What and with what programs is my Internet network loaded, where does the traffic go? Limit download and upload speed for any of the programs. Why Internet speed is cut over WiFi: Free tips on how to speed up data transfer Why speed is cut in

Question from user

Hello.

Tell me, how can I find out what programs load my Internet channel? The fact is that although I have unlimited traffic, it is very slow high-speed tariff(only 500 KB / s, i.e. every kilobyte counts).

Previously, my torrent always downloaded at a speed of about 500 KB / s, but now something has happened, as if someone is eating up my traffic. What can be done?

Good day.

Let's hope that Elon Musk will launch his free high-speed Satellite Internet and cover the whole earth with it...

In general, your question has some underlying reason: the fact is that the decrease in speed could not have occurred due to the fact that some program began to covertly use your network (although this is also possible) ...

Therefore, in this article I will show not only how you can find a program that "steals" traffic unnoticed, and how to limit its "appetite", but also point out those points that can also cause network load. So...

Find out what programs and services the network is loaded with

Method number 1: through the task manager

If you have Windows 10, then in the task manager you can immediately find out in the same window the CPU, memory, disk, and network load (which is very convenient!). For example, in the screenshot below, applications are sorted depending on the network load: as you can see, Utorrent is the main source...

Note: To call the Task Manager, use the Ctrl+Alt+Del or Ctrl+Shift+Esc key combination.

But in general, of course, I agree with many that the task manager is not informative, often does not show the whole picture. In addition, it does not have any options for limiting and fine-tuning network usage.

Method number 2: special. utilities

In general, there are a lot of such utilities. Every second firewall will also be able to show you which applications go online. However, in this article I want to focus on one very skillful utility - NetLimiter!

One of the most the best programs to control network traffic. After installing the program, it monitors absolutely all applications that access the Internet.

With its help, you can manage traffic (limit it, block it) for each application separately.

In addition, NetLimiter keeps statistics on all connections, and you can always turn to the utility to view graphs and tables.

After installing and running NetLimiter, click on the "DL Rate" column, and you will see all the most "gluttonous" programs (in terms of traffic) at the moment. An example is shown in the screenshot below: as you can see, Utorrent uses the lion's share of traffic.

NetLimiter - sorted by download traffic

In general, after carefully reading the list of programs presented in NetLimiter, you will find out which applications load your network and "zero" traffic. Below we will consider how you can limit the appetites of a program.

How to limit the speed of download / upload to the Internet of any program

Let's say that in the list in NetLimiter you find that "sinister" program that eats up all your traffic. For my example, I will take Utorrent and limit its download speed .

Please note that NetLimiter has a special. columns with "Limit": DL - upload speed limit, UL - upload speed limit. In front of each application there is already a base limit of 5 KB / s - if you check the box for such a limit, the speed of the selected application will be limited to 5 KB / s...

Let's say I want to limit the download speed of Utorrent to 100 KB / s (after all, 5 KB / s by default is not always suitable).

To get started, right-click on the program, and select "Add rule" from the pop-up menu. See example below.

Note: pay attention to the column "Direction" (direction). By default, this column is "In" - i.e. incoming download traffic. It is possible to select "Out" - ie. outgoing (upload speed), and also limit it.

Limit rate limit (IN means incoming traffic, OUT means outgoing)

Please note that now the NetLimiter table shows Utorrent with a 100 KB/s limit checked.

Upload limit set

I will show a screenshot (see below) for a visual representation from Utorrent itself - the total download speed of all added torrents does not exceed 100 KB / s (despite the presence of a large number of seeds and high-speed Internet access).

After the "cherished tick" was removed in NetLimiter, the download speed immediately began to increase (see the screen below). Those. the program very effectively allows you to limit and "regulate" the speed of applications access to the network.

A few words about the router, provider, and the Utorrent program itself

I want to draw your attention to the fact that all of the above settings may not give a practical result, and your Internet speed will leave much to be desired. Why?

1) Perhaps there are failures with the provider

It is not uncommon when the download speed in the same Utorrent drops due to a failure at the provider (for example, you can be switched to an emergency branch while the main one is being repaired).

