University of
ConnecticutInternet Bandwidth Management Practices
Please note: Regardless of the amount of bandwidth that users consume, all Federal, State, and University policies regarding copyright apply when using the network.
The University maintains an automated bandwidth management systemsdesigned to provide adequate network resources for all users. Automated bandwidth usage restrictions only apply to Residential Network connections. Staff and faculty computers that use excessive bandwidth are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Bandwidth Management Overview
- Users of the residential network are limited to 10 GB (10,000,000,000 bytes) of Internet usage in during a rolling 7 day period. If the limit is exceeded the user's internet access speed is reduced to curb additional usage. The users Internet access speed will be unrestricted once the user's bandwidth totals drop below 7GB (7,000,000,000 bytes) for the previous 7 day period
- Bandwidth is calculated as a sum of all traffic generated by all devices registered to an individual's NetID
- Bandwidth calculations are done on an hourly basis
- Only Internet bandwidth is calculated towards the bandwidth quota, network traffic that stays on the local UConn network is not counted towards bandwidth utilization and its speed is never restricted
Notification Schedule
All notifications are sent to a users University email address.
- Users will receive an email when their Internet usage is 80% of their total allotment, to provide an opportunity to curb their usage prior to having their speed restricted
- Users will receive an email when their Internet usage has exceeded their total allotment, indicating that their speed will be restricted. The email will also indicate how many times they have exceeded their allotted bandwidth
- Users will receive an email when their usage has dropped below 70% of their total allotment, indicating that any speed restrictions are removed
Excessive Utilization
If users exceed this limit three times over the course of one semester they will be restricted for the remainder of the semester, and they will be referred to the Dean of Student's Office for possible disciplinary action.
Bandwidth Exemptions
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If users think they may exceed this limit due to legitimate academic pursuits, they must apply for a waiver by contacting security@uconn.edu. Users must be able to provide the following:
- Letter describing the academic work being done that requires the additional bandwidth
- Signature of faculty or staff member for which the work is being performed
- Bandwidth exemptions are granted for a duration of 1 semester
Bandwidth Usage Monitoring
Usage for all IP addresses assigned to a NetID can be verified by checking:
This tool displays summary data of all of the Internet traffic generated by IP addresses that your computer(s) have obtained (it does not count any on-campus traffic).
The top section outlines the used and remaining bandwidth for the past 7 days. It also tells you whether or not your connection is currently being restricted, and when the restriction was activated.
The bottom sections shows you how much bandwidth each IP you have been assigned has used in the last 7 days. The day view provides a summary of all the days traffic, clicking on the day link will show you an hourly view of all traffic used.
How is Bandwidth measured?
For the purposes of this document 'Bandwidth' is the term that is used to describe how much Internet traffic a networked computer or program consumes. Bandwidth is measured like space on a hard drive is measured - in bytes, not bits like network speed is measured. For example, downloading a 10MB file will use 10MB of your 10GB limit.
How is Bandwidth generated?
It is a common misconception that only using P2P applications or directly downloading files from the Internet causes bandwidth to be consumed. Actually, any application that uses the Internet generates network traffic and is counted towards your bandwidth allocation. Examples of low bandwidth applications are:
- Instant messenger applications
- General web surfing
Common Reasons for Exceeding Your Limit
Peer to Peer Applications
Many users exceed their bandwidth limit by using peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. For example, a user uses BitTorrent to download the Linux Operating System and forgets to close the application which downloaded it, causing the file to be shared (uploaded) to the Internet using up bandwidth. Users that use P2P applications should take extra precautions to make sure that their use will not cause them to exceed the bandwidth limit.
Closing these applications all of the way can be tricky. Most of them do not close fully when you click on the close box, they only minimize themselves and hide in your system tray. To see if an application is fully closed, look by the clock and hover over each of the small icons there. If you see an icon you know is a P2P application, or the name of a P2P application you use appears over one of those icons, right-click on the icon and select "Close" or "Exit". This will shut the application off and stop it from uploading or downloading files.
Streaming Media
Using applications like Youtube (streaming video) or Pandora (streaming music) can utilize a significant amount of bandwidth. Even though the files are not permanently stored on your PC network traffic is still used while you are watching or listening.
Streaming Television
There are devices that enable users to send their home cable TV shows to a PC. Again, these devices utilize a significant portion of Internet bandwidth.
What is an IP, how did I get one, why do I have so many?
An IP address for a computer is similar to a telephone number for a telephone; it is the number that makes a computer accessible to other network resources. Every host that is connected to the UConn network is assigned an IP address. The most common way for a host to obtain an IP address is through an automatic process called DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) and when a computer is plugged into the network it automatically receives an IP address from the DHCP server.
You may notice that you have more IP addresses than you have devices for, this is not a mistake. If you have any type of mobile device (laptop, handheld PC, etc.) and you use it in multiple locations you will receive an IP address from each location that you visit. So, while a device will only use 1 IP address at a time it could easily have multiple IP addresses over the course of a day or more. We are able to correlate the IP addresses with the specific computer that used that IP address during a given timeframe through the use of the MAC address that is assigned to the computers network card. The MAC address is unique for every network card.
Questions and Concerns
If you have any questions about the bandwidth restrictions, why you might have exceeded your limit, or how to read the Host Traffic tool, send an email to security@uconn.edu.
Updated: 06/23/08