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Original poster

Where does my download limit go??

23 replies

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 04/02/2013 11:52

We have a limit of 150GB a month and are usually right up against it at the end of the month. I'm sure it's simple, but I can't work out how much capacity things like Skype, Youtube and Minecraft take. We download a few things off iplayer but I can see their size - maximum 10 programs, 500mb each = 5GB, is that right? DS is online playing Minecraft, a lot, either singleplayer or multiplayer, and he watches a lot of youtube "how to" videos re Minecraft - I thought they must have been in HD hence the huge downloads but I've changed the settings to stop HD and the daily d/l are pretty much the same. We have the usual tech, ipod, ipad, iphone, laptop, PS3 (hardly ever on), and an internet radio

Apart from that, DH is on video Skype to his folks for about 2hrs a week, he surfs on the ipad quite a bit, I surf on the laptop, a lot, but don't watch stuff, just avidly devour browse Mumsnet. I sometimes listen to internet radio, thinking that was relatively low as it's only sound, and read somewhere about it being 128kbps, but how does that add up over hours (sorry, my brain hurts when I get into techy stuff.) We have a fairly sensible password on the router, letters and numbers and upper/lower case.

Does anything sound like a huge deal to you, or can anyone recommend some way of identifying what is using up our quota? I can see daily usage statistics, we seem to average about 5GB per day but can get up to 8.5 (8500MB?)

Any ideas?

OP posts:

TotallyBS · 04/02/2013 12:31

Ours is about 80gb during a busy month. This is with roughly the same usage pattern as yourself so yes, 150gb is a lot.

Do you have a password on your wi fi? If no then its possible that your neighbours are hanging off your wi fi. What about teenagers? Can you be sure that they aren't downloading videos and music without you knowing.

TotallyBS · 04/02/2013 12:32

Just reread your post and saw the password bit so scrap that suggestion :)

nannynick · 04/02/2013 15:02

Internet Radio will use a fair bit if left on a lot. However you probably do not leave it on all day.

On Windows based systems you could try installing a traffic monitor to see if that can help identify the type of traffic that is using up bandwidth.

There may be Traffic Monitor apps for tablets - something like this perhaps for Android. A few apps for iOS are reviewed here, so one of those for Apple devices.

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 05/02/2013 13:43

Thanks, I'll have a look at that traffic monitor, but will it only look at traffic from the laptop it's installed on so I need to get it on all the devices?

OP posts:

NetworkGuy · 05/02/2013 14:18

Yes, you'd need to monitor all devices.

I have a 3G watchdog on my Android phones which logs both 3G (mobile network) and 802.11 (house Wi-Fi/free Wi-Fi when I'm out)

No idea how much Minecraft uses. Never seen it so don't know what might be downloaded/ uploaded.

Someone mentioned a 1 GB update from Apple the other day, but that would be a one-off. You could change the wi-fi password last thing at night and see if that drops the usage. If DH uses video Skype only one day a week is that day one with a higher level of traffic ?

I don't want to point fingers, but DS might have friends he swaps files with (music videos, etc, etc) and changing password overnight would be annoying but identify traffic usage... Or DH might watch some porn on days when he doesn't use Skype (OK, really unlikely, perhaps...)

Naoko · 05/02/2013 17:33

Minecraft traffic is fairly negligible, so I don't imagine it's that - unless he's actually hosting a busy server from a physical machine inside your house (as opposed to bought-in hosting services from elsewhere) that's up 24/7.

How old is DS? Does he use Steam to buy games? I've seen that be the culprit of unexpectedly high usage a few times, it's a fantastic platform for buying games and connecting to other players (I use it heavily myself) but the initial download for each game can be huge. Just running it to chat and playing games online is fine, but the downloads necessary before each game you buy is playable hammer your limit like nobody's business, for recent big-name titles it can be as much as 15GB.

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 06/02/2013 12:23

Hmm..

Minecraft server is in the UK (we're in Oz), DS just logs into it, the graphics look pretty good though so I wonder how much it uses. I'll stick one of those Colasoft monitors on the laptop he uses tonight, and see what happens. He's 9, so not into file sharing etc. I'll do the iOs one as well. We shall see.. It's probably going to point the finger at my endless mumsnetting! Please don't make me change the password though, there are soooooo many little things which use it.

OP posts:

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 06/02/2013 13:03

Nope, can't get the colasoft monitor to work, won't even register. can anyone recommend anything different?

OP posts:

Startail · 06/02/2013 13:09

DDs iPlayer habit. Especially films in school holidays.

