(KDE-based OS monitoring its own upload and download traffic)
Don't you realize your GNU/Linux operating system takes up your internet bandwidth without your consent? Do you want to browse the web more effectively to save up your net quota? I compile my own tips and tricks here in helping myself save my network bandwidth everyday as I'm using GNU/Linux desktop like KDE Neon and Trisquel. I hope these simple stuffs can help you too to avoid spending bandwidth unnecessarily. Enjoy!
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1. Use Easy Image Blocker
Images (PNG/JPG/GIF) are the largest loads in every webpage you visit. With Easy Image Blocker extension, you can disable all images in certain website, while retaining images in others. For example, you can let images shown, but block images on Facebook.com only, as you know it's the one most consuming your bandwidth. This way, you can save your bandwidth more efficiently.
2. Use uBlock Origin
With uBlock Origin, you can block all ads on the web and also all online trackers. It also automatically blocks YouTube's ads. Regarding online trackers, visiting a website today mostly is not visiting one thing, as it may connects you automatically to multiple other websites without your consent. So, browsing today mostly consumes more bandwidth. That's why uBlock Origin is very important.
3. Monitor your upload/download traffic
- On KDE, simply add Network Monitor widget.
- On MATE, add Network Monitor applet to your panel.
- On Unity, install indicator-multiload and run it and scroll on it to show Net Speed indicator.
- On GNOME, install NetSpeed Indicator extension by hedayati.
(KDE-based operating system showing Network Monitor panel [top], KSysGuard with Network History as the third graph [middle], and traffic graph of current wifi hotspot connection [bottom])
4. Watch your download managers
Do you have KTorrent or Transmission? Watch out, do not let then run without your consent while your internet access is on! Because bittorrent client can either upload or download in full speed at any time an external connection established so that can consume your bandwidth really a lot.
(KTorrent with all entries are in STOP state is safe for our bandwidth as it wont upload nor download)
5. Use Zsync
If you wish to download Ubuntu or other GNU/Linux distros, use zync to cut down the bandwidth needed up to 50% as long as you have previous or similar version of the ISO image. It's a lifesafer.
6. Offline Webpage Reading
I often save webpages so I can read them when I have no internet connection. You can either save page by Ctrl+S (resulting in a folder + an HTML file), or save as PDF (by Ctrl+P and choose Print To File). There is the third choice, that is using Zotero, and I used it too. Either way, you can reduce the need to go online just to read webpages.
(My collection as my hobby is pressing Ctrl+S on web browser...)
That's all. I hope these help you a lot.
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.