If you are an experienced Internet user then you must have crossed paths by now with at least one traffic control utility. They are useful tools when it comes to managing the network connection and programs using it without your knowledge. One such software is NetLimiter Pro.

The installation requires a system restart but the waiting is worth your while. In no time at all you will find out which applications drain your internet connection and to what extent. The program’s main application window shows download and upload speed of active processes and detailed information regarding incoming and outgoing connections.

NetLimiter Pro will enable you to set specific rules to any of the selected connections, limiting traffic exchange to incoming or outgoing only, and the data traffic to any amount of megabytes. Moreover, a scheduler comes in handy if you want to restrict certain connections to a time period and avoid bottlenecking traffic during peak hours.

If a new connection is draining your bandwidth too much and you don't want to take the time to limit its access, you can simply end its activity. And if you are not sure what action to take on a specific connection, then whois, ping and traceroute functions should prove useful, as they will provide you with more information on that.

Filtering should also come in handy as you will be able to set specific traffic rules for a set of programs or a range of IP adresses. You can also specify user accounts which will be able to monitor or control program settings and avoid unauthorized access to the application.

Last but not least, NetLimiter Pro comes with its own firewall and despite the fact it's not as complex as a standalone firewall it provides you with the basics. That and the fact that the application's interface is intuitive and easily customizable should be just enough to want to give it a try.