How difficult would it be for NTL to provide an online display of bandwidth usage? [Archive]

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lardboy

29-09-2005, 12:12

Paul

29-09-2005, 12:41

I believe that this is the ultimate plan when they start having service levels based on usage rather than speed.

Halcyon

29-09-2005, 13:04

There used to be a way to log into the modem and view bandwidth used if I recall correctly. However it is now not possible to access it.

andygrif

29-09-2005, 14:41

This may have been mentioned before but my searches came up with nothing.

How difficult would it be for NTL to provide an online bandwidth monitor i.e. I log in and I can see exactly how much bandwidth NTL are stating I have used this month.

My news provider can do this so why not my ISP they must be monitoring it so how hard can it be to "plug in" the stats they have to some kind of online front end.

I use DUmeter for my own monitoring purposes but who's to say that my figures match NTL's.

I'd just point out that I don't know whether what I am about to say is fact - it's just an opinion...in case you're wondering!

I imagine that it's probably less simple than it sounds, as it was not built to do this when they first became an ISP, so they probably have the problem of making one system talk to another system, etc etc.

Of course they will have to do this at some point - I would expect them to get into all sorts of trouble if they enforced a cap, or worse started charging extra for going over a limit, without any way of letting you know.

As Paul says, this is likely to happen - until that time (and until the caps become enforced rigidly) as long as you are sensible in your broadband use you should be fine.

nfs6600

29-09-2005, 15:38

so they probably have the problem of making one system talk to another system, etc etc.
.

yea cos biztalk is absolute rubbish

Scopeuk

01-10-2005, 11:10

the ntl modems have smtp capeabilities this means that should ntl decide to the couldrun a system such as mrtg that whould log every (cable) modem on the network but this whould be quite resource hevey if not correctly configured ntl have alot of customers.

patrickp

01-10-2005, 11:17

Scopeuk

01-10-2005, 11:24

i dident say it was enabled i said they had the capeability but yes your right
my point was if ntl wanted too they could tunr it on (wan interface only?) then use and smtp graphing/trackign package they like

Florence

01-10-2005, 12:13

This may have been mentioned before but my searches came up with nothing.

How difficult would it be for NTL to provide an online bandwidth monitor i.e. I log in and I can see exactly how much bandwidth NTL are stating I have used this month.

My news provider can do this so why not my ISP they must be monitoring it so how hard can it be to "plug in" the stats they have to some kind of online front end.

I use DUmeter for my own monitoring purposes but who's to say that my figures match NTL's.

You cannot rush this! I have been on about this on these forums for years been promised this will eventually happen and then the hard capping will commence as we will know exactly what we are using.
Instead of guessing from different applications we tried to use. PRTG was the best I had bit the latest update killed that off as NTL blocked the SMTP. I am no longer worrying about what I use if NTL want me to stay inside caps then they have to show me online real updates.

Optiplex

01-10-2005, 13:10

You cannot rush this! I have been on about this on these forums for years been promised this will eventually happen and then the hard capping will commence as we will know exactly what we are using.
Instead of guessing from different applications we tried to use. PRTG was the best I had bit the latest update killed that off as NTL blocked the SMTP. I am no longer worrying about what I use if NTL want me to stay inside caps then they have to show me online real updates.

Well its simple really.

first they cap us.
Next they remove the ability to tell what we have used.
1 week later they send out cap letters.

My answer to this.

I used to check my usage using PRTG. This meant i could ensure i did not go over the limit.

Now i cannot tell so as far as i am concerned they have removed the limit.
If they send me a letter, I will ask for details of my usage and where I can go to confirm the figures. If they cannot allow me to confirm my usage then as far as i am concerned there cannot be a limit.

I will continue to use my service without the safeguard i used before "PRTG" and not worry one little bit if they send me a letter . I honestly think they don't have a leg to stand on since they removed the ability to check your own usage via snmp.

killsta

01-10-2005, 13:11

Guys I think you're meaning SNMP, not SMTP.

SMTP is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and uses port 25 to send email ;)

Bill C

01-10-2005, 13:15

Guys I think you're meaning SNMP, not SMTP.

SMTP is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and uses port 25 to send email ;)

I think that is what optiplex said.

I will continue to use my service without the safeguard i used before "PRTG" and not worry one little bit if they send me a letter . I honestly think they don't have a leg to stand on since they removed the ability to check your own usage via snmp.

But you are correct its snmp

I was a user of PRTG until the last update. I have to use it via my router now but its not as good or as accurate :mad:

killsta

01-10-2005, 13:16

I think that is what optiplex said.

