Have you been experiencing a slow down with your internet connection? Or has your internet provider informed you that you are nearing or going over your bandwidth cap but not sure how? The Skype bandwidth hog might be the culprit.
Used commonly as a free way to video/voice chat, Skype has become a norm in some small businesses as an easy to use tool for communication. However, Skype targets computers who are online for long periods of time and have fast connections. These computers are used as supernodes to support other users on the Skype network creating the skype bandwidth hog on your system.
Skype Bandwidth Hog
Skype states on the website that when the program is idled it uses 0-0.5 kilobytes per second. While the number sounds small, over a month with a constant internet connection Skype will use 1.3GB of bandwidth when idle. If multiple computers in an office have Skype installed, this number multiples by each system. The lost bandwidth can cause a huge strain on a business’s network.
Testing The Theory
A study performed by PerfProtector tested to see exactly how much the Skype bandwidth hog uses over a 9 day period. You can read the full article, but the key takeaways are the longer the computer is online Skype will continually increase its bandwidth consumption as indicated in the chart below.
Chart credit PerfProtector
The Solution
If Skype is not a critical aspect to your company, we recommend uninstalling the program (or only having the program on when needed). However, if your business relies on the use of Skype, then PerfProtector has instructions of how to disable Skype from using your system as a node.
The fix does require editing of the computer registry so proceed with caution. If you are not unfamiliar or uncomfortable with editing the registry, you may contact our help desk and we can assist you further.
Struggling with how to stop Skype slowdowns on your system? Contact us today and we will be happy to assist with the Skype bandwidth hog.