Using bandwidth but no apps running??

[VinceraVivere]

Hey all,

I noticed within the last few days that my Macbook has been using bandwidth but without any applications running that should be using it. I have iStat monitor running to keep track of things, so it shows my download/upload speed in the menu bar. So like I said, even when I have nothing running but finder, I'm still getting anywhere between .5KB/s to 8KB/s, just coming in not going out. Is there something on my laptop that shouldn't be? I don't know how to see which programs, if any, are using that bandwidth, so I can't tell what's causing it. Even when I'm running my VPN, it's still doing the same thing. Any ideas? Is this something completely normal that I just haven't noticed before?

Thanks in advance!!

Sarah

 

[angelwatt]

Pretty normal. There's a lot of background processes and software updaters that run all the time depending on what you have installed. Activity Monitor can show you the processes running on your machine.

 

[neutrino23]

Open Activity Monitor. It is in the utilities folder. Just open Spotlight and start typing Activity Monitor and it will be the first selection.

Click the Network button to confirm the network activity. Click CPU and then sort on the CPU column to see which apps are most active. One of these is likely using the net.

After checking which apps are active restart the machine. Then before launching anything else launch Activity Monitor and see if anything has changed.

Perhaps iTunes is downloading podcasts in the background for you?

 

[DoFoT9]

Even when I'm running my VPN, it's still doing the same thing.

well yes of course there would be network activity in that case as VPNs are quite demanding on session data, etc.

as for the other things, what applications do you have installed?

 

[VinceraVivere]

I don't have a whole lot of other apps installed that could be leeching onto the internet - and when I have bandwidth being used without anything running, I'm talking literally all I have up and running is Finder (unless there are some processes that aren't visible?). But I'll definitely try Activity Monitor - thanks for the suggestion!

 

[angelwatt]

(unless there are some processes that aren't visible?). But I'll definitely try Activity Monitor - thanks for the suggestion!

Yes, exactly, there are dozens of processes that are running invisibly on your machine. Most are not using bandwidth, but some may. You may need to change the drop down box in Activity Monitor to "All processes" to ensure you're seeing everything.