DU Meter helps you maximize your bandwidth potential by letting you see just how much of it is actually utilized at any given time. DU Meter can display bandwidth data in a real-time graph, a numerical display, or both. Other features include the ability to notify the user and/or disconnect all active dial-up connections when the data transfer rate drops below a certain minimum value, audible signals you can set to go off each time a specified amount of data is transferred, and a display of the number of total bytes transferred.

There are many reasons why you might want to monitor your network activity. Watching your data transfer rates can be very enlightening as you download a web page, email, or a software application. This will give you a much better idea of how long the operation will take. It will also let you know how efficient your Internet connection is. And it can protect you from dangerous activity. There is no better tool for the job than DU Meter.

Version 3.5 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

Editor's review of DU Meter

For hard-core Net heads, merely having a broadband connection isn't enough. It has to be an optimized connection. Like mechanics tuning an engine, they readjust their system settings until they've squeezed out every last kilobit per second. And how do they know if they've succeeded?

By using a program like DU Meter, a simple but effective utility that provides statistics for Internet connections. In its minimized state, DU Meter displays a tiny window showing a traffic graph and the current upload/download speed. Clicking the system-tray icon provides concise reports on Internet usage on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. A stopwatch feature lets you measure traffic over a specific period of time.

The program can alert you when traffic exceeds a threshold or the connection gets too slow. DU Meter doesn't take much memory, and it basically just works. It's a good choice for bandwidth fiends, and may also interest users subscribed to tariff plans with traffic limitations.