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Running out of gigs before half the month is past.

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glaz2347
New Poster

Running out of gigs before half the month is past.

Today is the 7th of March and I am already 9% over the daily allotment. I don't stream anything. I don't click on likes or run videos. I read news stories and the comments, read my e mail and respond. I am a photographer and can't upload to social media because I run out of gigs . I do not want to get up at 2 am to use the 15 bonus gigs. Up until Jan. I always had gigs left over at the end of the month. What happened?
6 REPLIES 6
BirdDog
Assistant Professor

Depending on the photo quality you are uploading it can use a lot of data. Upload data counts on Gen 4 against your allowance.

Also, if you are Gen 4 you should have 50 GB of Bonus Data not 15 GB.

What is your allowance reset date?
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

What devices do you have connected to the service?  

No devices , only thing is my computer and netgear 20 wifi which is turned off. Also I am paying $109.35 a month yet the upgrade page says my plan is 79.99 why the huge difference?

  Today is the 13th and I am at 11.4 gigs used. So far this month I have read the news on Msn & Aol and watched 2 episodes of the Grid with Scott Kelby- 1 hr 20min. each time.

  My biggest problem with this is the change in usage didn't happen until the first of Jan. Up until then I did the same as I am doing now and usually had 5 or more gigs left at reset.

Thanks for any help you can give me in solving this without me having to give up the internet all together.

Hi glaz2347,

The subject data loss is one that I have spent a lot of time on. The root causes are many and varied.

Websites that we have used for years in some cases institute changes without our knowledge (increased ad content, auto-start videos ... the Big One .... HTML5 pre-fetch videos) that can really waste large amounts if data.

 

Windows has changed in a number of ways .... limited to no control over updates with Win10, updates now being delivered as "roll-ups" and depending on updates installed Win7 and 8.1 taking on some traits such as sharing "telemetry" with Microsoft.

 

Some other changes include some Nvidia video card/chip drivers "calling home" telemetry.

There have been some vulnerabilities noted in some Routers such as Netgear, Linksys and Cisco that can cause issues if the Router firmware is left un-patched.

Finding the cause of data leaks can seem to be a daunting task. It requires a careful review of how your network is put together, what  ... Router settings are at the core of Network security and need careful review.

A campaign of Divide & Conquer is the best strategy.

To that end I have prepared the following "Road Map":

 

 EDIT:

We seem to be having some posting issues.

I will return later with an updated reply.

 

 

glaz2347,

I had a post prepared for you but we seem to be having some growing pains with the new site.

I will attempt another new and improved reply later.

 

This is a bit shorter answer than I had earlier but I hope it will provide you with starting place to find the causes of your data usage.

Please post back with any questions that you may have.

 

One complaint we often see here in the Community is that of missing data. This post hopefully will serve as a road map in addressing that issue.
There are four areas where your data allowance may be affected:..

#1: It can be misallocated. That is to say that data that should have been charged to your Bonus Bytes period is instead somehow charged against your Anytime allowance.
How to proceed:
No one can address an issue if they are unaware that it exists. The method here is to post before/after screenshots of your usage meter and include your computer system clock in that screenshot..

#2: Your system could use data in the form of a high rate of transmission errors due to failing equipment. (IE: Modem and/or transmitter)
How to proceed - Ask the forum Mods to run remote diagnostics on your terminal.

#3: The modem could although unlikely could use data on its own.
How to proceed - Run a Modem Isolation test.

#4: If all three potential causes posted above are negative then we have to conclude that it is something within the user network that is consuming the data.
How to proceed:
Networks, even residential networks are much more complex than most of us realize.
In the not so distant past routers and switches and "Networking" were pretty much limited to businesses and perhaps the more "geeky" subscriber.
A typical satellite users connection looked like this:
 photo gwalk01_zpsjsgljudv.png
A single computer directly connected to the Modem. There is only one path that data can be used. There are no "cross roads" no chance of anything using data beyond those two devices.
Things however even at this level are more complex than meets the eye. That single computer by itself has 65,536 connection ports.
There are broadly speaking two things in play here:
Applications ... Those are PROGRAMS that we start .. we can see them running such as a web browser of an email client program.

