Which RouterOS tool provides real-time observation of traffic on an interface?

• A. Torch
• B. Graphing Console
• C. Traffic Shaper
• D. Packet Analyzer

Answer: (A)

Torch is the tool that gives you real-time visibility of traffic on an interface. It’s a live monitoring feature in RouterOS that you run on a specific interface to see current activity, including who’s talking, what protocol they’re using, and the exact throughput at that moment. You can drill down by source and destination IPs and ports, and you’ll see real-time as well as handy stats like average and peak rates and total bytes. This makes it ideal for diagnosing congestion, validating QoS in action, or spotting unusual spikes on a link. The other options serve different purposes: Graphing Console shows historical usage graphs rather than live per-flow details; Traffic Shaper is for controlling bandwidth, not monitoring it; and Packet Analyzer (sniffer) captures packets for in-depth analysis, which is broader than the immediate, interface-focused throughput view Torch provides.