In addition, if your provider has a lot of clients in your home/district, it is possible that, for example, in the evening hours you will see “drawdowns” in download speed (the fact is that in the evening and on weekends the majority of people go online , and there is not always enough bandwidth for everyone ...).

To help! How to check internet speed on computer -

2) Pay attention to the router (and to other devices that you have connected to the network)

If you have several devices connected to the Internet (for example, in addition to a PC, there may also be a laptop, phone, tablet, etc.) - pay attention to them too.

Pay attention to the router (if you use one): as a rule, in its settings you can find out which devices are connected to it, how they use the network, etc. There you can often limit the appetites of any of the devices connected to it.

For reference! Detailed installation and configuration of the router:

Router operation status: how many devices are connected, what is the download and upload speed // TENDA

3) Pay attention to the utorrent program itself

It is worth recognizing that sometimes Utorrent is a very capricious program that can simply “refuse” to download a file at a normal speed ... There can be many reasons for this: both the wrong version of the program was selected, and optimal settings were not specified.

I have several blog posts on this topic. Therefore, if you have checked and configured all of the above - but there is no result, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with a couple of materials, the links to which I indicated just below.

Why uTorrent downloads at a slow speed: torrents take a very long time to download -

uTorrent analogs: choose a program to download torrents -

Additions are welcome.

Long opening sites, freezes, slow file download speeds, problems in online games, failures in Skype video communication - these and similar things have to be faced with a slow Internet connection.

In this regard, users often have a question: why is the Internet speed low? How in individual cases can solve this problem?

The reasons that may result in a drop in the speed of the Internet, we will consider according to the following plan:

I note that a slow computer that “slows down” and a slow Internet are two different things and are not directly related to each other.

1. Rush hours

Decrease in speed is a natural process during peak hours when great amount users. As a rule, this happens by 6-7 pm on weekdays.

This moment completely depends on the provider: the more users it has, the greater the load falls on the network equipment, therefore, the slower the Internet connection will be.

The situation is the same with the Wi-Fi zone in public places.

And if you go to a cafe specifically for web surfing, it is better to look for a sparsely populated place.

2. Equipment provider

The reason for the low speed of the Internet may be the depleted resource of the provider's network equipment. Even changing the tariff plan to a more expensive one will not help. After the equipment is replaced by the provider, the speed of the Internet, respectively, increases dramatically.

The reason may also be a failure in any part of the path from the Internet provider to the network card in the user's computer. The failure may be in the apartment, in the corridor on the stairs, in the basement of the house or in the attic, where the provider's equipment is located.

When someone cut a piece of cable in our apartment building (perhaps due to apartment renovation), the provider had to replace 80 meters of cable. But according to my subjective feelings, after that the Internet simply began to “fly”.

In both the first and second cases, little depends on the user. True, you can contact the provider with constant complaints.

But if several companies operate in the locality in the market for providing Internet access, why not get acquainted with the capabilities of other providers. You can return to the first one at any time if the Internet speed of other providers also does not satisfy.

3. Router

The router may be the reason for the low speed of the Internet. The router, regardless of the specific model and manufacturer, is in itself a weak link in the chain of devices for high-speed data transfer on the network.

The situation is aggravated in the case of budget models of routers that have poor technical characteristics. Those are more capable of reducing the data transfer rate due to constant freezes.

When complaining about slow Internet speed in the support service, the provider's staff will first ask if the connection is through a router, and if so, then the standard recommendation is to turn off the router and then turn it on after 5 minutes.

When the router is rebooted, the buffer is cleared of cached data that accumulates in the process of checking and assembling network packets.

Before buying a router, you should consult with the provider. Its experts will tell you which models are best proven in operation.

4. Number of Wi-Fi users

No matter how powerful the equipment that provides a Wi-Fi hotspot in a home or public place, it has a limit of connected devices.

And the closer the number of users to the limit value of possible clients of such equipment, the lower the Internet speed each of them can count on.

Routers do not always distribute the speed of the Internet connection evenly between all devices. It also happens that when one user downloads a large file from the Internet, the second one has to wait a long time even for an elementary opening of a web page.

So that no one at home is deprived of Internet speed, you can purchase a router with a traffic distribution function.

