Measuring Broadband usage

Hi,
I have just migrated to BT from TalkTalk and this is my first month of usage connected to BT. BT have just sent me an email saying I have used 7GB of my 10GB.
I don't actually believe I have used this amount of data. We have watched so far this month less than 8 hours of BBC I-Player. I don't download music or movies. I have a secure connection.
So, does the usage that other people make on the Hotspot connection through BT FON use up my bandwidth allowance?
Is there anywhere that I can view a daily usage chart for my Broadband account?
Thanks,
Ivor

i do not know if it is true of the current version, butt when it first came out, i used bt iplayer once, and stopped using it, as it uses P2P to download stuff, and you are still downloading stuff to other people, unless you move or delete the file. thus the longer you have a TV programme on your computer the more bandwidth you use.
welcome to the world of last wednesday week.
there's now't wrong with 2 cans and a piece of string. at certain times, it is often faster.

Similar Messages

Can't Measure Broadband Usage

I am on unlimited usage, but still like to use the Broadband monitor to measure my useage.
But today on checking, I got a page which says because I'm on unlimited I can't look at my usage.
Why?
How can I get at the figures?

I have been monitoring monthly usage stats for broadband download and upload since January 2014. I acknowledge that I am currently on unlimited package but with fibre option available soon on my exchange cabinet and increased use of 2 tablets in my home, I wanted to access future needs and appropriate package.
BT site states 'do not want to waste time' monitoring usage! I think this is condescending and they should reinstate link to enable me to monitor for when I change package/service.
I put in an email complaint yesterday and received a call back. The operative stated he would forward my feedback and confirmed that my usage varied fronm 1GB in January but was up to 11GB in August.
I have today received a follow up survey and reiterated my dismay.
Please consider an email to complain... if enough feedback they might rethink?

Broadband usage has doubled and I don't know why

Hi there
Just received a warning message that I am about to exceed my 40gb limit. Normal monthly usage has been 18gb apparently and we don't know why the increase has occurred. We have no kids at home, we don't stream films or videos or play games, I've downloaded 1 music album this month and we've surfed the net as usual.
Can this usage be verified?
Any tips on checking whther someone else is using our broadband....is this possible?
Any tips on why this might be happening...it's puzzling.
Is there an indpependent (non BT) way of monitoring and measuring broadband usage?
Dom

Hi dr58.
In my experience the only way to sort this out is to hope that your post draws the attention of a forum moderator. Anyone on the phones will try and convince you that you are indeed downloading 20 albums a day, uploading 3000 pictures a week etc etc and "it all mounts up" and you would be far better on an Unlimited Package.
I had problems (in fact thinking about it, this time last year) where my usage had crept up and according to BT my son and I were using 90gb a month, despite no streaming, gaming etc. I am on a 40gb package like yourself so was incurring £50 charges each month. In the end it was resolved with BT agreeing it wasn't possible for us to be getting through that amount but as I wasn't using a BT router at the time it was impossible to prove that someone hadn't been piggybacking my wifi. (I'd changed passwords during the high readings to no avail anyway).
My personal advice would be to keep a daily eye on your broadband monitor, screenshot them if need be, if you have been out during the day or away for any great length of time also note the readings that appear for that day. I also check my BT homehub to make sure only the devices in my house are hooked in just in case.
As it happens I've also noticed a big jump in my readings this month, I have just a few GB to spare but in my opinion the readings are still high compared to what I was noting at the tail end of last year after I finally had SeanD look into the matter for me.
I do hope that the meters arent going up the creek yet again because I've sworn that if it should happen again I'm walking to a different company this time around.
Best of luck and I hope you get the information you need and the situation resolves itself.

