Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I have reached my monthly allowance (250 GB), which means there is a 0.125 Mbps speed cap. I have decided to pay ?5 for an extra 5 GB to speed the connection back up to 74 Mbps. This 5 GB has to last the house one week. I need to reduce the overall bandwidth used. I have disabled Windows Update on my PC and my parent's laptop. I have asked my parents to avoid viewing any videos on the laptop or TV (Netflix). I have disabled access to youtube.com on the router itself. Any other tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneKnee Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Depending on what browser you use, Chrome allows you to have plugins load on demand, specifically stuff like Flash which can take a little bit of bandwidth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BeLGaRaTh Subscriber¹ Posted October 11, 2012 Subscriber¹ Share Posted October 11, 2012 A pair of pliers to the cable should do the trick, you will wait a week for the engineer to come back and fix it and then you will have all your bandwidth back :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncc50446 Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Opera Turbo would help. Opera also has plug-ins on demand to block flash (Though unless you already have Opera, would need to download it lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakey Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I find getting a company that doesn't have limits to be the best way to have more bandwidth available :p skilithead and theyarecomingforyou 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 I find getting a company that doesn't have limits to be the best way to have more bandwidth available :p You have no idea how much I regret going with Plusnet. And we're 1 month into an 18-month contract :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted October 11, 2012 MVC Share Posted October 11, 2012 Only tip I can think of is to use sandboxie on the computes now that you've disabled windows update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakey Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 You have no idea how much I regret going with Plusnet. And we're 1 month into an 18-month contract :( damn man. Might be worth breaking it if you can find a better service. A few hundred is a good price to pay for peace of mind and unlimited bandwidth.... at least to me it would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardsim7 Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 What ISP are you with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 What ISP are you with? Plusnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.grz Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Does your router have the ability to monitor bandwidth usage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudasI Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Any other tips? Run Squid.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Does your router have the ability to monitor bandwidth usage? Unfortunately not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_dandy_ Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I have disabled Windows Update on my PC and my parent's laptop. You need to figure out where your bandwidth is going. Patches for two computers don't amount anywhere near your 250GB cap, or even the extra 5GB you bought. Are you using bittorrent, Netflix or other streaming video services? How much bandwidth will those two machines of yours be unknowingly burning through when they have crapware installed on them, because the fixes for long-known exploits still haven't been installed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Johnny Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I always use Opera Turbo when I'm using data limited connections - might be worth getting everyone on your connection to use a browser or a plugin that does similar compression for a bit, and of course there's always options to just not load images at all if you're getting near the limits, or even just force yourself to browse mobile sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 You need to figure out where your bandwidth is going. Patches for two computers don't amount anywhere near your 250GB cap, or even the extra 5GB you bought. Are you using bittorrent, Netflix or other streaming video services? How much bandwidth will those two machines of yours be unknowingly burning through when they have crapware installed on them, because the fixes for long-known exploits still haven't been installed? The 250 GB is not the issue here. The 5 GB temporary limit is. The two systems are solid so they're not leaking data via. crapware etc. As I said, I've asked the 'rents to not stream any videos. Hopefully the 5 GB will last 7 days - but I highly doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 74mbps!!!! WTF SO FAST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 74mbps!!!! WTF SO FAST But with a 250 GB monthly cap, it's pointless. Even though I'm only 1 month into a 18 month contract, I'm paying to leave. I don't care if it's ?300 to leave. I've sent them an e-mail to find out the total cost, will know tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakey Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 But with a 250 GB monthly cap, it's pointless. Even though I'm only 1 month into a 18 month contract, I'm paying to leave. I don't care if it's ?300 to leave. I've sent them an e-mail to find out the total cost, will know tomorrow. I see why you went with them initially... that speed. But ya, good choice on looking for another provider. I wouldn't leave yet until you find one though that is unlimited, or at least has a much higher cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 I see why you went with them initially... that speed. But ya, good choice on looking for another provider. I wouldn't leave yet until you find one though that is unlimited, or at least has a much higher cap. The ISP said that even though I was within 30 days of the contract beginning, I can not leave without paying ?400+. I am checking if legally that's fair. The UK tends to have consumer protection in mind, and in my head, 30 days always seems to be the amount. Then again, I did sign a contract, so I'm now unsure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xendrome Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 If these are correct, cancellation fee's don't see too bad... http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/features/provider-cooling-off-periods-and-termination-fees/ I'd ditch them honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 If these are correct, cancellation fee's don't see too bad... http://www.simplifyd...rmination-fees/ I'd ditch them honestly. They're out of date. I just called them. I have to pay ?189, and I'd lose the money we put into the Line Rental Saver (we paid around ?120 for the first 12 months) :/ ?300 to cancel or deal with a 250 GB cap for 18 months :( No idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyarecomingforyou Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 ?300 to cancel or deal with a 250 GB cap for 18 months :( No idea. That's a really bad situation to be in but I couldn't cope with a cap like that. I'd blow through it in no time, just as you have. Not only that but I'd be constantly worried about going over, which just isn't any fun. It's worth checking your legal rights, as there may be a way to minimise or avoid any leaving cost - even if it's a longshot it's better checking it out than forking over that much money unnecessarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xoligy Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Sry to say but i dont dont see how your using 10 gig a day unless none of you leave the house or your always watching HD videos though i will admit i have no idea on netflix as i do not use there service. One thing you can do is install this on all the computers and see who is draining the most of the bandwidth http://www.floriangilles.com/software/netspeedmonitor/download/ Another alternative is to see see if you can flash your router with custom firmware: http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index oh and of cause install extensions like adblock plus, no script etc etc. But hitting a 250gig limit is something ive not done in a while and that was only because i downloaded alot. But personally i dont hit 10gig a day unless im using torrents and even then they can be set ona timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 That's a really bad situation to be in but I couldn't cope with a cap like that. I'd blow through it in no time, just as you have. Not only that but I'd be constantly worried about going over, which just isn't any fun. It's worth checking your legal rights, as there may be a way to minimise or avoid any leaving cost - even if it's a longshot it's better checking it out than forking over that much money unnecessarily. I've checked my legal stance, and I can not leave early, There is not a cooling off period once the connection has "gone live" (which was three weeks ago). I just called and to end, I have to pay ?200, plus I'd lose the ?115 that was paid in one chunk for the line rental. Sry to say but i dont dont see how your using 10 gig a day unless none of you leave the house or your always watching HD videos though i will admit i have no idea on netflix as i do not use there service. One thing you can do is install this on all the computers and see who is draining the most of the bandwidth http://www.floriangilles.com/software/netspeedmonitor/download/ Another alternative is to see see if you can flash your router with custom firmware: http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index oh and of cause install extensions like adblock plus, no script etc etc. But hitting a 250gig limit is something ive not done in a while and that was only because i downloaded alot. But personally i dont hit 10gig a day unless im using torrents and even then they can be set ona timer. I know what you're saying, I just wish I didn't have to constantly think about how much I am downloading. I find downloading 8 GB a day (which is all I'm entitled to with a 250 GB cap) easy to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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