ASUS RT-AC66u Accessing Past Bandwidht/Traffic Logfiles

[Michale32086]

I have been fighting with ATT for quite a long time and I *THINK* have them by the short and curlies..

Allow me to explain my setup..

I have a NETGEAR ATT DSL modem that runs my Internet Connection.. Hooked up to that is an ASUS RT-AC66u router.. Two computers are hardwired into the router in addition to a SAMSUNG SMART TV and another wireless router for the other part of the house... At various times, laptops and phones and tablets are linked wirelessly to the ASUS Router..

In short, to the best of my knowledge and ability, everything that is anything on my internet goes thru that ASUS ROUTER...

Another piece of the puzzle is that every time I exceed my allotment of bandwidth, ATT sends me an email saying I have exceeded my allotment and here's another 50GB and, oh yea... That's $10 added to your bill...

For the last year or so, ATT has been charging me $200-$300 a month on bandwidth... I start with a 150GB allotment and, after that is exceeded, ATT adds another 50GB pack and charges me $10..

But according to the ASUS Traffic Logs for the last 30 days, my bandwidth usage TOTAL was only 26.1 GB.. In that same time period, ATT ADDED 6 50GB packages, even though my usage never even came close to needing them..

REC TRANS TOTAL
2018-07-26 8.11GB 0.56 GB 8.67 GB
2018-07-25 6.86 GB 0.56 GB 7.41 GB
2018-07-24 3.24 GB 0.22 G B 3.46 GB
2018-07-23 4.63 GB 0.43 GB 5.06 GB
2018-07-22 1.08 GB 0.06 GB 1.14 GB

Last 30 Days (2018-06-28 ~ 2018-07-27)
Reception 24.25 GB
Transmission 1.91 GB
Total 26.17 GB

26 Jun 50GB Pack added $10
30 Jun 50GB Pack added $10
2 Jul 50GB Pack added $10
12 Jul 50GB Pack added $10
18 Jul 50GB Pack added $10
23 Jul 50GB Pack added $10

Now, my question is two fold..

Am I reading the log files right??? Since it's such a huge discrepancy my first goal is to confirm my understanding of the data..

Second.. Is there a way to access the previous Traffic logs from the ASUS router?? It would be interesting to compare the Traffic Usage with the emails from ATT saying they have added another 50GB $10 pack...

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated...

 

[MichaelCG]

The Netgear is just a modem? Not a router as well?

Are the daily totals you shared from ATT or from the Asus?

 

[Michale32086]

Thanx for the reply...

Yea, the NetGear is just a dumb modem.. The ASUS is hooked into the ethernet port of the NetGear

And yea, the numbers are from the ASUS...

Thinking back on it, I can't understand how my 30-day usage can be so low..

We have 8 people in the house... One of my grandsons plays YouTube videos alot.. Another grandson plays fortnite a lot. A third grandson is autistic and gets wild if he can't watch his MotherGoose on NetFlix. My oldest son downloads a LOT of video thru torrents..

26.1 GB in 30 days seems a really low number.. That's why I am wondering if I am missing something..

 

[Michale32086]

Here is the screen shot from the ASUS... As you can see, the usage is 4GB + from what it was an hour or two ago.. My son is downloading again.. :^/

 

[ColinTaylor]

Do you know whether you have hardware acceleration enabled? I don't think that information is displayed in stock firmware.

It's been noted in the past that because of the way it works the traffic monitor can report incorrect information.

 

[Michale32086]

Do you know whether you have hardware acceleration enabled? I don't think that information is displayed in stock firmware.

It's been noted in the past that because of the way it works the traffic monitor can report incorrect information.

I don't know if I do or not.. I can check the router remotely.. Any idea what section it would be in??

 

[Michale32086]

I was doing some researching and came across this thread..

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/hw-acceleration-on-rt-n66u.9888/

In it describes "Merlin's Firmware", which I assume is something similar to DD-WRT.. What caught my eye is the IP based monitoring which sounds like exactly what I need...

Is using that firmware a possibility on the RT-AC66u and is it something someone who is familiar with DD-WRT can handle??

 

[ColinTaylor]

Merlin has ended support for the N66U and AC66U because they use an older type of CPU. However there is John's fork of Merlin's firmware (which I use ) which is fully supported and includes per IP traffic monitoring.

Both Merlin's and John's firmware try to keep as close to the original Asus as possible whilst adding extra features. So if you can configure Asus' firmware you can configure Merlin's/John's. It doesn't look like DD-WRT.

 

[Michale32086]

Awesome! Many thanx... It'll be interesting to see if the monthly usage logs are any different..

Thanx again..

 

[Michale32086]

Another question.. Can this be installed while retaining the current ASUS settings??? Whilst not recommended, I am sure, I want to install it remotely so I can play with it while I am at my shop...

 

[ColinTaylor]

The N66U and AC66U have a tendency of having to manually power off/on the router after a firmware upgrade. But you can usually install the new firmware (locally) and keep your existing settings.

As an aside, you mentioned remote access. Just make sure you don't have remote web access to the router's GUI enabled. This is known to be insecure and peoples routers have been infected with malware.

