Does ByteTide capture packets or need a driver? No. It reads the interface byte counters Windows already maintains.
Does it show per-application traffic? No. It tracks per-adapter totals. Per-process accounting needs packet capture or ETW and isn't a goal right now.
Does it send my data anywhere? No. Everything stays in a local SQLite file. The only outbound traffic is email alerts you configure.
Why is memory use around 20 MB? It's a managed .NET app (GC + JIT). That's normal for WinForms.
My totals look too low or too high compared with another monitor. Make sure you are on version 1.0.2 or later. Earlier builds replaced the day's total on every restart and lost bytes when an adapter reconnected. Then check Adapters > Count in All Connections: if two adapters carry the same traffic (for example a PPPoE connection over Ethernet, or a VPN), count only one of them. Small differences of a percent or two between programs are normal because each reads the network counters at slightly different moments.
The window is dark and I want it light (or the other way round). Open Window → Appearance (also in the tray icon's right-click menu) and choose Match Windows, Dark or Light.
The link speed in the status bar shows a strange number such as 100000 Mbps. That comes from a virtual adapter. Open Adapters → Count in All Connections, find the adapter with that speed, and uncheck it.
A day shows more than 24 hours online. That came from adding up every adapter's time. Version 1.0.2 shows the longest connected time among adapters for each day instead.
The window disappeared / is off-screen. Tray icon → Open, then Window → Reset Window Position.
I can't click the window anymore. Click-through is on. Double-click the ByteTide tray icon, or right-click it → Window → Click-through. From version 1.0.1 ByteTide always starts with click-through off. On version 1.0.0 you can also click the ByteTide taskbar button, press Alt, use the arrow keys to reach Window → Click-through, and press Enter, or exit from the tray menu and relaunch.
The tray icon text is too small to read. Windows tray icons are only about 16 pixels wide. Turn on Tray Icon → Floating mini meter for large readable speeds, and hover over the tray icon for a tooltip.
Where do I find the database?
%AppData%\ByteTide\data.db (GUI) or %ProgramData%\ByteTide\data.db (service).
I used an earlier "Bandwidth Monitor" build.
On first launch ByteTide moves %AppData%\BandwidthMonitor to %AppData%\ByteTide automatically. The service uses a new default location; point DataDbPath at your old file to keep using it.
Windows SmartScreen warns about the exe. The release isn't code-signed, so Windows may show an "unrecognised app" prompt. You can build from source to verify it yourself.
Exit crashed with "connection is not open". Fixed in internal v3.4; make sure you're on the latest release.