ISP - Download Allowance

[Margaret N]

Since I moved to Talktalk I understand that I am only allowed a 40GB download allowance each month. This sounds alot to me but how do I know how much I have used as I cannot find a counter/measure.?

More important I rarely download but I do watch BBC I player from time to time. I do not actually download it does that count as a download?

[KiteRunner]

Yes, it will count as a download - your ISP can't tell whether you are saving stuff on your computer or not; all they can measure is how much data goes into and out of your computer.

I would have thought you would have some way of checking your usage - maybe it tells you how to somewhere in the information you have from them? I have 3 mobile broadband and it's very easy to check your usage on their service but I don't know about others.

[Guest]

are you sure you dont have full access Margaret ?? how much cheaper is it then ??

[KiteRunner]

I would be very surprised if you manage to use anything like 40 GB per month - you would have to use over 1.3 GB every day!

[Orangeblossom]

An example of what things use when you download them...

Average broadband download sizes
20Kb - text emails sent and received
50Kb - 1 website page
3Mb - 1 song
3Mb - 1 video clip (3 minutes)
400Mb - 1 film

1Gb = 1024Mb 1Mb = 1024Kb

It would take a LOT of downloading for you to reach your limit.

[Margaret N]

Val,
I signed up to a package a few months ago and it states in the contract 40GB allowance each month. As my PC is on for many hours and the internet automatically some people tell me that when the internet is on it counts towards the useage. I do not really understand 'Download' as I have never come across it before.

[Rusty]

I had a very unsatisfactory conversation about this with BT a few months ago when I noticed that they have a download restriction, I was told that they would tell me if I was getting close to my limit. I argued that if I can't tell how much I am using they couldn't really penalise me, but I didn't get anywhere!

But, if you have no way of telling how close you are to your limit I don't think that they should be able to penalise you, it sounds very unfair to me, I am sure that they ought to provide a counter of useage, after all if they can tell what you are using the information ought to be available to you otherwise you have no way of checking.

PlusNet have a counter and it is easy to see what you are spending your allowance on so why can't other ISP's, it doesn't sound like rocket science to me.

Margaret

[kenw55]

My ISP ADSL24 has a facility to monitor my usage.
I have a limit of 30GB per month in peak hours.
The maximum I have reached in 2 years is 13GB and that was downloading other operating systems for testing .
I have just looked at my usage for the month ( it runs 15th to 15th ) and I have used just over 2GB , that is with 2 computers on the go.

The chances of Margaret getting anywhere near her limit with normal usage are about as likely as winning the lottery.

Ken

[Margaret N]

Thank you all for your interesting advice. When I was first with Virgin they had a restriction but told me that they could not enforce a charge as they were unable to give me a counter - but they took that capping away a few days later.
I cannot imagine that I will ever reach the 40GB. I have only downloaded about three items other than a few emails and I only get about six of those in a week.
I do watch BBC Iplayer perhaps once a week for about fifteen minutes.

[Margaret N]

Val,

This is a reply that I have just received from Talktalk.

"If you are using iPlayer it does count on your usage regardless as to if you are just watching it or downloading from it.

When ever you are on the Internet and going from page to page will use it. There is no way of showing how much you have used but you will receive a letter when you are getting near your limit."

I am almost frighten to put the internet on now incase I incur vast charges. Until now I spent hours on the internet but think that I will have to take care.

[KiteRunner]

Margaret, honestly, don't worry. You can't use 40 GB in a month unless you are constantly downloading movies and MP3s etc. And as they say they will contact you if you do get near the limit anyway, even if you were a heavy user of movies and MP3s you would be warned in time.

I'm surprised they say there is no way of checking your usage, but 40 GB is honestly a huge limit.

[Rusty]

Val,

Talk Talk say - "There is no way of showing how much you have used but you will receive a letter when you are getting near your limit."

If Talk Talk can't tell you how much you have used, how can they let you know when you are getting near your limit?

Margaret

[KiteRunner]

I think it means that Talk Talk have a record of your usage but they haven't set up a system where you can access that information.

[Margaret N]

I am always lost with measuring MB or KB etc. I have just watched BBC I-player for one hour and my calculation is that I have used 1GB. Am I anywhere near getting a degree for this calculation or is it back to school for me?
I want to download Photobucket next~ other than this I have only viewed the web in the normal way.

[KiteRunner]

I don't think you can download Photobucket, Margaret, as far as I know all you do is upload photos to it and download the photos again if you need to.

Not sure if you could use 1GB watching the iplayer for an hour, it sounds way too high to me. If my kids watch YouTube for a few hours they might use a quarter of 1GB.

[Margaret N]

Kite,

Thank you that sounds OK to me. I will take a look at Photobucket sometime but think that I know what I mean but have the wording back to front.

Cheers,