The rate at which a network transmits or receives data is termed network bandwidth. Bandwidth and latency are two important parameters for measuring the speed of the networks. The higher the bandwidth, the higher the cost of the network. Hence, wastage of bandwidth is a key measurement criterion for optimizing any network.

A network bandwidth monitor helps monitor the usage of bandwidth. Network bandwidth monitors run on computers for 24 hours a day and continuously keep track of the parameters of network usage. This tracked information is then stored in an internal database for future analysis. Network bandwidth monitors can trace out what applications and servers are using the network bandwidth. They help receive bandwidth and network usage data that optimizes the efficiency of the network. Network bandwidth monitoring is a very critical activity of an enterprise network administrator. With network bandwidth monitoring, a network administrator gets instant reports about the usage of bandwidth by each application and host. This report helps to make decisions about access planning or capacity planning. Network bandwidth monitor software can visualize the state of the network, and it automatically gives alerts of any problems on the bandwidth. The analysis of the data helps future planning. The monitor can be configured to send e-mail messages.

Most network bandwidth monitors function with any SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices, such as gateways, routers, NAS (Network Attached Storage), printers, servers and more. All the information gathered by network bandwidth monitor software can be viewed, printed and saved for further analysis and bandwidth planning. Network bandwidth monitor software also monitors the traffic between the Internet and computer. Monitoring network bandwidth is extremely beneficial for those who access the Internet on a transfer (monthly) basis. A network bandwidth monitor, with a single click, identifies top applications, top protocols, top trackers and more. A network bandwidth monitor can set up a profile for precise monitoring, tracking the limits of bandwidth that are set by an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Bandwidth usage is highly variable from time to time, and is very difficult to measure precisely. Network bandwidth monitors are tools which enable the precise measurement of network bandwidth and its usage patterns.