What is a bandwidth monitor?

A bandwidth monitor provides informative, real-time status updates on network traffic and bandwidth utilization levels. In many cases, when network traffic is slow, overutilization of bandwidth or insufficient bandwidth availability is to blame. To understand if this is the case, you need the visibility offered by a bandwidth monitor tool. To better understand bandwidth availability, you can use a bandwidth monitor to track bandwidth usage by specific applications or interfaces. This can help you identify “top talkers”, or applications or interfaces using the most bandwidth. If high traffic levels are being caused by inappropriate network use, a bandwidth monitor can give you the insight you need to address the issue and free up additional bandwidth for business-related traffic.

How do you check network bandwidth usage?

Based on your contract, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will give your business a certain amount of bandwidth. But do you have enough bandwidth to support all your business needs? If your network has been slow lately, you may be wondering how to check your network bandwidth usage to determine (1) whether bandwidth usage is the cause of the problem and, if so, (2) which interfaces are using excessive bandwidth. To manually check network bandwidth usage, you’ll have to examine bandwidth usage levels for individual devices on the network. However, if you’re tasked with managing bandwidth for a business network, manually checking each device can be a time-consuming and often unreliable task. An automated network bandwidth monitoring tool is designed to track traffic network usage to give you a real-time, centralized overview of bandwidth utilization across a network , and can provide you with other critical performance details about the devices connected to your network.

Why is bandwidth monitoring important?

Bandwidth monitoring can help you address and prevent network slowdowns. Business productivity relies in large part on network and application performance. If bandwidth is overutilized, it can impair the functioning of an entire business. Network traffic speeds can also suffer when users or applications are monopolizing bandwidth. In some cases, bandwidth hogs aren’t actually serving a legitimate business purpose but may simply be watching videos or downloading unnecessary files. A network monitoring tool can provide visibility with the easy-to-read charts and tables, so you can quickly and accurately identify the business applications, IP address groups, and protocols using the most bandwidth. You can also identify the non-business applications causing unnecessarily high levels of traffic, so you can block activity to help improve network speeds. Tracking bandwidth consumption is also critical when planning bandwidth provisioning for your business network. Over time, you can use network bandwidth monitoring to ensure your usage is sufficient for your business needs—or you can gain the insight you need to increase your bandwidth levels. It’s also important to check network bandwidth usage regularly to ensure your business network is secure. If traffic spikes suddenly or flows are directed at port 0, you can be alerted immediately and investigate the root cause, as this can be a sign of malicious or malformed traffic.

What devices typically use the most bandwidth?

Devices likely to use the most bandwidth are typically those heavily used and high-traffic devices hosting several applications or types of applications. For instance, virtualized devices may also demand more network bandwidth if they support the functioning of multiple interfaces. To identify the devices on your network using the most bandwidth, start by looking for types of high-demand applications and services, such as streaming video services. Video chat and voice calls also tend to generate high levels of traffic. File sharing can be another common high-bandwidth activity, and uploading or downloading large files at a rapid rate can also quickly cut into your bandwidth. Using a network bandwidth monitoring tool, you can more easily identify the types of activities and devices on your network using most of your bandwidth—and gain the insights you need to determine whether they’re doing so appropriately.

How do you minimize the consumption of bandwidth?

There are some simple steps you can take to minimize bandwidth consumption: Block bandwidth-heavy websites. Many organizations trust employees to use the internet as they see fit, but this can lead to some users accessing sites that consume excessive bandwidth. You may choose to block sites known to cause heavy bandwidth consumption. Scan for malware. When malware infiltrates your network, it may run repetitive processes that use up bandwidth. Make sure you have tools in place to continuously check your network for malware. Monitor VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a common method for making calls using an internet connection instead of a phone line. You should monitor these potentially bandwidth-intensive programs if you’re worried about overall network performance. Reserve bandwidth with QoS. Quality of Service (QoS) is a way to reserve bandwidth for critical applications when they’re in use. Gain insights to optimize bandwidth usage with charts and alerts. A network bandwidth monitor can give you the built-in tools you need to minimize bandwidth consumption. You can set up filters for continuous data, so you can always view current bandwidth levels within the monitor’s dashboard.

How does NTA monitor bandwidth?

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer monitors bandwidth by turning flow data into easy-to-use charts, tables, and alerts. NTA is designed to give you the ability to easily monitor bandwidth and traffic patterns at the interface level, all from a single centralized tool. NTA gathers flow data every minute (or more frequently) through Cisco NetFlow v5 or v9, Juniper J-Flow, IPFIX, sFLOW, Huawei NetStream, or other means. For CBQoS implementation, NTA polls devices through the Orion ® Platform and the devices return data to the dashboard. With this in-depth traffic information, it can be easier to pinpoint the endpoints and protocols consuming too much bandwidth. You can even set up threshold alerts, so you receive instant notifications regarding excessive bandwidth levels.

Measure Data Use Efficiently with Network Bandwidth Monitor

Track traffic, identify bandwidth hogs, and troubleshoot performance issues with SolarWinds^® NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, your network bandwidth monitor.

