The Top 9 Bandwidth Monitoring Tools for Enterprise Networks

Bandwidth usage is one of the best ways to determine how well your network is running. Bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data transfer that your network can handle at any given time. Measuring bandwidth usage means that you are examining how much of your bandwidth is being used. Ideally, your enterprise wants to use as much bandwidth as possible without going over the maximum. How do you track your bandwidth usage, however? That’s where bandwidth monitoring tools come in.

Bandwidth monitoring tools continuously observe the bandwidth usage on your networks. It can detect high bandwidth usage and alert the user when it’s running out of network resources. For enterprise networks, it’s critical that you keep an eye on your bandwidth usage to ensure efficient network operation; as such, bandwidth monitoring tools can be a great addition to your IT team’s arsenal. Which bandwidth monitoring tools are the best for your business? Below, we list the top nine bandwidth monitoring tools and solutions for enterprise networks.

If you’re looking for more resources on the best network and bandwidth monitoring tools and vendors, our 2019 Network Monitoring Buyer’s Guide has you covered! It contains profiles on the top 28 network monitoring providers in the market today, including descriptions of the tools they offer and noteworthy features of each. The guide also features 10 questions you should ask prospective vendors and yourself before buying a network monitoring solution. You can download that guide here!

BitMeter OS

Codebox Software’s BitMeter OS is an open source bandwidth monitor that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The tools observes and tracks your current bandwidth usage, updating every second after launch to give you constant updates. Download and upload speeds are displayed simultaneously, and you can set customizable alerts to warn you when bandwidth usage reaches a specific level. This tool can run either in a web browser or via a command line, depending on your preferences.

BWMonitor

BWMonitor is a computer-based bandwidth monitoring tool that measure bandwidth usage on each device it’s installed on. Rather than examine the network as a whole, BWMonitor takes a per-installation approach by examining bandwidth usage on every computer it’s installed on. It displays real-time download and upload speeds, logs information on network data, and generates bandwidth reports. The tool uses less than 1 MB of storage, making it easy to install on multiple systems.

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer

ManageEngine Netflow Analyzer is a network traffic analysis and bandwidth monitoring tool. The program implements network flow analysis to examine bandwidth usage, network data, and traffic patterns. It condenses information about which users and devices are using available bandwidth on your network – as well as what they’re using it for. The solution also feature network forensics and security features, application monitoring, and data capacity planning and billing capabilities.

Nagios Core

Nagios Core is a free network monitoring tool designed as the basis for other monitoring and alerting software offered by Nagios. It is primarily a performance check tool that schedules and executes checks for network performance across the entire infrastructure. As the event processor for performance checks used by other Nagios software, Nagios Core is also able to extend its capabilities with independent add-ons via the Naigos Exchange.

ntopng

ntopng is an open source network traffic analysis tool that features bandwidth monitoring capabilities. The tool is a network traffic probe that sorts network traffic into different criteria, including IP addresses and throughput. By characterizing network traffic, your enterprise can easily determine different network statistics that are affecting your network. While ntopng’s base version is open source, Professional and Enterprise versions are also available.

Paessler PRTG

Paessler PRTG is a network monitoring tool that offers bandwidth monitoring capabilities. PRTG’s monitoring features include capabilities to track bandwidth, as well as network traffic, applications, and data packets. The software functions as an all-in-one monitoring suite which is also able to monitor cloud environments, virtual machines, and hardware in addition to a network. For bandwidth monitoring, PRTG measures bandwidth availability, protocol-based bandwidth usage, and bandwidth hogs.

SoftPerfect Networx

SoftPerfect Networx is a bandwidth monitoring and data usage reporting tool for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The tool measures Internet connection speeds, as well as collecting and logging bandwidth usage data. You can monitor all of your networks or select a specific one to examine. Networx displays bandwidth data via a line chart, and exports logs of all bandwidth data to one of multiple file formats. This way, you can examine your historic bandwidth usage on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

SolarWinds Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor

SolarWinds Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor is a free bandwidth monitoring tool. The tool tracks bandwidth usage in real-time and displays graphs on your network’s bandwidth based on bandwidth polling. The tool alerts you when bandwidth usage enters a critical state, letting your enterprise instantly know when your network’s bandwidth is running low. You can define critical bandwidth usage levels yourself so the tool knows exactly when the devices on your network are using too much bandwidth.

Untangle Bandwidth Control

Untangle Bandwidth Control is a bandwidth monitoring and quality of service (QoS) management tool. Bandwidth Control is designed for network teams to track bandwidth hogs on a network, including applications, devices, and users. The tool examines used bandwidth and determines problematic bandwidth usage based on a set of customizable rules. Your IT team can define specific rules that determine what actions Bandwidth Control takes when specific traffic passes through it.

Looking for a solution to help you improve your network performance? Our Network Monitoring Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top network performance monitor vendors, as well as questions you should ask providers and yourself before buying.

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