lost access to some Internet resource or you need to find out which path you are going through before you get to a particular site, try tracing this path. This can be done with regular Windows features, but with NetWorx it is much easier and more visual.

To start tracing, enter the name of the site (remote computer) or its IP address. Now you can set the response timeout (although often the default value is more than enough) and you can press "Start". In this case, we traced the site yandex.ru and saw that to access it, you need to go through 11 intermediate servers, and the total time to complete this path is 31 ms.

ping

The next option is "Ping". The window interface of this function is very similar to the interface of the previous one, but its purpose is somewhat different. Ping, simply put, is the speed at which a remote computer responds to a request you send. The ping built into NetWorx is inferior in capabilities to the “regular” one (there is no way to set your own keys to change parameters), but it copes with the main task.

The minus of the function is also that you cannot directly enter the Internet address of the site - you need to know its exact IP (you can find out from the previous utility). Now specifically about the use: enter the address of the remote PC, select the waiting time and the number of echo requests and click "Start".

In our example, the site was pinged vkontakte.ru. The average response time is not calculated automatically, but it can also be calculated mentally by adding all the values ​​​​obtained and dividing by three :).

It turned out about 45 ms, which, in principle, is good (ping up to 50 ms ± 10 ms is considered good). The TTL value is the “time to live” of the echo packet. The number 64 means that the sent packet of information can go through 64 intermediate servers.

Connections

The last tool is Connections. It allows you to monitor all applications that require an Internet connection.

Immediately I advise you to enable the option "Convert addresses to names". So you can see where this or that application “climbs” and stop its attempt to connect to a suspicious resource. Pay special attention to "established" connections (ESTABLISHED) and listening ports (LISTENING), as they can carry a hidden threat.

If a suspicious connection is detected, you can immediately terminate the application that installs it by right-clicking on it and selecting "End Application".

findings

Thus, we can sum up some of the above. NetWorx is not just a program for monitoring your Internet connection, but also a complex for security and comprehensive network diagnostics.

Therefore, if you have a suspicion that some application uses traffic irrationally or even transmits confidential information, try to monitor your network with NetWorx and you can easily identify the "spy" :).

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

Programs for accounting traffic in local network quite a lot: both paid and free, very different in functionality. One of the most popular Open Source programs is SAMS. It runs on the Linux platform in conjunction with Squid.

SAMS requires PHP5, we will use Ubuntu Server 14.04. We will need Squid, Apache2, PHP5 packages with modules.

Internet traffic accounting in linux local network

Let's try to figure out how it works.

Squid distributes the Internet, accepting requests on port 3128. At the same time, it writes a detailed access.log. All management is done through the squid.conf file. Squid has a wide range of Internet access control capabilities: access control by addresses, bandwidth control for specific addresses, groups of addresses and networks.

SAMS works based on the analysis of the logs of the Squid proxy server. The traffic accounting system in the local network monitors the statistics of the proxy server and, in accordance with the specified policies, makes a decision to block, unblock or limit the speed for the Squid client.

SAMS Installation

Installing packages.

apt-get install apache2 php5 php5-mysql mysql-server php5-gd squid3

Download and install SAMS

wget https://github.com/inhab-magnus/sams2-deb/archive/master.zip

unzip master.zip

cd sams2-deb-master/

dpkg -i sams2_2.0.0-1.1_amd64.deb

Installing the web interface

dpkg -i apache2/sams2-web_2.0.0-1.1_all.deb

We make changes to the /etc/sams2.conf file.

DB_PASSWORD=/MySql password/

Launch SAMS

service sams2 start

Setting up Squid

Making changes to the /etc/squid3/squid.conf file

http_port 192.168.0.110:3128
cache_dir ufs /var/spool/squid3 2048 16 256

We enable logging and rotation of logs with storage for 31 days.

access_log daemon:/var/log/squid3/access.log squid

logfile_rotate 31

Stop Squid, create cache.

service squid3 stop

service squid3 start

For the purity of the experiment, we configure one of the browsers to work with the proxy 192.168.0.110 through port 3128. Having tried to connect, we get a connection failure - Squid does not have permissions to access the proxy.

SAMS initial setup

In another browser, open the address (192.168.0.110 - server address).

http://192.168.0.110/sams2

He will tell us that he cannot connect to the database and will offer to install.

Specify the database server (127.0.0.1), login and password from MySql.

The initial configuration of the traffic accounting system is completed. It remains only to configure the program.

Monitoring traffic in the local network

Log in to the system as an administrator (admin/qwerty).

It is worth saying right away about user authorization.

