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When you first connect to a broadband service, it’s easy to get carried away and start downloading lots of movies, songs and other media. These files chew up your usage quota in no time. If your broadband plan has a usage cap, you need to stay within your limit otherwise you could incur excess download fees, and they can quickly add up.
Choosing the right data limit
Often it’s hard at first to know what download limit you or your family will need. If you want to download music, the odd movie and let the kids play online games, then you will need a higher-end plan - at least 10GB.
But if you just want to use email, do some research and a bit of share trading then a lighter plan will be sufficient. Keeping Windows and your other software updated can use a fair amount of data too, this is important to consider when choosing a data limit.
Sharing a broadband connection with housemates / family
If you are sharing a broadband connection in a household, you need to be wary of your roommates’ web surfing habits. If they’re downloading movies and mp3s fairly constantly, you’ll either be left with a slow Internet connection after your ISP has shaped* it back to snail’s pace or a huge bill at the end of the month.
Firewalls and Antivirus software
A broadband connection is constantly connected to the Internet, so a firewall and up-to-date antivirus software are essential. A firewall helps block unwanted threats like hackers from getting into your system.
Many people believe once you install antivirus software on your computer, that’s all you need to do, that’s not right. It needs to be kept up-to-date by downloading regular virus definitions from the software manufacturer’s website. This should be automatic or at least once a week.
Monitor your usage
Most ISPs have tools that let you monitor your usage. Sometimes these are downloadable tools that sit in your taskbar, or you just login to the ISP’s website to check monthly or daily summaries. If you find you are burning through your quota, crack down on the offending parties or consider changing plans.
File sharing software
Many people don’t understand the dangers of programs like LimeWire, BitTorrent and other peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing applications. Not only do they leave your PC open to attack from viruses and spyware, people can download files from your computer – instantly increasing your usage. Remember, usage is any traffic to and from your PC.
P2P programs can also transform your PC into a ‘supernode’. This means other users can upload file lists to your machine, so when people search for files, they send the request to a supernode – increasing unwanted traffic to your PC and using up your data limit.
Sites with high data usage
Video streaming and online gaming sites use a lot of data transfer. You need to bear this in mind, because watching YouTube videos or online news bulletins can very quickly use up your allocated data. The graphical nature of interactive online games also plough through your download limits, using anywhere between 10MB and 80MB an hour.
*Shaped or shaping means an ISP has reduced the speed of your Internet connection after you’ve reached your data limit. The meter resets at the next billing cycle. This stops you getting nasty excess fees each month.