Broadband usage charges explained

Your broadband usage is the data that you upload and download from the internet. This includes activities such as internet browsing, watching a video online, online gaming, and downloading.
We have a usage policy that covers monthly usage allowances and manages the use of specific applications on the BT network, and is measured on each calendar month (from the first of the month to the end of the month).
More details on our usage policy are available here.
What are BT's Monthly Usage Allowances?
BT offers a range of monthly usage allowance options, so you can choose the product that best suits your needs.
Allowances for broadband products introduced from 1 February 2013:
Allowances for other broadband products:
What is broadband usage?
When you access the internet you are uploading and downloading data – your broadband usage.
There are three main factors that contribute to the total amount of usage we measure on your line:
•The number of devices you're using to access the internet at any one time (for example, computers, laptops, smartphones and tablet computers);
•The amount of time you're on the internet;
•The kind of things you're doing.
Some activities involve more usage than others. Watching a video, for example, involves downloading loads more data than looking at a simple web page or a sending a short email. The table shows what kind of usage is involved with some common activities:
*these sizes are approximate and can vary.
Our broadband options have different amounts of monthly usage allowance designed to suit different types of broadband users. Read more about monthly usage allowances and our broadband options.
I’ve been charged broadband usage charges, how can I keep an eye on my usage?
Your service won’t be affected if you go your monthly usage allowance, but you will be notified via email if you reach 80% (if you’re on a 40GB limit product) or 70% (if you’re on a 10GB limit product) of your usage allowance each month, and a further email if you exceed your allowance in a particular month.
We will send emails to your active BT primary email address (e.g. btinternet.com) that was set up when you ordered broadband or an alternative email address that you have given us for the purpose of contacting you.
If you exceed your usage allowance, you'll be charged for additional usage in units of five gigabytes (GB), at £5.30 per 5GB.
To help you keep track of your usage we provide a usage monitor which shows how much of your allowance you have used and how much is remaining, each day. You can access the usage monitor through your online account by clicking the 'View my broadband usage' link in the broadband services section. If you haven't set up an online account then you can register at www.bt.com/mybt.
Click here for help on how to use the broadband usage monitor.
If you're finding your monthly usage allowance inadequate and are regularly paying charges for additional usage, you can upgrade to a product with a higher usage allowance. Upgrade your broadband here.
I need further help
Why not post your question in the Other Broadband Queries board for further advice about your usage.
Stephanie
Stephanie
BTCare Community Manager
If you like a post, or want to say thanks for a helpful answer, please click on the Ratings star on the left-hand side of the post. If someone answers your question correctly please let other members know by clicking on ’Mark as Accepted Solution’.

Park_Ranger wrote:
... but they charge £5 for just 1gb ! (A £1 a gig I could accept).
It should be £5 for 5GB, but unfortunately it's charged in 5GB chunks (so it is effectively £1 a gig)...
From the Broadband usage policy:
http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/10495/~/broadband-usage-policy
"If you exceed your usage allowance, you'll be charged for additional usage in units of five gigabytes (GB), at £5 per 5GB. Charges will apply from the second month you exceed your allowance and will be shown on your BT bill."

How may I monitor my broadband usage?

Is there Apple approved software that will allow me to monitor my broadband usage?

miguelx wrote:
Is there Apple approved software that will allow me to monitor my broadband usage?
There is no Apple approved software, but that does not mean Apple do not have anything against doing this either. I have found two easy-to-use applications to do this but both require that you have a broadband router that supports SNMP. Unfortunately many IPS' provide routers with this feature disabled.
See https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/netuse-traffic-monitor/id440301281?mt=12
and http://peakhourapp.com
Both will not only monitor real time usage, but both can also measure usage against monthly data allowances.

Anomalous broadband usage

My average monthly broadband use over the last year is just under 21GB. On 28 November I was warned that my month's usage was 28GB and the next day was 36 GB . In the evening, the BT broadband meter showed that I had used almost 50gGB and this morning, the figure was 56GB. My Homehub shows that, over the past 5 days, the data transmitted and received figures are 0.7 and 3.3 GB respectivly. BT have confirmed that no unauthorised devices have been connected to my router and that, according to their figures, my usage has been around 7 - 9 GB per day over the past 4 to 5 days. My only unusual computer use has been to attempt to install Windows XP udates and using the Scrabble app on two iPads across the internet. In neither case did activity lights on router, modem or powerline hubs show anything other than the occasional flash. Has anyone had any problems with either Scrabble or XP updates eating huge amounts of bandwidth?

My IT usage is boringly stable and my monthly broadband consumption reflects this. That's what makes this very sudden and very large jump in my broadband usage so odd. The only things that I can think of that might explain it are using Scrabble and trying to update Windows XP. These attempts used almost 100% of the laptop's CPU for an hour or so but, as far as I can see, never actually downloaded anything nor showed that any update data was flowing from the Windows site to my laptop. I certainly never saw activity lights on the modem or router flashing like mad and, in any cases, the laptop would not be physically capable of accepting more than about 10GB of data before the hard drive was completely full. Nevertheless, My gut feel is that the Windows update process is most likely to blame although I cannot see how, particularly as the router itself shows little data having been received. The use of Scrabble is a possibility as it is only within the past few days that I have started to use this. That there is such a huge discrepancy between the router measurement of the data it is receiving and the BT broadband meter's measurement does not improve my confidence in these metrics.