In the Squid branch, open the proxy server and click the "Proxy server settings" button below.

The most important thing here is to specify your IP address in the addresses of folders and files, where necessary, otherwise the proxy server will not start.

The essence of all changes in the SAMS settings is that they are written to squid.conf. sams2deamon runs in the background, which monitors changes in settings that require making to the configuration file (you can also set the tracking interval there).

Fill in the "User" and "IP address" fields. As a username, take the same IP (IP of the computer, not the server!). In the "Allowed traffic" field, enter "0", that is, without restrictions. All other fields are omitted.

A new acl will be added for this IP address and permission to work through Squid. If the config was not changed automatically, go to the proxy branch and click the "Reconfigure Squid" button. Changes to the config will be made manually.

We try to open any URL in the browser. We check the access.log and see the requests processed by the proxy. To check the operation of SAMS, open the "Users" page, click the "Recalculate user traffic" button below.

Using the buttons below to manage statistics, you can get detailed information on the statistics of user visits to pages.

Data counter is not only an interesting program to be used by internet users. It works fine on a PC with a network cable installed. Thanks to this, we will be able to analyze all network traffic, even the one that is located. With the help of a program for monitoring Internet traffic on a computer, we can easily find out if our computer is infected and is not sending unnecessary packets.

Choice the best program to control Internet traffic.

Network Meter is a handy desktop gadget and traffic metering program that allows you to easily control your Internet connection and distribute it over your local network and Wi-Fi. Most users ignore the features offered by the desktop gadgets that were introduced in Windows Vista and carried over to Windows 7. Some of these applications can be very useful.

Network Meter is an application that monitors an active Internet connection. It allows you to specify an IP address both on the local network and on the Internet. Shows the current data transfer, download, upload speed and the amount of data that we have downloaded and sent during the last session (since restarting Windows). In addition, in the wireless network monitoring mode, the application shows the SSID of the Wi-Fi network, that is, its name and the percentage value of the signal quality (0 - 100%). An additional element of the gadget is an IP address locator (IP search) and an Internet tester (speed test).

Anyone can use the program:

1. Unpack the gadget installer from the ZIP archive, choosing a location on your hard drive for this. Double click the unpacked file to install Network Meter.
2. You will be prompted to check the manufacturer, click "Install". The gadget should appear on our desktop (usually on the right), but it can be placed anywhere by dragging and dropping with the left mouse button.
3. The app is already active, but to make sure it's monitoring the connection you're interested in, go to the "Network Meter" option. To do this, right-click on the gadget and select "Settings".
4. On the main tab "Settings" you can manage the functions of the gadget. First of all, you need to choose which network to monitor (network type). You can choose to connect to a LAN via cable (wired network) or Wi-Fi (wireless network). In the latter case, the gadget will be equipped with additional functions - SSID and a signal quality meter. The function indicated by the marker shows the network card controlled by our local IP address (local network), as well as the network controlled for data transfer. If used on a personal PC, there will be no problems, but on a laptop, it is worth making sure that All Network Meter is currently monitoring the active card - usually you need to choose between an Ethernet LAN and a Wi-Fi card.
5. The Display tab determines how the gadget will display information. For example, it is recommended to change the default unit settings from bits per second to read the speed in kilobytes or megabits. The settings are saved by pressing the "OK" button.
6. Changes in the "Network Meter" window appear immediately. It is worth noting that the counter represents the current data transfer - on this moment and thus controls network activity. However, another metric counts how much data is downloaded and uploaded during that session. It can be useful for users using limited networks - for example, 3G mobile Internet. This makes it easy to know if a packet is being oversubscribed.

License: Free

IMPORTANT. The program requires the .NET Framework 1.1 package to be installed on the system to run correctly.

A brilliant program in terms of GUI that can surprise you with very interesting features. GlassWire is a program for managing the data flow of an Internet connection, characteristic feature which is, first of all, a modern animated interface, the appearance of which can be further modified using graphic templates, which increase the readability of the information presented on the charts. The program allows you to display the names of processes and applications that initiate new sessions and use a network connection. The user is informed about everything through pop-up windows and directly from the program window.

Using GlassWire is intuitive and boils down to switching between successive tabs that correspond to the main functions implemented in the program: graphical data analysis, firewall settings, consumption data transfer divided into applications and a list of notifications. In them, we usually have the following three views, which allow us to customize the screen content for our needs - at the same time, more information about individual processes can be displayed, as well as the account representing the data in the charts.