An alternative option is to set the file download speed limit in software file downloaders (download managers, torrent clients).

And, of course, password-protected access to Wi-Fi is required. For in apartment buildings the Wi-Fi signal of the router is available to neighbors, as well as to all those who come to visit them.

5. Wi-Fi range

Each router is designed for a certain radius of providing a Wi-Fi zone.

In some cases, if the need for a larger range arose later than the purchase of a certain model of a router designed for a smaller radius, you can try to solve the problem using a wireless amplifier. This device is placed between the router and the computer device and serves to amplify the Wi-Fi signal.

Metal barriers and water containers placed between the router and a mobile or computer device that receives a Wi-Fi signal can slow down the Internet. There may be interference from the neighbors router, from overheating of your router, from a malfunction software router.

It is desirable to place the router on an uncluttered surface and higher.

You can try bringing your laptop as close to the router as possible to see if it improves internet speed.

6. Device processor

The Internet connection mostly depends on the network equipment, but sometimes the slow Internet speed can be caused by a weak processor of a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

On the one hand, the Internet is no longer a rarity with high speed. On the other hand, many devices for accessing the Internet with "lightweight", budget processors have appeared: netbooks, etc. Such a processor, alas, sometimes cannot cope with a large data stream (for example, torrents).

If you want to check the load on your processor, press three keys at the same time: "Ctrl", "Alt" and "Del". In the window that appears after this, click on the option “Open Task Manager”.

Rice. 1 Check CPU usage in Windows Task Manager

If in a similar window, as in Fig. 1 You will see the download at 100%, then the reason for the low speed of the Internet is not in the provider, but exclusively in your computer and in those programs on it that it is so busy with.

7. Programs

The slowdown in Internet speed can be caused by the activity of applications on the computer that work with the network.

These are programs that run in the background. For example, in the "background" can be launched

• skype,
• webmoney,
• other messengers,
• software torrent clients,
• programs for saving Internet traffic, for its analysis, etc.,
• any applications that support data synchronization (Yandex.Disk, Cloud Mile ru),
• browser extensions,
• antivirus update,
• windows update,
• playing music from some site,
• online toy launched
• and you never know what else is running?

Unused applications should be closed, and best of all, removed from startup along with the start of the operating system.

Rarely used browser extensions can be left uninstalled, but disabled and activated only when necessary.

8. Malware

Viruses and spyware can be the cause of slow Internet speeds.

A WiFi connection may not always provide the same speed as a cable connection. Among the main reasons are incorrect router settings, conflicts with neighbors' access points, and the wrong choice of the location of the router. Speed ​​is also cut when using outdated hardware or older firmware versions.

How to determine that WiFi speed is being cut

Internet providers indicate in the contract the maximum possible access speed. The actual width of the throughput channel is usually lower than the declared one. At home, it is easy to check whether this is due to restrictions on the provider's side or using WiFi. To do this, connect an Ethernet cable directly to the device from which you access the Internet.

Open the Speedtest online service in any browser and click "Begin Test". The site will automatically determine the nearest server through which the speed test will be performed. The computer will exchange data with the selected server to find out the current Internet speed. Wait until the end of the operation, then remember or write down its result.

Then connect an internet cable to your router, turn it on and connect to WiFi from the same device you tested the speed on. Open the site again and repeat the measurement. If the results of the first and second tests differ significantly, the speed is cut precisely because of the use of wireless Internet.

Interference from neighbors' wireless equipment

Most often, this reason manifests itself in apartment buildings with a large number of installed WiFi access points. The wireless network can operate in one of two bands: 2.4 or 5 GHz. The first option is more common. In this case, the actual frequency can be from 2.412 to 2.484 GHz in 0.005 GHz steps, depending on the selected channel.

The 2.4 GHz band is divided into 14 segments, but not all of them may be available for legal use in a particular country. For example, in the USA only channels 1-11 are used, in Russia: 1-13, in Japan: 1-14. Selecting an incorrect value may violate the laws of the state in which the equipment is operated.

If your neighbors' access points use the same channel as your router, interference (radio wave overlay) occurs. As a result, the speed of the Internet over WiFi is cut. It is recommended to analyze the current frequency congestion. The most popular software tool used for this purpose is the inSSIDer utility developed by MetaGeek.

