Monitoring T-1 connections

We have a T-1 to our ISP. Nevertheless, our Internet speeds are intermittent. Our ISP says the speed deterioration is on our side. When we’ve used www.dslreports.com and other online speed testers, we have seen upload speeds plummet at times.

Is there any software or appliance that continually tracks and records the speed of a T-1 connection? We’d like to see how data such as time of day and number of users factors into our problem. If the problem is with the ISP, we want to have proof.

Multi Router Traffic Grapher can be used to poll the network elements.

If you have SNMP access to the router on your side of the T-1, you can gather statistics on a regular basis without causing too much of the problem you are trying to trace. You also can search for “bandwidth monitor” on the Internet.

The trouble with these monitors is that they tell you about the slowest link between you and your destination, rather than your ISP connection.

Watching for errors and bottlenecks on your T-1 endpoint will give you better data for discussing performance issues with your ISP. And review your service agreement to see whether you have service-level agreements or targets.