Directly from the program menu it is possible to access the section technical support available online on the manufacturer's website. It is very clear and contains not only fast and complete guide on how to use the program, but also access to a database of frequently asked questions or user forums. Although the program is currently only available in the development version, the manufacturer's desire for fine-tuning of all details is quickly making it popular. Advantages:

• firewall function;
• very convenient and beautiful interface;
• ease of operation.

Disadvantages:

• lack of many features in the free version;
• there is no data transfer tracking schedule.

License: free.

An advanced monitoring utility that allows you to monitor network traffic generated by applications. Creates reports in many formats. This program reports downloading and sending data for the Internet, local network and for certain programs. It also tells you what applications the internet is using. Controls the quality of the Wi-Fi signal. The latest version is fully compatible with Windows 10. DU clearly tracks data usage. It provides hourly, daily, weekly and monthly reports. It can also warn when fixed limits are exceeded. Data from reports can be exported to Excel, Word and PDF. The stopwatch mode allows you to determine the consumption of data with a high degree of accuracy at a certain time. You can not only specify the hours in which the transfer should not be counted (which would be useful for people who use tariff plans with free hours).

DU Meter appears as a semi-transparent notification window in the lower right corner of the desktop and shows real-time network traffic information. The DU Meter window can be enlarged by dragging its edges with the mouse. Each vertical line represents one second. The red line is incoming traffic and the green line is outgoing. At the bottom of the window are the tabs "Internet", "LAN", "Programs" - switching between them, you can see the corresponding data. Right-clicking on the program window brings up a pop-up menu that provides access to various reports, stopwatch mode, or user and administrator options.

To see the basic Internet traffic report as quickly as possible, hover your mouse over the DU Meter icon on the taskbar. To view detailed information about the online activity of programs, right-click on the semi-transparent window of the DU meter and select View Network Connections. In the new window, under the "Programs" tab, there are all applications that use data transfer. The Open TCP Connections tab displays information that will help you identify unauthorized traffic from your computer. Advantages:

• maximum number of report formats;
• simultaneous calculation of data for specific applications and network traffic;
• usage timer.

Disadvantage: trial version.

License: Trial.

These are the most popular apps. You can try several others that stand out for their functionality.

A very useful program. Many advanced features make it the most versatile PC data monitoring application. Advantages:

• ease of operation;
• tracking certain applications;
• the ability to create reports;
• traffic snooping mode on the router (requires SNMP supported by the router).

Drawback: Inaccurate tracking of applications launched by the system.

License: free.

Takes up very little space, does not overload the processor during operation. There aren't many advanced features, but the app wins with its simplicity. Advantages:

• simple control;
• stopwatch function.

Disadvantages:

• uninteresting appearance;
• lack of data tracking for specific applications.

License: free.

Works without problems in almost all versions of Windows, has features available only in paid versions of this type of program. Advantages:

• firewall function;
• schedule with the ability to turn off tracking at a certain time;
• remote management of statistics via the network.

Disadvantage: Quite difficult to use.

License: free.

Of course, the list of programs for accounting traffic on a computer can be continued for quite a long time. We have collected the best and most popular apps. If you already have experience using other software, share it in the comments.

Instruction

As a rule, data is obtained in two ways: by direct connection to a remote computer, as a result of which the hacker is able to browse the computer's folders and copy the information he needs, and by using Trojans. Finding the work of a professionally written Trojan is very difficult. But there are not so many such programs, so in most cases the user notices some oddities in the operation of the computer, indicating that it is infected. For example, attempts to connect to the network, strange network activity when you do not open any pages, etc. etc.

In all such situations, it is necessary to control the traffic, for this you can use the standard Windows tools. Open the command prompt: "Start" - "All Programs" - "Accessories" - "Command Prompt". You can also open it like this: "Start" - "Run", then type cmd and press Enter. A black window will open, this is the command line (console).

Type netstat –aon at the command prompt and press Enter. A list of connections will appear showing the ip addresses your computer connects to. In the "Status" column, you can see the status of the connection - for example, the ESTABLISHED line indicates that this connection is active, that is, it is present at the moment. The column "External address" contains the ip-address of the remote computer. In the column "Local address" you will find information about the ports open on your computer through which connections are made.

Pay attention to the last column - PID. It contains the identifiers assigned by the system to the current processes. They are very useful in finding the application responsible for the connections you are interested in. For example, you see that you have a connection established through some port. Remember the PID, then in the same command line window, type tasklist and press Enter. A list of processes will appear, in its second column the identifiers are indicated. By finding the already familiar identifier, you can easily determine which application established this connection. If the name of the process is unfamiliar to you, enter it into a search engine, you will immediately get all about it necessary information.