 

[Michale32086]

Yea, I remote access one of the workstations connected to the router and then access it via the web locally..

I'll just wait til I get home. Be easier..

Thanx again for all the help..

 

[Michale32086]

Merlin has ended support for the N66U and AC66U because they use an older type of CPU. However there is John's fork of Merlin's firmware (which I use ) which is fully supported and includes per IP traffic monitoring.

Both Merlin's and John's firmware try to keep as close to the original Asus as possible whilst adding extra features. So if you can configure Asus' firmware you can configure Merlin's/John's. It doesn't look like DD-WRT.

OK I tried to redo the firmware and got this message:

 

[ColinTaylor]

Ah, yes. You need to boot the router in recovery mode. Once in recovery mode point your browser at http://192.168.1.1 and you should see the CFE miniWeb Server from which you can load the firmware.

Be aware that it can take up to 40 minutes to flash using this method:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-n66u-stuck-in-recovery-mode-firmware-fails.35838/#post-292039

 

[Michale32086]

Ah, yes. You need to boot the router in recovery mode. Once in recovery mode point your browser at http://192.168.1.1 and you should see the CFE miniWeb Server from which you can load the firmware.

Be aware that it can take up to 40 minutes to flash using this method:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-n66u-stuck-in-recovery-mode-firmware-fails.35838/#post-292039

ACK!! That long?? Probably have to wait til Monday then... It's almost my bedtime..

I'll jump on this then....

Thanx again for all the assist..

 

[somms]

Several years ago was using shibby's tomato firmware (when he was still an active developer) to track total WAN bandwidth saved to NVRAM (persists even when router was rebooted or following firmware flash) on my gateway wireless router pictured above prior to eventually upgrading to 1Gbps up/down.

Shibby's firmware failed to be able to track WAN bandwidth with CTF enabled so I just stopped worrying about it since my ISP has never once enforced their 2TB 'soft' bandwidth caps: https://i.imgur.com/AGGrlds.jpg

 

[Michale32086]

Yea, that looks like exactly what I need.. And, if I can break it down by local LAN IP addy, that would be an added bonus..

Thanx

 

[ApexRon]

I had AT&T U-verse for ten years until recently. We originally had their U-200 package but backed off to a standard package due to cost and the fact we rarely watched anything other than major network programming. We installed AppleTV a couple of years ago and began using more and more frequently. Then "DirecTV Now" announced their intent for a "cloud DVR" so we added service to AppleTV and slowly stopped using U-verse. I did a cost model and found that by dropping AT&T U-verse (which included internet) and subscribing to local cable internet (Spectrum) we would save money (not counting introductory offers) and go from 24Mbps to 200Mbps. We cut the cord with AT&T and watch TV on the internet using DirecTV, Netflix, Prime Video, and CBS Prime and we are loving it. Monthly costs are still definitely less than AT&T.

 

[sfx2000]

I have been fighting with ATT for quite a long time and I *THINK* have them by the short and curlies..

You don't have them by the shorts - seriously - they're going to go by their numbers - they charge by buckets of bits - and every time that bucket empties, they add another.

Challenge for you is to see what's consuming bandwidth on your end... if you can't, then the question is moot - they have the numbers.

I know, I'm ex-telco, and I know their platform - OpenNET, and it's accurate. Folks have challenged this in the past - OpenNET just counts bits at the MAC layer, it doesn't see L3 or above..

I have a NETGEAR ATT DSL modem that runs my Internet Connection.. Hooked up to that is an ASUS RT-AC66u router.. Two computers are hardwired into the router in addition to a SAMSUNG SMART TV and another wireless router for the other part of the house... At various times, laptops and phones and tablets are linked wirelessly to the ASUS Router..

Look at the TV/Settop Box - got Netflix? Check your account and they have controls there - same with the other OTT apps for all devices - if you're running Torrent's, that adds a lot. Same with VPN, as that's counted directly,

Another piece of the puzzle is that every time I exceed my allotment of bandwidth, ATT sends me an email saying I have exceeded my allotment and here's another 50GB and, oh yea... That's $10 added to your bill...

For the last year or so, ATT has been charging me $200-$300 a month on bandwidth... I start with a 150GB allotment and, after that is exceeded, ATT adds another 50GB pack and charges me $10..

You're likely not on the right rate plan for your usage... if you have basic access, this actually seems reasonable - ATT is going to bill you to the rate plan, so talk to customer care and get that changed...

 

[sfx2000]

You don't have them by the shorts - seriously - they're going to go by their numbers - they charge by buckets of bits - and every time that bucket empties, they add another.

Challenge for you is to see what's consuming bandwidth on your end... if you can't, then the question is moot - they have the numbers.

I know, I'm ex-telco, and I know their platform - OpenNET, and it's accurate. Folks have challenged this in the past - OpenNET just counts bits at the MAC layer, it doesn't see L3 or above..

FWIW - every time we were contested - we had a Layer 3 and above optimization platform - and Citrix/ByteMobile is pretty good about seeing exactly what folks where watching... those are deep packet inspection platforms that can overcome VPN's...

got pron?

Once we delivered data on what folks were actually watching - they went away...