Install the program, run the executable file and click the "Start Scan" button in the upper left corner of the program window. The graph on the right will display the found WiFi networks and the channels on which they work. Find the range that contains the fewest networks with a high level of reception, and then select it in the router control panel.

Note! The width of each channel can be 20 or 40 MHz. Only channels 1, 6, and 11 do not overlap. Use one of these values ​​for the best network setup. You can also choose to automatically detect the least loaded frequencies in the router settings.

High band occupancy

V big cities the number of 2.4 GHz networks available can be so high that changing the WiFi channel does not have the desired effect. The data rate is cut even after selecting the freest segment of the frequency range. The optimal solution to this problem is the transition to the 5 GHz band, which has not yet received sufficient distribution.

Its use is possible on dual-band routers. Such routers create two networks at once, which have different names, encryption and authorization parameters. Client devices whose radio module supports 5 GHz operation will be able to connect to WiFi in this range. Legacy models will connect to the second network. With this scheme of work, a number of disadvantages should be taken into account, the main of which are:

1. Smaller coverage area in the presence of obstacles due to physical properties radio waves of this length.
2. Lack of compatibility with older devices.
3. The high cost of dual-band equipment.

Router Issues

The main mistake made by users when organizing a home WiFi networks- wrong choice of the location of the router. It leads to poor signal reception on client devices, due to which the Internet speed is cut. You can specify the signal level by the number of marks on the WiFi icon located in the tray (lower right corner) operating system Windows. On mobile devices, the Internet connection status and signal strength can be checked at the top of the screen, in the notification bar.

It is recommended to install the router in the central room of the room where it will be used. This arrangement ensures a high level of WiFi reception in all rooms of the apartment or office. When installed in the corner of a room, remote rooms will not be able to connect to the wireless network or will receive Internet at low speed.

Important! The quality of communication with the router is also affected by the power of the transmitter, the number of installed antennas and the distance from working sources of electromagnetic radiation. To prevent Internet speed from being cut, try to install the router away from microwave ovens, refrigerators and other household appliances.

Also check the correctness of the WiFi mode selection in the router settings. It is responsible for the maximum data transfer rate and backward compatibility with older devices. For example, if "11b only" is selected, wifi speed will be cut to 11 Mbps, and the value "Only 11g" limits the bandwidth to 54 Mbps.

You can enter the web interface of the router at the address indicated on its bottom panel. For TP-Link models, the desired parameters are selected in the “Wireless Mode -> Wireless Settings” section. The recommended values ​​if there are older models on the network are "11bgn mixed" and "11bg mixed". If all home or office devices support the 802.11n standard, check the "11n only" box.

In the Wireless Security menu, set the security type to WPA/WPA2, as using the legacy WEP method cuts WiFi speed. Change the automatic encryption type selection to Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). It provides greater network security with less impact on data transfer rates.

Click the tab with advanced wireless network settings. On TP-Link it is "Wireless Mode -> Advanced Settings". Find and activate the "WiFi Multimedia" (WMM) option. This protocol allows you to set a high priority for multimedia traffic, thereby speeding up its transmission.

In the settings of the connected devices, you must also activate this function. Open Device Manager in the Control Panel of your Windows operating system. Find your network adapter and go to its properties. On the "Advanced" tab, select the line "WMM" in the list on the left. On the right, specify the value "Enabled" or "Enabled". Save the configuration by clicking the "OK" button.

Another parameter that you should pay attention to when configuring the router is the transmitter power or "Tx Power". This value is indicated as a percentage of the maximum power of the equipment. If the hotspot is far away, set it to "100%" to improve WiFi reception.

Outdated device firmware

Manufacturers of routers and other wireless devices regularly optimize their software for maximum performance. Download new version Firmware can be found on the Internet, on the developer's website. The update is performed by downloading the file to the device through the admin panel. Path in the menu of routers of various trademarks is different:

• TP-Link: "System Tools -> Firmware Update";
• D-Link: "System -> Software Update";
• ASUS: "Administration -> Firmware Update";
• Zyxel: "System Information -> Updates";

Advice! When installing software, consider the hardware version of the router. It is indicated on the sticker or in the documentation for the device.

