broadband usage gone sky high

[#1]

HI I have contacted customer service to see why my usage has gone up a lot.They was no use so anyone know why last month I used 140gb and in 3 weeks this month up to 100gb.My usage was about average 17 gb a few months ago and I am not doing anything different so I feel plusnets monitors are wrong. I would love a answer

[#2]

I've noticed strange figures as well, seems to be gateway related.

150GB per day!!!

[#3]

Hi Ash,

Thanks for getting in touch. I'm sorry to hear that your broadband usage has been much higher than you'd normally expect.

I can confirm that the usage readings that you're getting are accurate. We use the same usage system to bill our non-unlimited broadband customers for additional data usage, therefore accuracy is vital.

If you're finding that your usage has increased dramatically I would recommend the following:

1). Change the wifi password for your router to ensure it is still secure and not being accessed by a 3rd party.

2). Perform a virus/spyware scan on any devices which are connected to the router. Some viruses can download and/or upload large amounts of data or use your connection without permission.

3). Ensure that no devices are downloading updates or using any file sharing tools.

4). Double check whether any devices are being used for streaming media as this can use large amounts of data.

In addition to the above, you could also disconnect all devices from your router for 24 hours and then check the corresponding day on your usage history (available in the member centre) to see whether any usage is registered against that day. If usage is at zero or very, very low it would confirm that a device connected to the router is the cause of your increased download volume.

Let us know how you get on.

Best Wishes,

Dave

[#4]

Are they accurate?

[#5]

Hi @Browni and thanks for highlighting the post from our website.

To clarify, the image you've shared relates to how the usage is broken down into various categories, for example streaming, web, peer-to-peer etc, rather than the overall usage figure.

Because of the way that some streaming sites are configured it isn't always possible for us to track their data usage under the 'streaming' category in the usage breakdown, however, the overall usage figure which is provided will still be correct.

Thanks,

Dave

[#6]

So the 300GB in 2 days in my earlier post was accurate?

[#7]

Hi @Browni

Yes, the total usage for each given day will be accurate, albeit that is very high across the two days.

It's difficult to ascertain what might have caused that increase in download usage without more information on how you're using the connection. I would recommend that you change your wifi password though and work through the checklist that I posted for @ash10 as a precaution.

Thanks,

Dave

[#8]

I know what happened, on Monday 8th January I changed gateway and the usage figures rocketed.

[#9]

Hi ,I have done all those things you said and no difference.My data usage on laptop and phone amounts to 30 gb for 30 days and your monitor says 140gb so I am sure you are wrong .I have received a mail from you and spoke to your technical debt to be told plusnets monitors are not accurate and ignore them so who is correct. I do know I do not use more than 30gb a month and no one else uses it  so why my usage has shot up in last 3 months from an average 20gb to ridiculous amounts I don't know as nothing has changed with me on usage.I have data monitors on all devices and they are accurate with my general internet usage,

[#10]

Something definitely changed a couple of months ago, apparently my usage increased by a factor of 5

Also, I did a gateway hop on Monday PM and the usage figures immediately dropped.

Do you still insist those figures are accurate @RandallFlagg?

[#11]

I think, @Browni, there is definitely a bug in these figures. As I'm on unlimited, and don't do streaming, YouTube &c, I rarely bother about usage, but checking my supposed usage on the Members Centre and comparing it with the data on BitMeter (on the laptop) and 'Data' on the IPad - the only internet connected items in the house - shows I'm using about double, whereas a couple of months back it was under-reporting by about 50%, so sorry, @RandallFlagg - I think you need to delve deeper.

[#12]

Billing Period	Peak usage	Off-Peak usage	Total usage
08 Dec - 07 Jan	79.98GB	6.8GB	86.78GB
08 Jan - 08 Jan	3.15GB	243.04MB	3.39GB
09 Jan - 15 Jan	62.98GB	4.8GB	67.78GB

Interesting figures.

[#13]

VERY interesting @Strat and I think they prove @Browni's observation, and my point - the monitor is broke!

[#14]

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@jab1 wrote:

 the monitor is broke!

We don't think it is, but we could be wrong and as there are a few of you reporting anomalies we're looking into it. I'll come back once I have some info.

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[#15]

Sorry, @JonoH, but if it ain't broke, it's decidedly not accurate.