Usage Meter - how accurate is it??

[#1]

Can anyone tell me how accurate the usage meter is.
I am comparing the usage figures on the PN site compared with those of my router.  They dont match by quite a long way, well in facts its 20% different with just todays browsing so far.
That over a month on a 10gb package is 2gb in difference. 

[#2]

Are you including up and down figures in your calculation?

[#3]

yes I am, shouldn't I be?

[#4]

Yes you should some people don't realise that the PN usage meter counts upload and download.
Which router are you using that records usage?

[#5]

I am using the supplied TG585 v7, its has faulty wifi so if the figures are wrong then maybe it could be more faulty than first thought.  PN are sending me a new one so i will double check my figures  when that one comes.

[#6]

It does not really matter how accurate they are because you are stuck with them.
They haved changed methods of measurement to make sure they get the best deal and there is no viable way you can dispute the figures once they have been recorded unless you had a meter in place.   
You also have to take into account the hours of measurement and that sometimes bits are counted differently.
So at the end of the day use the portal to determine your usage, if it is too much cut back on your activity, change your plan or get out your wallet.

[#7]

Plusnet actually have your usage data in 2 ways, so they can check if needed.  The usage meter on the portal gets its gata from the Ellacoya switches, though they can also get similar data (totals only for a time period, possibly in hours, with no breakdown of the traffic type) from BT's Radius Servers.  I've seem Plusnet show these a few times for a user and they are usually pretty close.

Phil

[#8]

One thing you haven't specified, is which way is the difference?

Quote

The data on this page may not include usage from the last 2 hours. Please bear this in mind if you are close to exceeding your account's allowance.

Therefore I would expect the VMBU figure to be lower than that on your router.

[#9]

We haven't been told in which way the figures don't match though..

[#10]

and also some times are dropped around the bewitching hour

[#11]

Quote from: pjmarsh

Plusnet actually have your usage data in 2 ways, so they can check if needed.  The usage meter on the portal gets its gata from the Ellacoya switches...

Not for all account types it doesn't. Unmetered products like Unlimited (no longer sold BTW) typically display both the summary and usage by type using figures taken from the Ellacoyas. Metered accounts on the other hand have the tendency to display the summary usage based on figures from from our RADIUS/CBC accounting platforms with the usage by type pages showing information from the Ellacoyas.
You're right in what you say though. We have two completely separate systems to compare against. If both of these agree with each other then it's very unlikely that a mistake has been made. We don't really need you to have installed a local monitoring application in order to ascertain this.

[#12]

Quote from: geofftswin

One thing you haven't specified, is which way is the difference?

The difference is in my favour.  Either way the usage stats page are what we go by I know that from being a PN customer in the past and I am happy with that.  I was just curious You will soon get fed up with my "just curious" questions I am sure.