Experimental broadband management app could keep ISPs honest

Bai Shen

This is an interesting app. It apparently does real time and historical bandwidth and connection status.

Kermit is designed to be easy enough for even the technologically unsavvy to use, according to Georgia Tech researchers who tested the app in 10 households. The app gives users a real-time view of all their Internet-connected home devices – computers, game consoles, TVs, etc. – and allows them to throttle speed and bandwidth for specific devices. One example given: A work-at-home wife limited her husband's computer bandwidth to ensure she had enough to do her job.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/051111-kermit-isps-gatech-bandwidth.html

jimp

Sounds like vaporware… Or at least mislabeled. No "app" could govern everything on every device in the house effectively unless it was installed inline with everything, and then it wouldn't be an "app" it would be a firewall/router box.

And if you did have to install some application on every device on the network, there are still plenty of ways that unaccounted bandwidth (guests that don't have the app installed, etc) could slip past it.

Needs a lot more technical detail.

dotdash

There's a link to a pdf in there. They used a DDWRT router with Rflow to capture the data, so it's not really a 'browser-based app' as the article states. Bob Brown should tear up his networking journalist card and write for EW. Edit: Not only do they replace your router, they drop a SQL server on your network to collect data.

jimp

Yeah I'm sure everyone will be able to handle (or want) that… ::)

stephenw10

That's just a ridiculous article. >:(
I mean I like the idea of a mobile interface to my router but to describe it as an 'app' that controls all the devices on your network.

That aside I guess this could be useful, though if you are using traffic shaping I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult to prioritize business traffic over gaming. ::) Having to intervene manually by tweaking your router doesn't sound like something most users would want.
I'd like it! ;D

Steve