How to map/monitor internet traffic by device??

So I have Comcast internet, and I recently got a notice from them that we have reached 90% of our monthly data allowance of 1.2TB... Wow!!

So I would really like to have some way of monitoring our internet traffic by device, to get some idea of which devices are using the most bandwidth... I know I cannot do it from any one device, no machine can see traffic between another device and the internet. I looked at our TP-Link AX-3000 router, and while I can see all 14 devices, it doesn't appear to have any options for monitoring and measuring bandwidth usage.

We have two computers, 3 tablets, a Ring camera, 2 mobile phones, and misc small devices which probably don't use much bandwidth... I'm *guessing* that one of the tablets, which is used for watching Youtube videos alot, may be the major consumer of bandwidth, but I don't know what the ring uses (since it sends *all* activity to its servers), and I don't know what anything else uses on a regular basis...

So do I have any other options for monitoring network traffic?? I don't really want to buy a Linux machine and set up my own router, I want something handier than that...

Best free Proxy software for Windows 11/10 is the best bet it will log everything. Does your router not have anything to track

Samuria said:

Best free Proxy software for Windows 11/10 is the best bet it will log everything. Does your router not have anything to track

I'm not sure how proxy software helps me here? I need to monitor and track traffic on several machines, most of which are not Windows machines. ??

I've installed PRTG Network Monitor on my Windows desktop; it can detect the other machines on the local network, but it doesn't have any way of intercepting their traffic... and frankly, much of what it is asking me to do (set up certificates for other machines, etc) mean nothing to this non-IT person...

My router is TP_Link AX3000 (Archer AX55); I've been looking around the configuration menus on it; I see the list of client devices, but don't see any options for monitoring traffic on each of them...

Most customer routers do not have advanced functions.

If you don't want to set up a hardware gateway(best solution), then you can install pfSense as a VM and create a new gateway thru that VM, then set up your devises to go thru your new VM-gateway instead of the router... pfSense do have the function to monitor each connected device.

Marie SWE said:

Most customer routers do not have advanced functions.

If you don't want to set up a hardware gateway(best solution), then you can install pfSense as a VM and create a new gateway thru that VM, then set up your devises to go thru your new VM-gateway instead of the router... pfSense do have the function to monitor each connected device.

interesting... let me study pfSense, I'm not familiar with that!

You set everyone to use the proxy and it logs everything who visited what site and traffic

Gorlash said:

interesting... let me study pfSense, I'm not familiar with that!

I can give you some links.. hang on a minute

it became almost two/three minutes, so i was a bit slow. *lol*
There is more HowTo's but i will only links to official pages.

System Monitoring — Monitoring Bandwidth Usage | pfSense Documentation
Bandwidth Monitoring on pfSense

But with this you can find other guides as this two gives you the basic of it.

Marie SWE said:

it became almost two/three minutes, so i was a bit slow. *lol*
There is more HowTo's but i will only links to official pages.

System Monitoring — Monitoring Bandwidth Usage | pfSense Documentation
Bandwidth Monitoring on pfSense

But with this you can find other guides as this two gives you the basic of it.

Thank you so very much!!!!!

Gorlash said:

So I have Comcast internet, and I recently got a notice from them that we have reached 90% of our monthly data allowance of 1.2TB... Wow!!

So I would really like to have some way of monitoring our internet traffic by device, to get some idea of which devices are using the most bandwidth... I know I cannot do it from any one device, no machine can see traffic between another device and the internet. I looked at our TP-Link AX-3000 router, and while I can see all 14 devices, it doesn't appear to have any options for monitoring and measuring bandwidth usage.

We have two computers, 3 tablets, a Ring camera, 2 mobile phones, and misc small devices which probably don't use much bandwidth... I'm *guessing* that one of the tablets, which is used for watching Youtube videos alot, may be the major consumer of bandwidth, but I don't know what the ring uses (since it sends *all* activity to its servers), and I don't know what anything else uses on a regular basis...

So do I have any other options for monitoring network traffic?? I don't really want to buy a Linux machine and set up my own router, I want something handier than that...

have a look at wireshark maybe ?

tutorial : How to Use Wireshark: A Complete Tutorial