Thread: download useage

...this is written as the experience of someone whose monthly use regularly exceeds 500 gig...

If your ISP counts uploads as well as downloads, and, if the movie downloads are via Torrent, that could be it. (ie a 700 meg download can also be a 1,050 meg upload at a seeding ratio of 1.5).

And Youtube can chew up the download...ballpark 1 to 1.5 meg a minute, more if you are looking at HD.

Not to mention those automatic Windows updates - there was one just the other day that was over 700 meg; that's a pretty big for an update considering a full install image is only about 3 gig. If the update fails to install properly, then it'll do the download all over again. Add on updates for any other software packages that are set to auto update, and that could chuck in another 2-300 meg

I'd also suggest looking for a better ISP and a bigger plan; I'd steer away from the big boys - Telstra, Optus, iinet, Internode - as their offerings are all best described as 'overpriced sucker bait', and there's way better value to be had for some of the smaller providers. (example - Telstra price for just 10 gig a month at 25/5 on the NBN - $100; smaller ISPs are offering unlimited downloads at 25/5 for $70.)

MS has covered most of it, but there is one other thing that didn't get a mention.

A lot of movie downloads and similar are packaged and downloaded via a download manager. The download manager brings down multiple segments of the movie simultaneously, monitors for errors and reloads segments with errors, then reassembles the movie into a usable file. If there are a significant number of errors due to line degradation etc, the data volume actually downloaded can be significantly more than the reported movie size, resulting in a larger than expected download.

Depending on your current ISP and their deals, you might find that you could go to a bigger deal for less money as MS suggests. We are with Optus on their older 100GB per month and landline bundle ($85p/m) (outer east Melbourne). This provides us with landline and unlimited free landline calls except 1900 calls, we frequently run up around $45-50 p/m worth of phone calls with wife having long regular family calls to interstate. So 100GB access typically costs us $30-45 p/m. The Optus deal has expensive charges to mobile so we use ALDI mobile (on Telstra 3G net) for all calls to mobiles. Aldi pay as you go charges 12c/m for calls with no flagfall, and has 365 days to use your $15 or $30 credit, while Optus plan charges 75c/m plus flagfall. We stopped worrying about data volumes when we moved to the Optus bundle. However there are other bundles on offer from other ISP's, and also naked offers for internet only and line rental, where you can use some of your internet for VOIP (voice over internet) phone calls.

Thanks MS and Mal for the replies, I see how the 700 could become larger.
I'm with Primus at about $50/month for the 20/20, there is a 50/50 for another $10/month, which may be an option, although I'm a bit reluctant to just keep increasing when the 20/20 is usually enough, but I might



Pete

G'day Pete,

I had a similar situation and got chopped off for a week or so because I ran over my limit. I hadn't done anything unusual from what I was normally doing on internet so I was baffled from what was going on...
I finished up installing some software called NetWorx. All it did was monitor all the traffic on my network and listed what used the bandwidth and how much it used. Most of the access was by Firefox, Eudora plus a lot of software checking for updates etc...
Except for one, listed as 'Unknown' which sometimes sucked up bandwidth measured in the Gig region and I still don't know what it was. 'Unknown' still pops up every now and then - at the moment, it's listed at 4.13kb - so it's still there... but I have no idea what it's all about and because I haven't run over my limit in the last 6 months, I've put it on the back-burner.
General discussions on forums say that 'unknown' is a ghost... I'm not sold on that theory though.

Networx is a pretty good install, even just to keep an eye on what's getting used.

Cheers John,
I'll keep it in mind, in my toolbox it lists the modem log on/off times and the uploads/downloads in the peak and off peak times, but doesn't tell anything about the origins of the amounts, does networx do this?


Pete

Do you have any iPads? Mine have been stuck updating iDisk and uploaded/downloaded 1Gb per hour over a weekend before I realised and fixed it.

Originally Posted by pjt

I'll keep it in mind, in my toolbox it lists the modem log on/off times and the uploads/downloads in the peak and off peak times, but doesn't tell anything about the origins of the amounts, does networx do this?

It tells you which program is using the data, but not the website that the data originated from. You can also set a quota and it will pop up a message to let you know you're coming up to your limits.
Have a look here NetWorx Manual, it might shed some more light than I can with it.

Originally Posted by dunamis

Do you have any iPads? Mine have been stuck updating iDisk and uploaded/downloaded 1Gb per hour over a weekend before I realised and fixed it.

No Ipads, I am reasonably sure it was a movie that was downloaded the last time, the other times just not admitting to it would be my guess.


Pete

before upgrading you plan look around.
I get 50gig daytime and 70 gig nighttime (total of 120 gig) for 50 a month.

Originally Posted by _fly_

before upgrading you plan look around.
I get 50gig daytime and 70 gig nighttime (total of 120 gig) for 50 a month.

Who from please

optus.
I am on cable still as I had it before adsl turned up.
But I changed to the plan usage plans maybe 2 or 3 years ago.
then it was 59 dollars and since it has dropped to 50 dollars.

I`m with the big T on their Platinum $85 pm /25,000 MB data d/load plan. It provides 3 free top ups per year to use if i go over the limit & should i choose not to use drops to dial up speed until the next billing period begins.It also provides me free unlimited technical support 24/7 which might be by proxy or in home technician.