Maintaining fast upload and download speed keeps work, emails, games and videos playing smoothly. So keeping an eye on that is pretty important, which you can do with a Mac network monitor.
There aren't a huge number of tools that can help you do this. Buried deep within Terminal is the command net stat; although this isn’t ideal as it can overload you with data. If you want something easier to use, to manage and monitor network speed and bandwidth, there are a couple options available which we outline below.
This folder can be on a local drive or USB drive, etc. To test the drive speed, or a shared folder on your network to test your network speed. Next, LAN Speed Test builds a file in memory, then transfers it both ways (without effects of Windows/Mac file caching) while keeping track of the time, and then does the calculations for you. 01 – LAN Speed Test Lite Windows macOS. LAN Speed Test was designed from the ground up to. Test your Internet connection bandwidth to locations around the world with this interactive broadband speed test from Ookla.
How to monitor network bandwidth?
#1: Use Activity Monitor
Activity Monitor, built into macOS will give you a rough overview of which apps are using your network connection, along with upload and download speed.
- Go to Applications > Utilities
- Or type Activity Monitor into Spotlight Search, or ask Siri.
- Activity Monitor is within Utilities and shows CPU, battery and network usage, amongst other useful monitoring processes.
- Now go to the Network tab.
- This shows various apps and processes and the impact they have on network bandwidth.
- Click on Sent Bytes and rank from highest to lowest to see which apps are using more bandwidth than others.
- There are also other columns which show the amount of data apps are receiving.
- To reduce the amount of bandwidth currently in use, go to the apps absorbing most of the network data available and close them if they're not in use (you may have left apps open that are taking up more data than you realize).
Another way, especially if you would prefer more proactive monitoring, is with CleanMyMac X.
Mac Network Speed Monitor
#2: Check your real internet speed with CleanMyMac
Downloading CleanMyMac X is not a cure-all for everything that can go wrong with a Mac, but it can solve a lot of problems. Including getting your Mac to run faster, monitoring network bandwidth, and improving your online and in-app user experience.
Network Speed Test For Mac
The feature I’m constantly using is the CleanMyMac X Menu monitor. It sits in status bar of my Mac.
There’s a section called “Network” and this is where you can test your internet speed. Now you’ll find out if your internet provider is telling you the truth.
Download CleanMyMac X Free Edition here.
After you install the app, click on the iMac icon in the status bar to launch the Menu. This feature, internet speed test, is absolutely free.
Now, this is how CleanMyMac X can improve internet speed:
The browser supports mouse and touchpad gestures, as well as Chrome extensions. This is where Sleipnir’s groups kick in: Tabs can be sorted by topic for easier navigation; for example, keeping personal websites separate from work-related ones. Performance and speed are good, but Sleipnir has a steep learning curve because of its unusual design and workflow. The thumbnails are a nice touch when five or six tabs are opened, but more can get cumbersome. Because Sleipnir is available on multiple platforms, you can use Fenrir Pass (analogous to a Google Account) to sync tabs, groups and passwords and to send pages to your smartphone. Trident browser for mac.
- Start with using the Privacy feature: Use this to clear caches, delete old internet data, and clear out unused Wi-Fi connections and other settings that are slowing your Mac down;
- Next, run Maintenance scripts with this app (another handy feature), to get your systems and browsers to operate more quickly.
- Another feature worth using if internet speed still needs speeding up is to check what system junk and other clutter is slowing your Mac down.
- Run a Smart Scan to clear anything out that is taking up processing power. You might find your Mac’s network connection is a lot better after that.
CleanMyMac X is worth downloading. It’s a powerful Mac support and improvement app, getting your Mac running as good as new, hopefully with a faster, smoother internet connection.