They are too lazy to set the disc recorder and then decided to rewatch ones they enjoyed.

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 06/02/2013 15:31

Oh for goodness sake. Installed a basic checker on DS iPod, left him in bed listening to audiobook, just over an hour later he's fiddling with it, see almost 1gb of data used!!???! Id already blocked safari, he's gone mutinous and says he was checking "a game". What on earth could use up that much data so quickly?? I'm off to bed now, nearly midnight here, but need to rethink iPod etc tomorrow (no shit Sherlock..)

Suggestions for iPod data eaters? Gah..

OP posts:

mypussyiscalledCaramel · 06/02/2013 15:40

youtube is the biggest eater, also any thing else that streams, i.e iplayer and the like. I found this out when the monthly allowance was used in a week.

Needless to say, ds2 no longer uses youtube.

cherrycherry41 · 06/02/2013 15:44

do you have sky and download the movies etc? we smash through our internet usage and this is reason why xx

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 06/02/2013 15:45

Nope, no sky. Though you tube was unavailable as safari was blocked. Is there a way round it for an enterprising 9yr old?

OP posts:

NetworkGuy · 06/02/2013 19:10

Ah, just saw you are in Oz, so won't suggest switching ISP for unlimited (UK at just a tenner a month). Sorry, though typing on an iMac (and a few other iMacs in the house) I have no iPhone, iPad, or iPod to be able to assist with ideas. It was a 'change p/w and change it back next morning' idea to limit overnight usage. Changing back next day would allow the odd little things to still work!

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 06/02/2013 19:11

On the iPad at least you tube is a standard alone app...

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 07/02/2013 01:44

I am stumped (and embarrassed that I don't know what's going on..). I can't access You Tube on the ipod, can't surf, no streaming stuff is immediately visible, and when I double clicked on the home button to show the open/running apps, there was nothing which could be to blame there. DS has said it was a couple of kitchen sim type apps (Bakery Story etc) which when he checked them did loads of updates, but when I clicked on them myself they popped up with daily gifts etc, then when I shut it and went to the double click home button there they were, running in the background, which they hadn't been before.

What the hell is he up to? I'm ashamed to say he's gone mutinously silent (or just barefaced lying, alternating between the two) and I can't get through to him. So the keypad lock is on now for the foreseeable future, which isn't the biggest deal in the world I know, but DS has real trouble sleeping and tends to keep refreshing his audiobook, so now he can't, once the timer runs out, that's it. You'd think that would actually help him sleep, but this morning, the first morning without unlimited audiobooks, he looked like death warmed over, can't have slept much at all.

OP posts:

nannynick · 07/02/2013 07:04

unlimited audiobooks? do those stream or are they cds/downloads?

Bakery Game app sounds unlikely to use much, it will just update status. iOS shuts down non-active apps doesn't it after a period of time?

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 07/02/2013 10:47

Nope, audible audiobooks, already on the iPod. This is driving me nuts!

OP posts:

nannynick · 07/02/2013 13:22

Would the iPod have updated software - I know nothing about iPods but my iPad mini recently updated the operating system. It may have been that update.
How has usage been today? If he has not been using it, usage should be very low. If not then maybe some background tasks are responsible.

NetworkGuy · 07/02/2013 13:32

Might be worth identifying the full list of devices in the house (since you were reluctant to change password on the router). Hopefully RustyBear or someone else with similar Apple kit can give some clues as to what they would look for...

Original poster

ravenousbugblatterbeast · 08/02/2013 07:57

No, I updated the software myself, before I thought about a usage monitor. It was literally 60-90 mins in bed, between me ginishing reading him a story and then checking on him later, which racked up 900mb on the monitor so it's definitely his ipod wot dunnit.. I've been working away since. I might leave it unlocked tonight and see if he's daft enough to do it again. He can't sign into Skype, nor view videos, in fact the wifi signal is weak in his room anyway, so I don't think he's accessing something harmful. Just something huuuuge...

OP posts:

amicissimma · 09/02/2013 15:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NetworkGuy · 10/02/2013 18:57

Crumbs, have checked my recent usage and it jumped from ~14 GB a week (when I had to keep to 60/month) to around 80 GB a week (since switching to unlimited account)...

a) tried out Sky 'on demand' and could select tens of shows to download without having to wait until after midnightc

b) used iPlayer on my Freesat box, with some shows in HD.

Yes, you can download huge quantity of data if you view video- even a simple webcam viewer (World Wide Webcam for Android as an example) can suck GB in hours, but I have no idea what you could drag to iPod to use 900 MB,in an hour, other than video (or d/l a double album or film)

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