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MASSIVE drain issue

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teejk01
New Member

MASSIVE drain issue

We have the 15gb/mo plan which we manage carefully (don't dare watch any movies or YouTube)...seems every month we lose a ton of allowance when nobody is using it. On the 10th of this month we lost 3+GB in 3 hours with nobody in the house and all devices turned off! Inquired, got a reply via E-mail (DO NOT REPLY) and a follow up call that quite frankly I couldn't understand a word of...too much "chatter" in the background from what I guess is a foreign based call center. Running Win 10 (set to "metered"). Using Norton Internet Security (set to "metered". Wireless secured router. How can I lose 3GB in that short amount of time with nobody here?
51 REPLIES 51
teejk01
New Member

We get what I guess is normal "leakage but every month it seems we get one day like the 10th. I'm guessing a program update is being downloaded in the background even though I tell them not to.
BirdDog
Assistant Professor

Do you have Windows 10?
teejk01
New Member

Yup. "Edge" is the default browser.
foxbrook
Sophomore

Hey, that looks just like mine. Except mine happened on the 12th.
teejk01
New Member

Wonder how many users are experiencing the same thing? My "hump" occurred when there was nobody in the house (in fact my wife took her computer to work with her). Win10 makes it somewhat difficult to find the switches to prevent automatic maintenance and I wonder if that only covers the "installation" and not the download.
foxbrook
Sophomore

I found out that my son had updated Win10 on one of our computers on that day. So that explains it for me. He did it during bonus bytes time.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

Install Glasswire:

https://www.glasswire.com/


Suggested setup:

(click on pic for larger image)


Interpret the results:

 


This needs to be done with a single computer connected directly to the modem.

Check one computer at a time.

Chris11
Alum

Hi Teejk01,

Thanks for posting. The best way to track what may have caused the spike is Glasswire as suggested by Gwalk. It will track all your usage on the machine it is installed on and let you know exactly what program or service used it as well. There is still much we do not know about Windows 10 but it definitely could be some type of update to the OS and other programs. Especially since you mentioned it seems to happen every month around the same time. If you guys have more than one computer glasswire will need to be installed on all computers. I hope this helps.

Thank you,
Chris
teejk01
New Member

Ok...I have Win10 set to let me choose the "install" (and I get an alert). Where in the Win10 world do I tell it not to "download" the update they want to install? While I can't pinpoint Windows I suspect that they are the problem. I run Norton Internet Security and that is set to "metered" (and kept up to date the updates would certainly not chew up 3+GB).  I have 95% of my "bonus bytes" remaining...haven't found all the settings in Win10 to let me burn "off peak" stuff instead of my "anytime" allowance.    
teejk01
New Member

I'll check into Glasswire...but why should I need to install a 3rd party program in order to figure out why I am scared to do anything on a service that I pay $$$ for? My mother in law recently moved into a house not far from here and uses "extended DSL" service for internet. My wife says it is as fast as our Gen4 HughesNet (if not faster). And cheaper. And no data caps. When I upgraded to Gen4 I did it under a 12 month commitment. That expired. The DSL line is already to the edge of the property...the data caps have to go with Hughesnet I think.  
foxbrook
Sophomore

Hughesnet is a connection of last resort for people who have no other options for internet. If you have DSL available you will probably (depends on the quality of the wire and the distance to the CO) be happier with that.
teejk01
New Member

When we built here we stayed in a house with "dial-up"...coming from a house with hi-speed cable I'll only say it was "painful" so we went with Hughes. But I don't think that was DSL...my wife swears she doesn't notice the speed difference at her mother's house a mere 500 yards away. And her mom doesn't have data caps. I'll gladly trade a slight decrease in speed (although I don't think Gen4 every delivered what they advertised). And won't have to deal with these "spikes" (from unknown sources) that make us "do the dance" at the end of every month.  
foxbrook
Sophomore

You're lucky to have another option. Where I live they have been talking about putting in fiber for the past 5 years, but still no definitive plan.

That said, I've always gotten the service I've paid for from HN.
teejk01
New Member

Hi Chris, I did a little checking and see that Win10 is most likely the problem (a lot of complaints from around the world). Older Win versions let the user schedule the updates. Win10 seems to let the user control the installation but as far as I can tell they "push" the download whenever they feel like it. In my case it seems to have been mid-morning...so once again we'll run out of "anytime" data and watch the "bonus bytes" go unused. Frustrating... 
Chris11
Alum

Hi teejk01,

Can you provide me with a case number or the serial of your modem?

Thank you,
Chris
teejk01
New Member

Case ID is 52540171. SAN is DSS**********. Not sure you can do much because it seems to be a Microsoft issue in not letting people dictate the download times for Win10. Nor do they inform the user that they are "pushing" the download (the "install" notification is nice but only for convenience on the install...the "package" has already arrived with no notification that they are doing it...data usage on the "install" is minimal). I had that issue with Adobe for years but my version of that product is no longer supported so that stopped.  Btw, my wife took her Win10 computer to work with her that day and updated over their WiFi...she said it took hours!
Chris11
Alum

Hi teejk01,

As a courtesy to you I've added some token bandwidth to your account. I would just suggest to install glasswire, mainly because it allows for more confidence when you know exactly what activities are causing the most data depletion. The more you know the better you will be able to manage your allowance. I hope all of this has been helpful. If you have any more questions or concerns feel free to let me know.

- Chris
teejk01
New Member

Thanks for that...I'll install Glasswire even though I think I know who the culprit is (Microsoft Win10). With your subscriber base you certainly have more "pull" than I do to get a solution. I upgraded from too many versions of Windows to count and figured out how to schedule updates into the "non-peak" hours. Not the case with Win10 as far as I can tell. As a funny aside, I read a post today on this very topic...suggesting that this very issue was going to cause people to revert back to Win8 or Win 7 or even "Vista".
Chris11
Alum

Win8 or Win7 maybe, Vista? no way in heck lol. I would stay far away from that disaster. 
BirdDog
Assistant Professor

There is also Millennium.