On client equipment (laptops, computers and other equipment connected to WiFi), you should check the versions of network drivers. Windows OS allows you to update the firmware through the control panel, in the "Device Manager" section. Open the "Network adapters" tab and select the radio module you are using. In the "Driver" section, click "Update" and select to automatically search for software on the Internet. After that, restart your computer and connect to the wireless Internet again.

Tutorial video: How and why the Internet speed is cut over WiFi

Using optional equipment

If, after fixing all problems, the Internet speed in remote rooms continues to cut, use optional equipment to amplify the signal. It includes: external antennas for routers, high-powered wireless adapters for computers, WiFi repeaters.

When choosing an antenna, consider the gain and type of connector with which it connects to the access point. Typically, manufacturers indicate a list of equipment recommended for use with certain device models. When connecting third-party antennas that have not been tested for compatibility, difficulties may arise with further warranty service.

The repeater allows you to increase coverage and get high speed Internet even at a considerable distance from the router. Due to the use of a built-in power supply, such devices have a compact size. To use them, just plug the device into a power outlet and press the “WiFi Protected Setup” (WPS) button on the case. After that, the same button must be pressed on the router itself or a quick connection must be activated via the web interface.

American engineers from the CAIDA data analysis center have developed a system that limits the speed of Internet connections to which of the Internet providers. The technology has gained particular significance in light of the fact that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has canceled the rules of net neutrality in the United States. Next, let's look at this system.

Why a CAIDA solution was needed

Since 2015, the principle of net neutrality has been in effect in the United States. It prohibited telecommunications companies from distinguishing between traffic from different sources. That is, the provider did not have the right to limit the speed of access to any content, forcing users to purchase a premium package of services.

In June of this year, the principles of net neutrality in the United States ceased to exist. Therefore, CAIDA engineers proposed a system that will allow you to determine which of the network providers slows down or limits the connection speed to individual resources. It is based on the concept of cross-domain traffic tracking.

How the system works

The system uses a set of eighty "points of view" (Vantage Points) to evaluate the latency and percentage of lost packets in inter-domain connections of 47 ISPs. The Time Series Latency Probes (TSLP) method is applied.

It involves sending probe ICMP requests (frames of the Probe Request type) to servers. The packet lifetime (Time To Live, TTL) is set in such a way that their timer expires when a connection arrives at the far and near routers. If the delay at the far end of the line is increased, but not at the near end, then the "congestion" in the inter-domain connection is probably to blame.

Researchers use this approach because it does not require cooperation with ISPs and is easy to implement. It is less accurate, but the results are close to those of more invasive methods (bandwidth measurements, performance tests on video streaming, etc.).

InfluxDB is responsible for managing the temporary data obtained using TSLP. The researchers also set up Grafana to render the data in the browser.

CAIDA says it tested its system between March 2016 and December 2017. They noted that there is no mass tendency to limit the speed of access to the network among the eight American providers (whose activity was monitored). This is probably due to the fact that at that time the principles of net neutrality were still in effect. However, as noted by CAIDA, some providers did slow down the Internet speed at certain times of the day.

The authors note that their system does not yet take into account a number of factors, in particular, throughput communication lines or asymmetric routing. But in the future, they plan to refine their tool and conduct research on the networks of a larger number of Internet providers. Therefore, how has the picture changed since the lifting of FCC neutrality (and has it changed at all, given that the three major US telecom operators have already refused to introduce any paid subscriptions), remains to be seen.

Recorded cases of speed limit

In the United States, there have already been several cases where providers limited the speed of Internet access for end users.

Information theory professor Dave Choffnes and developer of the Wehe network traffic monitoring application, together with colleagues at the University of Massachusetts, found that almost all mobile operators The US limits the bandwidth for video content, but does not affect other types of traffic.

The researchers analyzed the data Dave collected with his app. This is more than half a million tests in the networks of providers in 161 countries of the world.

Most often, US carriers limit the speed to YouTube and video streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and NBC Sports. For example, during one of the tests, it was found that on the T-Mobile network, the access speed to Netflix was 1.77 Mbps. For other content, the speed reached 6.62 Mbps.

