pic@gavin-egan.com wrote:

> This skype conversation has me intrigued 
> 
> I have a skype gateway on an old 400mHz laptop that plugs into the POTS
> system and routes calls to my walkabout phones and I can speed-dial
> friends and family who are also on skype from the phone to via the
> pc/gateway etc. 
> 
> Its all good...... and I'm happy with it 
> 
> (Hey Russell - I found a use for that touch screen lappy) 
> 
> Anyhow - My understanding is that if you leave skype running on a
> system, it essentially utilises your bandwidth to route other peoples
> calls even when you personally are not using the system. 
> 
> Does anyone know what sort of amount skype uses. Its not like I'm
> worried as I am on an uncapped plan but more just interested.

People claim it happens, but people claim that Elvis is alive, too :)
People also say it only can happen on a computer that has a public IP
address, and possibly has the right ports open for traffic. In-depth
analysis of what happens seems not usually be part of the reports, and
actual knowledge of what it does seems to be scarce. (Sort of like Windows
Update :)

FWIW, I haven't seen it taking any substantial bandwidth on a computer
that's behind a NAT router, and I don't know anybody who has seen it
happen. The bandwidth it uses while I'm not using it averages around 100
bit/s.

Gerhard

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