Previously I’ve shown you how to monitor your bandwidth using applications you install on your PC/Mac (Windows | macOS). The method I outline in this very brief tutorial uses the DD-WRT firmware. Instead of capturing your uploads and downloads on each computer, which works very well if you live in a single-computer household, this method monitors your usage at the router level. So there’s no need to install software on each PC/Mac and then walk around with a calculator to add it all up.
Please note: This guide was published back in 2008 and it’s likely that the screenshots have changed since then. You may want to check the DD-WRT wiki for updated information.
- First up, install the DD-WRT firmware. Make sure you have a supported device. Then check to see if there’s a tutorial that explains how to install DD-WRT on your device. If you have a Linksys WRT54G v8, I’ve created a very detailed tutorial with screenshots for every step.
- Once you have the DD-WRT firmware installed, visit the control panel and select Status -> WAN.
- Scroll down to the Traffic by Month section. Here you’ll find the total incoming (download) and outgoing (upload) bandwidth, by month.
- That’s it!
