What to Know
- Sign in to the router using its admin credentials and look for a section about statistics.
- A third-party app usually offers more detailed stats for routers that don't track data usage.
This article explains how to check data usage on a Wi-Fi router. It covers using the router's built-in tracking system and third-party apps.
How Do I Check My Wi-Fi Usage?
Most home routers have some form of built-in data usage tracking. You can access that via your router's admin panel.
These are general directions that apply to all routers. If these instructions don't make sense for your specific device, consult the manufacturer's website or user manual for precise instructions.
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Log in to your router. Depending on your device, you'll do this either through a web browser or a mobile app.
If you're still using the default login credentials for your router, it's a good idea to change your router's admin password as soon as possible. A default password makes it easy for hackers to attack your network.
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Find the status or statistics page. It might also just be called Data usage. It won't hurt to poke around the menus until you land on a page that includes bandwidth details.
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View the graph or table that represents data usage. This page lets you view bandwidth usage details. Your router might let you change the time frame but others just show the last 24 hours, week, or month.
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AT&T Wi-Fi router data usage in the Smart Home Manager app. If devices on your network can use the secondary 5GHz band, it's worth checking the same statistics section for the 5GHz frequency to get the complete picture of how much data they used.
Some routers are more detailed than others. You might see how much data (MB and GB) traversed the whole network or just the data usage for each device. If you don't recognize a device, you can kick it off your Wi-Fi.
How Can I Monitor My Home Wi-Fi Usage?
The easiest way to continue to monitor your Wi-Fi usage is to reboot your router so that the bytes received and sent will also reset, giving you a firm baseline.
From there, when you begin checking again, you'll know from then on how much Wi-Fi data you're using on a per-day and per-week basis.
How Much Data Does Streaming Music Use?How Can I Track Wi-Fi Usage Per Device?
Some routers offer individual device tracking. The router can identify all the devices on your network and create a report about each device's data usage.
Although not always easy to use, you can also install a third-party network analyzer tool on your computer for more in-depth monitoring.
Apps like Wireshark are a great way to monitor your network traffic and, in turn, can give you heaps of information about which devices are using your Wi-Fi connection and how much data they're using when they do.
FAQ
- How do I check my data usage on my NETGEAR router?
Log in to your NETGEAR router and go to Advanced > Advanced Setup > Traffic Meter. Select the Enable Traffic Meter check box. Then, in the Traffic Counter section, set the traffic counter to begin at a specific time and date and click Restart Counter Now.
- Can you see data usage on a Linksys router?
Log in to the Linksys router admin page. Go to Administration > Enabled and select Save Settings to apply the changes. Select the View Log button to check the traffic between your local network and the Internet.
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