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General discussion

Useage

Oct 3, 2009 7:45PM PDT

Hi,

I am a little concerned with my ISP monitoring and recording of my Broadband useage.

To this end I started using Rokario Bandwith Monitor some months back, and I have a 100-150 mb variance betweeen what my ISP records me as downloading, and this monitor.....when between 1 and 1.5 GB is downloaded for a session/day.

Long story short, I went back to Rokario to determine how their software recorded its data, after my ISP tech guys phrased the relevant questions (with some nudging), and it apparently uses Windows to record, and does not attached or record modem useage (per se)...accordingly my ISP 'justified' the variance (as it does this).

Notwithstanding all this irregularly I can have variances of up to 1 GB between the 2 recording processes. Yes 1GB!
For example when I download 5Gb, say off peak, the isp is may record 6 to 6.2GB.

Does anyone know of a more 'integral' piece of software that would monitor any of these variances more reliably?

FYI...I am using Win XP Home
and a dlink 502t modem
Intel core2Duo 2.33 ghz processor &
2gb ram with nvidia geforce 8600gt

Appreciate any advise

regards

Lethal

Discussion is locked

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Why it varies.
Oct 3, 2009 9:50PM PDT

Let's say you download a 10MB file. Let's not discuss what 10MB is as to BINARY BYTES or DECIMAL BYTES as you can figure that out.

Let's discuss how you get that file.

1. From some web page.
2. From a FTP server.

After you are done, here's the question. Should the byte counter give you the same number of bytes on the meter?
Bob

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Useage
Oct 4, 2009 9:13AM PDT

Hi Bob,

Thanks so much for the response.

Apparently I am such a lay person regarding this (and perhaps other issues) that I found your response a little hard to follow, perhaps even cryptic.
Certainly no offence intended, its just my level of understanding.

Whilst I do understand the issue of the measurements of binary bytes...I do not understand the difference between downloading from an FTP server &/or a webpage.
I am not sure where I should go to 'discuss' or review and learn the downloading of these.

Can you kindly clarify, as I am more than willing to learn.
Perhaps if you could provide a link?

thanks

Lethal

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Thanks for that.
Oct 4, 2009 11:46AM PDT

It gives me a reference point of where you are today.

Here's the short answer. FTP transfers have less overhead. What happens is that many count the bytes they downloaded by what they got in the PAYLOAD or FILES but discount the overhead of the transfer. I only noted that there is a difference and why one software may count it different from the other.

You can see that both methods are correct. That is the software that told you download 10MB is right. And the software that counted the overhead and reported 12MB is also right. It's all in how we measure.

-> The issue of caps and limits is why your ISP if they do that must tell you where the meter is. That is, what web page you can look at to see where your byte counts are at today.

In closing, many don't secure their wifi network and end up with moochers. Anything less than WPA security is no security. Plenty of articles out there but I hope this helps you see where the measurement problem is. That is, what are we trying to measure?
Bob

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Useage
Oct 4, 2009 3:42PM PDT

Hi Bob,

Thanks indeed for that.

Yes I was aware there were headers, and packed data issue and alike which may account for variance in recorded useage, and probably why I get a regular variance of 100-150 mb in 1 to 1.5 gb downloaded.
My concern is focused I suppose, on:
- The large and irregular variance I get every so often (7 to 10 days) of 1.5GB, when downloading 5 odd gb in a session...that neither my isp or others have been able to justify or verify. &
Hence my search for a modem based recording mechanism (monitor).

In regard to moochers and security...is this a similar 'animal' to a leecher? As I have read a bit about these.

regards

Lethal

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My router has such statistics.
Oct 5, 2009 2:16AM PDT

So to ask the "modem" it may be hardware dependent. Sorry but I'm left to guess what you have here.

About moochers and such. That issue doesn't apply (almost!) to the usual broadband card from the cell phone companies so I missed if this is the issue/hardware.

If it is then the solution is to ask them where the meter is so you can watch it. My brother has such a card and he tells me he can check his usage.

Sorry I don't have a ready answer but look up NETLIMITER as a way to measure every byte.
Bob

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Try asking the dlink?
Oct 5, 2009 2:18AM PDT
http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/hacking-the-dlink-502t-router.html notes where they logged in and got the byte counts.

"Get your Internet public IP info:
# ifconfig ppp0
Output:

ppp0 Link encap:Point-Point Protocol
inet addr:61.xxx.xxx.xxx P-t-P:61.xxx.xxx.xxx Mask:255.255.255.255
UP POINTOPOINT RUNNING NOARP MULTICAST MTU:1492 Metric:1 ASYMMTU:1500
RX packets:69586 errorsShocked droppedShocked overrunsShocked frameShocked
TX packets:62540 errorsShocked droppedShocked overrunsShocked carrierShocked
collisionsShocked txqueuelenShocked
RX bytes:80566538 (76.8 Mb) TX bytes:5349581 (5.1 Mb)"

Looks like you have it.
Bob
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Useage
Oct 5, 2009 9:27AM PDT

Thanks for those posts Bob.

I will review, the link data and the netlimiter.

Apologies if I was a little ambiguious in my comments, I was trying to compare useage (not using windows) so something that attaches to, or records modem useage could be ideal, as you have now done.

regards

Lethal