To control traffic, you can also use special programs - for example, BWMeter. The utility is useful in that it can completely control the traffic, indicating which addresses your computer connects to. Remember that when properly configured, it should not go online when you are not using the Internet - even if the browser is running. In a situation where the connection indicator in the tray now and then signals network activity, you need to find the application responsible for the connection.

If you want to find out how much traffic a Windows computer consumes in a certain time, then you need to use third-party solutions. Only the current values ​​of network consumption are available in the Task Manager or Resource Monitor, so these tools are not suitable for monitoring traffic for a specific period. Some routers and modems collect data on the traffic consumed - you can view these values ​​by accessing the device's administrator panel.

Why monitor consumed traffic at all? Traffic accounting is simply necessary when using limited Internet connections, but it can also be useful on unlimited tariffs.

Some ISPs limit monthly traffic at certain rates. If the limits are exceeded, the user either needs to pay for an additional quota, or be content with a reduced connection speed until the end of the reporting period. Traffic monitoring allows you to avoid such unpleasant situations.

Traffic analysis allows you to better understand how much data you consume during the reporting period. This information will be useful when changing ISP or tariff plan.

The following tools are designed to account for traffic on Windows computers. All programs are free and have been tested on computers running Windows 7 and Windows 10.

is a free utility for monitoring traffic in Windows. The program monitors daily, weekly and monthly traffic consumption and displays a widget on the desktop with a visualization of data transmission and reception processes.

Users can set up alerts, set provider restrictions and calculate traffic using the built-in calculator. BitMeter II allows you to run a counter, during which you can monitor various connection metrics.

The Statistics section displays traffic consumption data for the last few hours, days, and months. You can view them in graphical or tabular form.

GabNetStats

is a portable program for Microsoft Windows devices that allows you to track consumed traffic and other indicators. The program ran flawlessly on all test systems and immediately started monitoring traffic.

Left clicking on the system tray icon opens the graph and traffic statistics. The widget closes automatically after five seconds, but you can change this behavior to make the widget permanently visible on the desktop.

The program tracks sent and received data bytes, average connection speed and many other parameters. Select Advanced Statistics to view the total number of packets received and sent, the number of routes and IP addresses, and TCP/IP configuration information.

The developer's website is no longer available, but you can download the program from our website.

Note Note: To install this program on newer versions of Windows 10, we recommend setting compatibility with earlier versions of Windows. To do this, right-click on the downloaded file and select Properties > Compatibility > Run this program in compatibility mode for: Previous version of Windows.

NetSpeedMonitor shows incoming and outgoing traffic in the taskbar notification area (system tray). Hover your mouse over the icon to view traffic for a specific session, day, or month. Clicking the right mouse button opens the available parameters and interface of traffic statistics for a certain period.

The program is available as a standalone installer and a portable version. The utility is fully compatible with all modern versions of Windows.

Note: The portable version gave an error on Windows 10 when trying to start without administrator rights.

When launched, NetTraffic displays a graph of network activity on the desktop with the amount of data sent and received. By default, the window is always displayed in the foreground, but you can disable this mode, change the window size and other operating parameters.

Right clicking on the system tray icon gives access to settings, statistics and additional tools. In the statistics section, you can view traffic consumption for a selected period or for separate time intervals: a month, a day, or a year.

In the settings, you can change the design of the widget and set a quota for traffic volume. Available network utilities include ipconfig, netstat, and route.

The program was distributed free of charge, now new versions have become paid. At the same time, the previous, free version of the utility (Networx 5.5.5) is still available for download on our website and has no functionality limitations.

Immediately after starting, Networx starts monitoring traffic consumption, and the application icon appears in the system tray. Double clicking on the icon opens statistics: you can view the general data, as well as data for the day, week, month, breakdown of data by application. For convenience, different data views are placed on separate tabs.

You can use the program to monitor the traffic consumed by individual applications. To do this, go to Settings > General and in the section Watch Connections turn on the option Ignore local traffic (within network).

Right-click on the system tray icon to access additional features. You can enable the desktop widget to monitor real-time traffic consumption, launch a connection speed measurement, or open the quota setting screen.

Several network tools are available to users, such as trace route or ping.

comparison table

Unfortunately, some of the listed tools are no longer supported. Without a doubt, it is the most professional traffic monitoring solution with powerful functionality, but the free version of the utility is also no longer supported by the developer.

At the same time, it's worth noting that Microsoft is testing a built-in tool in Windows 10 (version 2003), which is expected to be released in the spring of 2020.