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Monitor and Optimize Network Bandwidth

Identify Network Bottlenecks

Get Bandwidth Usage Alerts

Optimize Bandwidth Use

Create Bandwidth Reports

Monitor Multi-Vendor Flow Data

Identify Network Bottlenecks Before They Impact Users

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer collects and analyzes flow data from Cisco NetFlow, sFlow, J-Flow, IPFIX, and Huawei NetStream to pinpoint congested links, interfaces, and traffic sources causing slow network performance. Drill down by application, protocol, or IP address group to isolate bandwidth bottlenecks before they disrupt users. NTA's traffic analysis dashboard surfaces top talkers and bandwidth hogs in a single view, so you can determine whether high traffic serves a legitimate business purpose or requires immediate action.

Collect flow data from NetFlow v5/v9, sFlow, J-Flow, IPFIX, and NetStream
Drill down by application, protocol, or IP address group
View top talkers and bandwidth hogs in a single dashboard

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Get Alerts When Bandwidth Usage Spikes

Set threshold-based alerts to catch bandwidth hogs the moment they exceed utilization limits. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer delivers instant notifications when application traffic spikes, drops, or disappears, including a list of top talkers driving the spike. Modify out-of-the-box alerts or create custom triggers to track bandwidth usage across specific interfaces, endpoints, or IP address groups. Act before congestion impacts your users and proactively prevent potential slowdowns and outages.

Receive instant alerts when bandwidth utilization thresholds are exceeded
Get a list of top talkers with each bandwidth spike alert
Create custom alerts for specific interfaces, endpoints, or IP groups

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Optimize Bandwidth Use Across the Network

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer collects, processes, and displays Class-Based Quality of Service (CBQoS) data alongside flow data. View pre- and post-policy CBQoS class maps to verify that mission-critical traffic receives priority during congestion. Measure policy effectiveness and quantify bandwidth consumption by class map to optimize bandwidth use across your network and ensure critical services perform when capacity is constrained.

View pre- and post-policy CBQoS class maps
Measure policy effectiveness and bandwidth consumption by class
Prioritize mission-critical traffic during congestion

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Create Bandwidth Reports for Better Capacity Planning

Turn utilization data into charts, tables, and network bandwidth reports with a few clicks. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer retains highly granular flow data at one-minute intervals for months, not hours. Analyze traffic patterns over months, days, or minutes by drilling down into any network element. Schedule automatic weekly report delivery to keep your team informed and support capacity planning decisions with historical data you can trust.

Retain one-minute granularity flow data for months, not hours
Schedule automatic weekly report delivery to your team
Analyze traffic patterns over months, days, or minutes

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Monitor Flow Data Across Multi-Vendor Networks

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer supports flow data from Cisco NetFlow v5 and v9, Juniper J-Flow, sFlow, Huawei NetStream, and IPFIX. Achieve advanced application recognition with Cisco NBAR2 to identify which applications, categories, and subcategories consume the most bandwidth. Monitor wireless LAN controller (WLC) traffic to see what drives bandwidth usage across your wireless network. Support devices from Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, HP, Juniper, Huawei, and more from one centralized tool.

Support Cisco NBAR2 for advanced application recognition
Monitor wireless LAN controller (WLC) traffic
Cover devices from Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, HP, Juniper, and Huawei

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Learn More About Bandwidth Monitoring

Get answers to common questions about monitoring bandwidth, traffic, and network usage.

What is a Network Bandwidth Monitor?
How Does Network Bandwidth Monitoring Work?
How Can I Identify Bandwidth Bottlenecks?
How Do I Find What is Using the Most Bandwidth?
How Do You Minimize the Consumption of Bandwidth?
Which Flow Protocols Can Be Used to Monitor Bandwidth?

What is a network bandwidth monitor?

A network bandwidth monitor, like other dedicated bandwidth monitoring tools, provides real-time visibility into network traffic and bandwidth utilization levels. When network traffic slows, overutilization of bandwidth or insufficient bandwidth availability is often to blame. A bandwidth monitor tracks bandwidth usage by specific applications, interfaces, or protocols, helping you identify top talkers—the applications or interfaces consuming the most bandwidth. If high traffic levels stem from inappropriate network use, a network bandwidth monitor gives you the insight to address the issue and free up bandwidth for business-critical traffic. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer serves as a network bandwidth monitor by turning flow data into charts, tables, and alerts that quantify how your network is used, by whom, and for what purpose.

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What is a network bandwidth monitor?
A network bandwidth monitor, like other dedicated bandwidth monitoring tools, provides real-time visibility into network traffic and bandwidth utilization levels. When network traffic slows, overutilization of bandwidth or insufficient bandwidth availability is often to blame. A bandwidth monitor tracks bandwidth usage by specific applications, interfaces, or protocols, helping you identify top talkers—the applications or interfaces consuming the most bandwidth. If high traffic levels stem from inappropriate network use, a network bandwidth monitor gives you the insight to address the issue and free up bandwidth for business-critical traffic. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer serves as a network bandwidth monitor by turning flow data into charts, tables, and alerts that quantify how your network is used, by whom, and for what purpose.
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