A Raspberry Pi Zero W Bandwidth Monitor
This unit tracks your actual upload and download speeds, and even resets the modem whenever necessary.
When you signed up for Internet service, you were probably “promised” a maximum download and upload speed of X Mbps, or even better Gbps. While supposedly a 200 rating is better than 100 and so forth, at the end of the day there’s very rarely, if ever, a minimum value. There are certainly a variety of reasons for this, but if you at least want to know where you stand right now, then this Bandwidth Monitor from “Legufix” may be just the thing.
The device’s function is fairly straightforward, using a Raspberry Pi Zero W single-board computer to check the command line version of speedtest.net. The resulting upload and download speeds, as well as ping times are then shown on a 2.9" E Ink display, along with the time and date of the last test. Testing normally happens every half hour via a chron job, but a single button allows you to run the test manually if you so desire.
The monitoring system resides in a 3D-printed enclosure and is connected to it data-wise via WLAN. This enables it to detect WiFi problems as well. If there is a problem, the monitoring system can take action on its own, with a relay to reset the power to the modem if it falls below a certain threshold.
The system also features a Ubidots IoT dashboard, which lets Legufix track speeds and ping times… over time. This can even be used to reset the modem remotely if needed.