Bandwidth limiter.

[Graal]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I've been having a problem. A roommate problem. Ever since hearing we have uncapped, he's been downloading music non-stop. On a 384 line, you can probably guess this pretty much kills any prospect of online games for me. He won't stop, as he feels he's entitled to do so, seeing as he pays half of the internet bill. I don't mind him downloading stuff, but I feel it shouldn't make even surfing the net a crippling experience for me. Especially not the whole day long. It's not as if I plan on playing long either, maybe two or three hours a day.

Is there any program I can use or a function I can toggle in my router to limit http downloads while my games are using bandwidth? I'm tired of logging into a game, seeing pings of 999 and then simply logging out.

[to0kenZA]

You can try Netlimiter, but unfortunately you will have to install it on his PC, lol. Or otherwise, your router might support QoS (Quality of service) where you can limit traffic specified ports, in this case http.

[kerbyross]

Try netlimiter , i used it on XP - worked , on Windows 7 I had random crashes and uninstalled it.
How your network set up ?
Internet connection shared from your pc ?
Or do you use a broadband router ?
If you have a router/switch combo , you can use QOS (quality of service) , give yourself high priority.
Some routers allows you to set an amount of bandwidth per IP , give yourself 60%.

[Kuga]

If you have a spare PC you can build a Linux box and route through that. Otherwise as the other guys have said, can use QOS on your router.

[C-Bear]

Well I hope you learned now never to enter into contractual agreements with a partner (unless it's your spouse).

This is also why friends going into business together is a bad bad idea.

Can't quite give you advice on limiting bandwidth. What I can say is throw in a few more bucks and get your own line. The peace of mind and independent decision making ability is worth it!

Btw, if your roommate has a sense of entitlement now and refuses to give you due consideration for your hobby (face it, he could queue up his music to download while everyone sleeps), then limiting his bandwidth is going to have nasty consequences once he finds out. And if he can't stop downloading even for two hours, he won't easily agree to being limited...

[Xero]

QOs on your router, OR
The best roommate netlimiter is called Unplugging his Cat 5

[Graal]

(face it, he could queue up his music to download while everyone sleeps)

That's my thoughts exactly. He could even queue it for during the day, as we're both at class or busy with work then. I doubt he'll think too much about of it if I limit him though. He probably won't even notice. If he says anything, I'll just tell him our account is probably being throttled for using too much bandwidth.

I just checked my router, and it does have QoS in the configuration. I'm just going to see if I can find some documentation on the TP-Link site, because it seems so complicated, I don't think Cisco professional would be able to figure it out on his own. Thanks for the advice guys. I didn't even know you can limit it without third party software installed.

[to0kenZA]

That's my thoughts exactly. He could even queue it for during the day, as we're both at class or busy with work then. I doubt he'll think too much about of it if I limit him though. He probably won't even notice. If he says anything, I'll just tell him our account is probably being throttled for using too much bandwidth.

I just checked my router, and it does have QoS in the configuration. I'm just going to see if I can find some documentation on the TP-Link site, because it seems so complicated, I don't think Cisco professional would be able to figure it out on his own. Thanks for the advice guys. I didn't even know you can limit it without third party software installed.

Hmm, I'm pretty sure I would be able to :P

Anyhow dude, maybe just have a chat with this oke? And try to come to some kind of compromise? Or is he a difficult oke?

[DarthSWNT]

yeah, QOS is best bet or have a discussion about equal use of a limited resource.

you might also be able to block certain protocols/ports/etc in order to stop it or you could run a linux box for more detailed shaping etc.

[HavocXphere]

QoS & network limiters will not solve your problem on a 384k. Nothing short of getting him to clear the line during gaming time will in fact.

He sounds like a proper Ahole tbh. Feeling entitled to block the line 24/7 after paying *half* the bill. ugh. :/

One thing you can try if he is unwilling to compromise is to fight fire with fire. Those downloads he is doing are 99% certain from overseas, so if you downloaded with a multi connection download manager from a local source his download *will* crash to near zero speeds.