DU Meter

DU Meter (Download/Upload Meter) is an inexpensive utility with one major purpose in mind -- to let you know how much of your bandwidth potential is actually being utilized at any given point in time. In addition to supporting all 32-bit Windows platforms (Windows 95/98 and NT 3.x/4.x/5.x), DU Meter also supports all types of net connections -- from dial-up connections to cable modems to T3 lines and everything in between. The utility even supports LAN network devices. One particularly beneficial use for DU Meter is as a sidekick to TweakDUN (both tools are marketed by NetPro NorthWest). You can use DU Meter to get exact transfer rate results when trying out different MTU and similar settings in TweakDUN. The DU Meter results will then allow you to accurately determine which combination of TweakDUN settings works best for your connection. Another useful feature is DU Meter's stopwatch which can be used to measure data transfer rates over a given period of time. After pressing start, the stopwatch will track elapsed time, accumulated data (in Kilobytes), maximum transfer rate (in kilobits per second - kbps), and average rate of transfer (again in kbps) until you press stop. The only downside to the stopwatch is that there aren't any user configuration options -- i.e. you can't change the average and maximum rates to Kilobytes per second (Kbps) instead of the default kilobits per second. DU Meter isn't the only utility available that will display download and upload transfer rate. One such tool, Net.Medic, displays not only your upload/download speed but also your overall connection status; status of local, intermediate, and host computers; bottlenecks and dead servers; average data transfer speed; and much more. Combined with its extensive reporting capabilities and problem logging, the set of features in the $50 Net.Medic make it a must-have app for advanced users. But for users looking for a less expensive way of monitoring the performance of an Internet connection, DU Meter is definitely the more cost-effective route. Your web browser is another utility that reports transfer speeds, but only for files downloaded via the browser itself. Both Netscape and Internet Explorer will give you an average rate of transfer for the file currently being downloaded. While being of some use in letting users know the rate of a download, web browsers aren't designed to provide advanced transfer data rates, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that both Net.Medic and DU Meter offer many more features in this area. Despite some advantages of using other utilities, DU Meter has a number of its own distinctive competencies. While Net.Medic displays transfer information only in kbps, or kilobits per second (one/eighth of a Kilobyte), DU Meter will display speed rates in either kbps (the term often associated with transfer speed in analog modems) or in Kbps (Kilobytes per second - a term that is more useful in terms of relaying how long it takes to download a given file). Like Net.Medic, DU Meter can be configured to scale its graph automatically depending on your connection, or you can use one of several pre-configured values (28.8 kbps, 33.6 kbps, 56 kbps, etc.) Additionally, with DU Meter you can manually set your own transfer speed scale, a feature especially useful for cable modem users who are unable to utilize the automatic settings or one of the pre-configured values. Another advantage of DU Meter is its small size -- in terms of desktop space used, system resource utilization, and overall footprint -- and the configurable ability to make itself even smaller. You can modify the program settings to display numeric and/or graphical results, use a window caption (or not), start minimized, or minimize when idle. DU Meter also offers system traybar icon support with an icon that graphically displays upload and download transfers. DU Meter is not without its shortcomings, but with a price tag of only $10, you won't find a less expensive net diagnostic tool that gives as accurate results for download and upload transfer rates. Users needing more information on transfer speeds than the data provided by their web browser but a bit less than that provided by the super-deluxe tool Net.Medic will find DU Meter to be an excellent compromise. Pros: Supports all types of net connections, inexpensive, minimal use of resources/desktop space, stopwatch tool Cons: Few configurable options for the stopwatch, lacks some advanced features found in competing offerings For the latest information on DU Meter, check out: http://cws.internet.com/32diag.html#dumeter apps conference Main Menu