In total, during the first half of 2018, Wehe recorded more than ten thousand cases of traffic restriction on Verizon networks. On AT&T networks, the figure was eight thousand, and on T-Mobile it was four thousand. At the same time, "throttling" was recorded 24/7 - even when there was no point in it.

Similar situations occurred ten years ago, which, in fact, became one of the reasons for the introduction of net neutrality. In 2007, Comcast was accused of intentionally preventing BitTorrent users from sharing files online. Slowing BitTorrent traffic was declared illegal, but Comcast never received a fine.

Sometimes providers restrict users from accessing the Internet at the most inopportune times. For example, Verizon recently accessed the network for the fire department of Santa Clara County, California, while fighting a major fire. The head of the unit, Anthony Bowden, noted that the operator, by his actions, prevented them from working, making it difficult for the rescuers to coordinate.

According to the tariff used by firefighters, they have 25 gigabytes per month. When they run out the speed is cut two hundred times. However, the operator must remove this restriction in emergency situations. But he didn't.

And although Verizon says that the situation has nothing to do with the problem of net neutrality (according to them, it was a technical support error), there is an opinion that this is not entirely true.

For example, one of the Santa Clara County legislators where the incident took place,

An urgent problem for owners of tariffs with a limit on the speed or amount of information (as well as USB modems) or "low speed internet". It seems that the Internet is there, but the speed is not enough even to open pages on the Internet. If you are used to it and put up with it, then you can continue to ignore it. But still, I think everyone will be interested in what programs or applications use Internet traffic.
By the way, sometimes in this way you can find out and see some unfamiliar process or application that you do not know, and this may be a virus or spyware that sends your data (or monitors your actions) and sends them to someone through the Internet.

You can find out what is eating your Internet traffic in several ways.

1) Through the standard . But there is one big drawback here - only in Windows 8 it shows on the tab Processes in a collumn Net.

In other editions (versions) of "Windows" this is not. More precisely, there is, but there is not what you need.

2) Through and various firewalls that provide .
But here, too, there is a snag - not everyone gives such an opportunity, but there is also paid options. Although I use it and it suits me. Shows, by the way, that he uses the Internet too. Like all firewalls in principle.

3) Through third-party special programs.
I consider this option to be the best and most effective, because it is suitable for all versions of the OS and you do not need to pay, because all programs are free.

The first program to receive universal recognition is TCPView from .

On the positive side, it does not require installation (portable) and takes up little space (284 kb). Of the negative in it, only that it does not have a Russian-language interface. But to understand it will not be difficult.

After running the file, the main window looks like this:

It immediately displays all the programs that use the Internet, with characteristics such as the port used, and others.
In addition, you can save this list to a text file, as well as customize the display.
When you right-click on a process, you can find out the process properties (Process Properties), end it (End Process), close the connection (Close Connection), copy (Copy) and find out what the system thinks about it (Whois ...) (it didn’t work for me )

The second program is NetWorx

It does everything the same as the previous program, namely, it monitors and shows which programs climb into the Internet. The most important and pleasant difference is that it is Russified and has many functions.

After installation and / or launch, the program is minimized to and when you right-click on the icon, the following menu appears:

In fact, the main thing we need is to find out which programs are eating the Internet. It's on the menu Tools - Connections

In it, you can also find out which applications are using and you can end the process by right-clicking on it.

I think the disadvantage is that you cannot find out the properties of the file, and therefore you can only guess what kind of file and where it is located.
Perhaps that is why it includes many functions, such as:
- General statistics, in which you can find out how much is received / sent per day / week / month or from other users (if there are several accounts).
- Graph of the current speed.
- Measure internet connection speed.
- Set up a limit (quota) for the use of Internet traffic. You determine how much you can spend per hour/day/week/month, and then the program will notify you of the limit.
- You can make traces or ping the route. In simple words- write the ip address or url of the site, and the program determines how long it takes to send / receive a response and a request. In general, this is for more advanced users.

Well, that's all there is to it. With the main task, namely how to find out which programs and applications consume the Internet connection, you figured it out and know what to do.