Networking question...

[Zmmyt]

I'm not even sure if this is the right place to post my question, but here we go...

Situation:

A house with 8 people living in it, they are all using one internet access via a router.

Problem:

They do way too much downloading. The internet provider already sent them a letter telling them to reduce their downloading, otherwise they'll be disconnected.

Question:

Is there a way to control/assign a certain download limit to each user and to have an overview who is using the internet and how much the user is stressing out the connection.

Needs:

Total control of all the traffic and the ability to block certain users, if needed.

Router:

Some SpeedTouch router (password protected).


Thanks a lot,


Tymmz

 

[MisterMe]

...
Question:

Is there a way to control/assign a certain download limit to each user and to have an overview who is using the internet and how much the user is stressing out the connection.

...

Answer: Get another ISP.

 

[bmcgonag]

Answer: Get another ISP.

I agree with this, you pay your ISP to provide a connection to the internet. There should be non limit to how much you download or upload once connected. The only limit is to the rate of transfer allowed by the package normally. If they do have a preset amount of dl / ul allowed, then switch. If thes amount is not specifically noted in the contract, call them on it, and know what the rate limit is for your connection.

there are some routers that allow you to limit ul/dl speeds per connected machine, off the top of my head, a Linksys WRT54G with the DD-WRT firmware and software put on it would let you do this.

Best,

Brian

 

[Zmmyt]

Thanks for the replies.

They have no limit, I might suggest them to switch the provider.

I thought there would be a nice app for Mac they could run to control the routers traffic, if they could put the computer between the router and the internet.

I have no clue what's possible and what not.

I thought there would be a simple solution to have the possibility of detailed monitoring.

 

[robemich]

You probably want to investigate something that can do either per session or per IP traffic shapers. Otherwise, you are going to end up crunching the aggregate bandwidth. Control the session or the individual hosts, and the overall usage will decrease. Browsing and email will adapt in this scenario, and I bet the users will get used to it very quickly.

We use prefix specific shapers on a Juniper router to enforce strict limits on a per IP basis. It works very well for TCP, but not so much for UDP. You are talking about a fairly high dollor router though. If you have some cash to blow, look into a used J-series like a 2300.

And I agree with the others, get a real ISP, or get your existing ISP to stop bugging you. They are probably feeling the affects of being over subscribed.

-mike