The question then arises: Why do we even need to monitor the bandwidth on a network? In fact, maybe they would not have needed to call me in to find the problem (not like I’m complaining). Why did I tell that story? Well, if that organization had been monitoring the bandwidth on their network, perhaps I would not have stayed that long looking for the problem.

BandwidthD A free, open source network bandwidth analyzer that has become a little out of date.

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer A useful tool for detecting traffic problems, identifying bandwidth hogs and peak traffic times.

Cacti A free, open source network data analyzer templates for network topology mapping.

Available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, and Unix.

nTop-Ng Available in free and paid versions, this network traffic analyzer has a simple and unsophisticated interface.

Noction Flow Analyzer This on-premises monitoring system delivers network traffic monitoring for live activity and a capacity planning analyzer based on historical traffic data.

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer – FREE TRIAL A bandwidth monitoring system that can be used for live monitoring and also historical traffic pattern analysis.

Paessler PRTG Bandwidth Monitoring Tool – FREE TRIAL Part of a wider package of system monitoring tools, this service offers a range of sensors to supervise traffic flows.

SolarWinds Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor – FREE TRIAL A free tool that will demonstrate traffic flows on a network.Here is our list of the best bandwidth monitoring tools: A couple of years ago, I was asked to consult on a project: an organization was getting a lot of bandwidth from their ISP but they couldn’t figure out why connecting to the Internet was still very slow.Īfter spending a few days on the client’s site, I eventually discovered that the source of their problem was a faulty router interface that was dropping more than half of the bandwidth they were receiving from their ISP.

Netflow bandwidth monitor