That he did, but he didn't point it out to the people calling it SMTP :p:

Bill C

01-10-2005, 13:18

That he did, but he didn't point it out to the people calling it SMTP :p:

:LOL: indeed

Jules

01-10-2005, 13:22

I think it is a great idea if NTL could do that I think I am well under the limit but to be honest I have no idea what I use per month

killsta

01-10-2005, 13:28

Most routers support SNMP, so if you have one then it's quite easy to run MRTG/PRTG and probe that to get your total data.

patrickp

01-10-2005, 14:33

I was a user of PRTG until the last update. I have to use it via my router now but its not as good or as accurate :mad:

Is it possible to monitor specifically the WAN port on a router with PRTG?

Maggy

01-10-2005, 15:51

I just wish that NTL could actually be a little bit less wishy washy in what they are claiming that they will or will not do in the event of people going over cap limits.

Saying that they won't hard cap until sometime in the future..BUT when in the future?Those of us who want to stick to the rules find it rather puzzling that they can't give more precise time scales.I understand that circumstances can change so it can't always be possible to stick to a timetable but with NTL it is always maybe,possibly,eventually,coming soon. :erm:

The only thing that they exactly to a timetable is put up prices. ;)

Chrysalis

01-10-2005, 16:55

This is what it boils down to, NTL cant seriously have a capping system without providing the customers the means to read their usage.

Dumeter is only free for 30 days and will not have the same readings since it doesnt read all traffic from the ubr and also measures lan traffic. Netlimiter is also only free for 30 days.

PC_Arcade

01-10-2005, 17:47

NTL cant seriously have a capping system without providing the customers the means to read their usage.
Unfortunately it would seem they can :(

When I spoke to the AUP team to ask how to monitor my usage behind a router that doesn't support SNMP I was told -
"You know full bloody well you're over, you used xGb last month. You're taking the ****"
Word for word. That combined with the riduculous cap is why BT are coming to fit a phone line on Tuesday.

I was going to wait and see what NTL did about heavier users, but there's NO WAY I'm going PAY a company to be spoken to in that manner.

I'm just sorry I didn't get the guys name :( I was shocked to be honest, and it completely escaped my mind.

DerekRothwell

01-10-2005, 18:38

http://readerror.gmxhome.de/

nice little tool that will keep you up to date as to how much you have downloaded/uploaded

Bill C

01-10-2005, 18:46

http://readerror.gmxhome.de/

nice little tool that will keep you up to date as to how much you have downloaded/uploaded

Good but cannot monitor multiple machines behind a router :(

Florence

01-10-2005, 19:49

Unfortunately it would seem they can :(

When I spoke to the AUP team to ask how to monitor my usage behind a router that doesn't support SNMP I was told -
"You know full bloody well you're over, you used xGb last month. You're taking the ****"
Word for word. That combined with the riduculous cap is why BT are coming to fit a phone line on Tuesday.

I was going to wait and see what NTL did about heavier users, but there's NO WAY I'm going PAY a company to be spoken to in that manner.

I'm just sorry I didn't get the guys name :( I was shocked to be honest, and it completely escaped my mind.

If a member of NTLs AUP team spoke to you in that manner regardless of if you knew you was over teh limit or not the person was out of order and should be reprmanded.

I have two teenagers using my connection besides me and I cannot monitor whats used anymore. I paid for PRTG to use it and NTL have now made this impossible. My router does not allow snmp so I relied on the modem and true to form NTL bosses decide to remove this. I wonder just how long it will be before they supply online monitoring of usage.
I will not hold my breath waiting for this to happen.

PC_Arcade

02-10-2005, 07:53

Florence

02-10-2005, 09:49

They were out of order, and that was why I ditched NTL rather than wait to see what (if any) alternatives were given for heavier users.

It's a ridiculous situation, NTL want you to stay below 30Gb but give you no means of monitoring it and removing the ones you had. It would be like the police removing your speedometer then asking you to stay below 70.

:rofl: :rofl: don't give them any ideas... I have stopped worrying and if they send me a letter I will reply that I have no idea how much went through as I am not the only person using the connection. I will also point out I bought PRTG to monitor the usage which no is impossible to use since they blocked it at the modem as my router hasn't got snmp on it so cannot use it on there..

There idea to stop so caps have to stop until they supply what I have been asking for over a year.. somewhere to go and check my usage... only then can they really start to threaten you over your usage. Might be able to say they are harrasing the customers with every letter they send, if they haven't given you a way to check your usage.

Come NTL do this the correct way to monitor usage first then letters for over usage after we can monitor.

Chrysalis

02-10-2005, 21:22

regardless its comparable to booking someone for speeding who has no speedometer in the car.

Stuart

02-10-2005, 21:24

regardless its comparable to booking someone for speeding who has no speedometer in the car.

You sure? I thought not having a working speedo was a crime in itself.

Chrysalis

02-10-2005, 21:33

Well yes it is but you must see my point.

I tell you now if ntl rang me for breach of cap and couldnt provide me with proof and a tool to measure my usage I would threaten them with court action and they would back down.