Why does Socket Sentry report a different data transfer rate than my application?
Socket Sentry sees the raw packets that pass through the kernel, which means that its data transfer rate calculations include things like packet headers and retransmissions that are normally invisible to an application. In this way, Socket Sentry’s rate is “closer to the metal” than the rate reported by many applications. Additionally, some download managers report the download (incoming) data rate only. Socket Sentry can show that rate (“In rate”), but it can also show the upload rate (“Out rate”) or the sum of the two (“Rate”). Also, some applications equate 1 KB with 1000 bytes instead of 1024 bytes when calculating transfer rates. Socket Sentry uses multiples of 1024 when converting units of rate. Finally, Socket Sentry may be set to aggregate more than one connection into a single table row, which will also combine their rates. To see rates for individual connections, select “Show one row per connection” in the local settings dialog.
