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How to use the DD-WRT firmware to monitor your bandwidth

Previously I’ve shown you how to monitor your bandwidth using applications you install on your PC/Mac (Windows | OS X). 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.

  1. 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.
  2. Once you have the DD-WRT firmware installed, visit the control panel and select Status -> WAN.


    click to enlarge

  3. Scroll down to the Traffic by Month section. Here you’ll find the total incoming (download) and outgoing (upload) bandwidth, by month.

  4. click to enlarge

  5. That’s it!

Posted in Home Networking.

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22 Responses

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  1. JDM says

    Does this work on v23? I’ve not installed v24 yet.

  2. Someone says

    This is all traffic not just coming in and out of the WAN Port, is it? I think this is bandwidth on all ports so kinda useless.

  3. Matt says

    I’m using v24 beta for Fonera (08/03/07), and don’t have this feature.

  4. hammy says

    If you don’t see the above mentioned traffic by month section, go into the services menu and enable the “WAN traffic counter”

  5. Ross McKillop says

    @someone -

    WAN only. Doesn’t count local network traffic, which would indeed make it pointless.

  6. nipponzen says

    The Supported Devices link is dead. Can you please check it?

  7. Ross McKillop says

    @ nipponzen:

    Might want to try it again – it works perfectly (?).

  8. nipponzen says

    It does, thank you!

  9. hcabsar says

    Your instructions say to click on WLAN, that would be wireless only- wouldn’t it?

  10. Ross McKillop says

    @hcabsar – WAN as in Wide Area Network. Which in “home router” terms, means “Internet”. So it covers wireless and wired, but not local (across your own network) transfers.

  11. Ty Myrick says

    I’ve been looking for something exactly like this for my mother. She has satellite internet with bandwidth caps. Is there a way to get DD-WRT to show WAN traffic per computer? We are trying to track what exactly has been causing her to go over her cap.

  12. Don says

    Worked like a charm. I flashed my stock WRT54GL to the v24 mini. After comparing the mini load to the standard, I felt the mini would do just fine. But I don’t see where there’s any way to track individual computers. If you want to do that, use the previous posts:

    How to monitor your Internet bandwidth usage in OS X, redux
    How to monitor your Internet bandwidth usage in Windows

    Now I can see what kind of damage I’m doing to Comcast’s network :>

  13. Ben says

    DD-WRT works well, but if your router gets reset, it resets your bandwidth counter for that day. Not a big deal, but does anyone know if Tomato works the same way? (i.e. you lose that day’s count if you reset your router)

    Thanks!

  14. bobk says

    From my experience tomato loses all of the bandwidth data, unless previously backed up.

  15. djadie says

    comment avoir le logiciel pour calculer la bande passante sur mon ordinateur

  16. John says

    Ty Myrick: You can enable logging on your router but I haven’t tried it myself. Barring that, forcing http/https traffic through a software proxy server would give you the granular logging you need.

    Those who can’t see the WAN traffic graph: I just ugpraded from v23 sp2 to v24 sp1 (mini) and the new menu Status -> WAN tab was immediately available.

  17. Jeral Jiménez Mancilla says

    Sres.

    Me gustaria me enviaran algun Manual de configuracion completo del software DD-WRT . Gracias,

    Saludos
    Jeral J. M.

  18. Marcus says

    ich benutze ebenfalls die DD-WRT firmware für meinen Linksys WRT54G v1.1, gibt es irgendeine möglichkeit diese statistik zu reseten und was noch wichtiger ist, den monatsstart zu verschieben? ich nutze UMTS, bei einem Volumen von max 5 GB, wobei ich den router als Zählhilfe nutzen will, und leider fängt mein monat nicht am ersten an. gibts dazu eine lösung??? ich wäre furchtbar dankbar für eine (simple) Lösung :-)

    I use also the firmware by DDWRT. is it possible to change the start of the month in the traffic graph? thanks for answer!!!

Continuing the Discussion

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    [...] auf allem zu kontrollieren, den Router (BLASS, LAN und Radio) durchführend. Die Statik wird in einem netten Stabdiagramm gebrochen bei Tage mit Monatssummen [...]

  3. Contrôlez la Bande passante de Votre Réseau Entier | Les Gens Normaux Aidants Montent Leur Geek linked to this post on January 16, 2010

    [...] passante sur tout traversant la détoureuse (BLÊME, LAN et radio). La statique est affichée par un histogramme agréable décomposé de jour avec les totaux [...]

  4. Supervise la Amplitud de banda de Su Red Entera | La Gente Normal que Ayuda Consigue Su Geek En linked to this post on January 16, 2010

    [...] en todo pasando por el gestor de tráfico (PÁLIDO, LAN y radio). Las estáticas son mostradas en un gráfico de barras agradable dividido durante el día con totales [...]



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