Monthly broadband usage -- BT knows, how do I find...

ok, so I've been forced back to BT's website again. It took 30 seconds for my blood to boil -- why is it such a poor site? The core issue I have is that I always want to communicate with BT via email, NOT via phone. That way I'm on equal terms and I can ponder the response. But finding somewhere to email is extremely difficult -- I always have to complain, when I just want to ask a question.
Anyway...
I want to know what my broadband usage is. I used to be able to log on and see. But some muppet has decided that I can no longer do this:
"Why can't I check my broadband usage any more?
We don't want our customers wasting time monitoring usage when there's no need to. Having unlimited broadband means you don't need to worry about your internet usage: you won't pay any usage charges no matter how much you use."
Well I DO want to know what my usage is. I am seriously thinking of moving away from BT. If I know what I am using I know what sort of package I can purchase from a competitor. I also don't want to 'renew' a contract so I'm stuck with BT for another 12 months. As long as BT are in the background they are ok. I've had no problem with the service, but they seem to be getting dearer and dearer. (Line rental saver went up by 13.5% -- Inflation was less that 2% so why the huge hike?)
Their scheming, conniving business team who are looking at ways to stop me moving away while still screwing me are finally forcing me to do something.
So can someone please tell me where I can now find my monthly usage? The above response from BT is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
Now to find a cold shower and calm myself down again...
grrrrr
Solved!
Go to Solution.

here is the link https://community.bt.com/t5/Bills-Packages/Unable-to-see-broadband-usage-if-on-unlimited/td-p/136871...
If you want to say thanks for a helpful answer,please click on the Ratings star on the left-hand side If the reply answers your question then please mark as ’Mark as Accepted Solution’

Sudden increase in Broadband Usage at end of the m...

Hi
I'm hoping someone can comment on my problem. I was comfortably within my 10 GB monthly BB allowance according to the usage meter (I checked every few days) and then suddenly within a couple of days before the end of the month my usage increased so that I was 8GB over my allowance despite my actual usage not increasing. I wasn't downloading masses of video or music rather just browsing and downloading (as I had been) the odd file. I have queried this with BT but despite responding with a standard letter the only other communication I have received is a letter advising that I would be charged £10-00 for the privilege of exceeding my allowance (correct by the rules!). As I maintain that my internet activity did not increase where did this extra usage come from? I have performed antivirus,malware and registry checks without finding any infection at all. A few months ago a similar event happened when I found myself 1.8 GB over my monthly allowance. Am I missing something obvious?
Any help would be very greatfully received.
Sincerely
Adge
Solved!
Go to Solution.

yellowcave wrote:
I have spotted this several times although not neccessarily at the end of the month, So much so that I have now taken to logging a spreadsheet with actual usage versus BT monitor usage.
I have never had a satisfactory reply to any of my queries or requests for data limit refunds, went up a couple of gig one day when everything was off, including the usage monitor!, but I have noticed the issue early enough to strictly limit my usage to keep the end of month figures down.
It has actually got better in the last couple of months but as far as I can tell the BT monitored usage includes all housekeeping between BT and the BT HUB. Not sure what is going on but recent examples are: Actual Data 270Mb Monitored usage 800Mb; 420Mb vs 1.65G.
The annoying thing is I paid the year line rental in advance - non refundable and then the problems started occuring so even if I walk I don't get the rental back.
So basically don't pay the £10 and ask for documented proof that you actually used that amount of data before you even consider paying
Hi. Welcome to the forums.
May I ask how you are measuring the usage yourself ? Is it via the hub stats ? They are prone to being inaccurate, and can reset - even if the "online" time doesn't.
Also - the online usage monitor is a day in arrears and not real time. To prove that the monitor is faulty, leaving off the equipment one day will not actually show it, it depends exactly when it is off. There is my "3 day check" to prove it.
Turn off everything before midnight on day one (inclkuding router) . On day two, after 9am or so - use a different connection, e.g. friend, login to the online usage monitor and look at the figures. Makes sure it says 23:59 of day one date - take a screen print. On day 3 after midnight, you can turn on the equipment and again after 9am look at the online usage monitor, make sure it says 23:59 on day 2 and again see the fiigure and take a screen print.
If there is anything other than a zero increase, there is something wrong. I know a case where the monitor showed almost a 1GB increase, and has not been resolved.
I believe that the momitor is not actually faulty and recording the usage correctly, however I believe the fault lies elsewhere - possibly more than one person's ID being attached to a monitor database and hence the figures added. I don't know if this has been checked or not. I've mentioned it before, but have had no acknowledgement ...
http://www.andyweb.co.uk/shortcuts
http://www.andyweb.co.uk/pictures

Very high broadband usage

The first month we got BT broadband was option 1 the 10GB package, I left my house for 2 weeks and the monitor was at around 6/7GB and with no one in the house and no one with access to it i came back to find it was now at 12GB, thought this was a bit odd...
Last month we upgraded to option 2 the 40GB package. Ended up watching lots of videos and things and by the end of the month it was at 45GB.
This month, it's 7 days in and the usage monitor is showing 12.87GB used, I haven't been doing anything other than browsing, no games, no videos, no downloads, nothing...
This surely cannot be correct and I'm still concerned about the first month when it hadn't been used by any one and it was still racking up the data.
One phone call said there was nothing BT could do to check, I think it's a bit odd that I have to pay for usage I haven't even used and for this month that it's so high already and I haven't even done anything!
Forgot to say I had a 20GB package a few years back and I practically used to live on my laptop, used to play xbox live for hours each day, watch a lot of videos, and download a hell of a lot of music and videos and I didn't exceed my limit once in 18 months..
Seems a bit odd to me...

If this is the first month you have gone over, the £5 for an extra unit of 5GB might be waived.
For more information visit www.bt.com/broadbandusagepolicy
The broadband usage monitor is accurate and is updated at 23:59 every night.
Uploads are also counted towards your 10GB allowance.
1) Make sure that you don't have any malware or virus on the computer.
2) Make sure your private Wifi network is encrypted otherwise other people might be suing it.
3) Make sure that there isn't a device in that is using the home that you didn't know was using the internet - Smart phones/portible devices can automatically connet to your wifi (if known) and can update software in the background without you knowing. Some devices will allow phone calls and texts to be recieved over wifi.
4) there are free usage meters that can be downloaded to see when and what is using the 10GB usage on your computer.
cheers
jac_95 | BT.com Help Site | BT Service Status
Someone Solved Your Question?
Please let other members know by clicking on ’Mark as Accepted Solution’
Try a Search
See if someone in the community had the same problem and how they got it resolved.

Broadband usage not showing on my account for the ...

For the last 2-3 months my Broadband usage has not been showing on my account website. I am on unlimited broadband but would still like to know what I have used. This has happened, for short periods, several times before but usually rectifies itself within a few days.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi pixmate
Please use the 'contact the mods' link in my forum profile under the 'about me' section to send in your details. You can find the link by clicking on my username.
Thanks
Neil
BTCare Community Mod
If we have asked you to email us with your details, please make sure you are logged in to the forum, otherwise you will not be able to see our ‘Contact Us’ link within our profiles.
We are sorry but we are unable to deal with service/account queries via the private message(PM) function so please don't PM your account info, we need to deal with this via our email account :-)
If someone answers your question correctly please let other members know by clicking on ’Mark as Accepted Solution’.

Wifi at home/Broadband usage allowance

Can anyone tell me if when using a wifi device AT HOME does the usage come off your allocated broadband usage allowance?

johnfraser wrote:
Thanks for that but I am still not entirely clear. I have registered for bt wifi so does this mean unlimited usage even at home?
There is a fair usage policy here
http://www.btwifi.com/terms-and-conditions/fair-use-policy.jsp
You have to actually connect to your BT wifi SSID, and not the normal home hub one, to take advantage of this.
You can tell if you are connected to BT wifi, as it will ask you to login using your primary e-mail details.
There is a general info page here.
BT wifi help (was BTOpenzone)
There are some useful help pages here, for BT Broadband customers only, on my personal website.
BT Broadband customers - help with broadband, WiFi, networking, e-mail and phones.

Increase in broadband usage

I have been using BT Infinity 1 since July last year with no problems.
For the last two months I have been warned that I am using more than my allowance of 40G incurring extra charges.
I have no explanation for this.
Is it possible to retrieve my usage stats (as a graph) for the last twelve months from the BT billing platform.
Kathy

This link may help.
Why is my broadband usage so high?
I don`t think BT keep your usage stats for that long. Its best to check it on a daily basis, using the usage monitor on MyBT.
There are some useful help pages here, for BT Broadband customers only, on my personal website.
BT Broadband customers - help with broadband, WiFi, networking, e-mail and phones.

Broadband usage monitor

I have also experienced the excessive BT broadband usage. I opted for option 1 because I have no interest in downloading Video's/music, apart from reading both BBC and Sky news the only other use is my wife using the online facebook game.
I received an email from BT last month saying i had reached 7GB of my 10 GB usage and just cant figure out why
I have downloaded a usage monitor which greatly differs from BT's own monitor,
What I would like to ask is, does the monitor I downloaded only monitor what is open on my desktop, 2 whould there be a differnce between High Speed Broadband and those who's broadband is connected via telephone line.
if this is the case as i suspect, then someone downloading a file on high speed whould use less bandwidth than someone downloading on slow speed. look at it as sending a fax, it may cost 10p to send a fax on a cheap machine but to send the same sheet on a quality machine may cost 6p, I dont no?

Deke wrote:
I have also experienced the excessive BT broadband usage. I opted for option 1 because I have no interest in downloading Video's/music, apart from reading both BBC and Sky news the only other use is my wife using the online facebook game.
I received an email from BT last month saying i had reached 7GB of my 10 GB usage and just cant figure out why
I have downloaded a usage monitor which greatly differs from BT's own monitor,
What I would like to ask is, does the monitor I downloaded only monitor what is open on my desktop, 2 whould there be a differnce between High Speed Broadband and those who's broadband is connected via telephone line.
if this is the case as i suspect, then someone downloading a file on high speed whould use less bandwidth than someone downloading on slow speed. look at it as sending a fax, it may cost 10p to send a fax on a cheap machine but to send the same sheet on a quality machine may cost 6p, I dont no?
Hi. Welcome to the forums.
You say you received an email last month for reaching 7GB - that was for April.
May I ask what usage monitor you are using, and how does it compare with your current May usage online meter from BT ?
The downloaded monitor will only record what that particular computer is using (won't include other computers, games consoles, mobiles and TVs etc). And then there are various settings in different programs to cater for usage within a home network etc.
What Facebook game is being used may I ask? Some of these applications can use many 100s of MB per day, so this alone could account for a lot of the usage.
There should be no difference between any "high speed" user and standard ADSL in terms of usage. In your example of downloading a file. The high speed (e.g. fibre) user will use exactly the same data content as a person on a slower connection. The speed is irrelevant with regard to how much is being used.
You can't compare with a fax machine, because typically these used normal phone lines which are charged on a timed usage - so the longer the call, the dearer the cost. In your example it could actually be dearer to use a quality fax machine, because it may take longer to send a higher quality copy.
http://www.andyweb.co.uk/shortcuts
http://www.andyweb.co.uk/pictures

Broadband Usage

I have just had infinity installed for BT TV. My broadband usage averages 28gb a month but in 2 days since installation my usage has rocketed to 18gb. We have not watched any films or used our pcs any differently. I got through to India and was told it was uploads and i would be put through to billing. By the time i had waited on the phone it had gone flat so I am none the wiser. It must be a mistake, can someone help?

Hi Cheryl111,
Welcome to the forum, I can check your usage here if you use the 'contact the mods' link in my forum profile under the 'about me' section to send in your details. You can find the link by clicking on my username.
Thanks
Neil
BTCare Community Mod
If we have asked you to email us with your details, please make sure you are logged in to the forum, otherwise you will not be able to see our ‘Contact Us’ link within our profiles.
We are sorry but we are unable to deal with service/account queries via the private message(PM) function so please don't PM your account info, we need to deal with this via our email account :-)
If someone answers your question correctly please let other members know by clicking on ’Mark as Accepted Solution’.

Broadband Usage Meter unavailable

The broadband usage meter on the BT website refuses to show my usage, on the basis that, as I have unlimited broadband, I don't need to know.
Is there any way I can find out my usage? Just because I'm on an unlimited contract does not mean I am not interested in my usage.

Follow the instructions in message 47 in this thread , you will only be given total usage with no analysis https://community.bt.com/t5/Bills-Packages/Unable-to-see-broadband-usage-if-on-unlimited/m-p/1400811...

Measuring Broadband usage

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for