 


A look at Windows Task Manager reveals:
 photo gwalk02_zpstm1qpmzm.png
Three running Applications:
An email client program, a web browser and an open file.

However a look at running Processes shows something much more complex:
 photo gwalk03_zpsmfzmstzz.png
I currently have a whopping 102 Processes running in the background unseen, unknown.
Not all of these of course are going to be connected to the Internet at any given time. They "turn on", perform their function and turn off.

In our very simple "network" (single computer directly connected) we could install a program like GlassWire on that computer and it will show all data used by THAT computer and what programs and processes used that data:
 photo gwalk04_zpsmkmysyaa.png
Glasswire has both free and paid versions. The free version is fine for our purposes.
https://www.glasswire.com/

Our simple Network now has two "measuring points":
 photo gwalk05_zpslrzusv6f.png
Point A is going to be the point along the single "data path" that is monitored by GlassWire.
Point B is going to be the usage registered by the Modem as "traffic" to be charged against the user monthly data allowance.
The two values should pretty much coincide within reason.
It is possible to look at a usage meter that has yet to "refresh" or register the usage in the last few minutes.
It is possible for the ISP to have "compressed" data and a smaller amount is shown by the Modem as being charged against the allowance than indicated by GlassWire.

At this point the perimeters are pretty straight forward:
Do the amounts measured at points A (computer) & B (Modem) match ?
If they do NOT and the Modem claims greater usage then I suggest the following process:
Take a screenshot of your remaining allowance (allow for data that has yet to be recorded)
Disconnect the LAN cable from the rear of the Modem and note the exact time.
Let a number of hours pass (overnight ?)
Reconnect the LAN cable and again note the time and the amount of remaining data. Again an allowance must be made for the usage meter to update itself. What we are looking for here is a major discrepancy.
In the event that A and B match then we have to conclude the all of the data used (and charged against the users allowance) was indeed used by the directly connected computer.
A careful look at GlassWire will reveal what program and what processes are using data.
There are many things that can be done to conserve data .. browser extensions that block ads and scripts among other things. Much easier to do once the source of usage has been identified.
As we look at the above example we can see plenty of opportunity for data use and this just by a single computer.
The problem is very few subscribers Networks look like the above.
The below example is more typical:
 photo gwalk06_zpsojhbxw6v.png

The above really multiplies the complexity. It offers multiple connection paths and each of those by itself has the same complexity as the single computer shown in the example above.

We have to take a much closer look at the Router itself:
 photo gwalk07_zpsafyon0vi.png
The router as a central point in the network has three potential data use avenues:
#1: Its firmware/hardware:
This would include automatic update checks, Remote Access accounts/vulnerabilities, WPS settings/vulnerabilities and "front end" username/password setup to name a few.
#2: Wired LAN connections and the types of devices connected as well as their settings. Specifically end users not understanding the differences between "hard off", "sleep" and "hibernate" as well as other system settings such as Wake On LAN, Wake On Ring and even extending to "scheduled tasks".
We need not even go into the details of forced updates and data "sharing" inherent to Win10 and being back ported to Win7/8/8.1
#3: We come to the most difficult to control ... Wireless activity (on each frequency dual/triple band routers)
We can start with what encryption level, if any, has been set up. We also need to consider the username and password that limits access to the routers front end so that unauthorized users can add themselves to the wireless users list. It needs to be changed from the default values.
We also have the multitude of settings of the many types of devices that can connect wirelessly be they computers, notebooks, tablets, cell phones or even thermostats.
It is often not apparent when all apps on all devices have had their update ability turned off. Very frequently an update will cause other settings to change to their default values.
Considering the number of "connection avenues" provided by a router it is mandatory that it be included in any troubleshooting steps ...
We have to understand the Router is at the center of the Network ...ALL OF THE CONNECTION PATHS and ALL OF THE DATA USED have to pass through the Router therefore it I suggest a Router that allows the tracking of usage per device.
There are many brands and models available .. a user needs to research which one best serves the users needs.
I have a Asus RT-AC3100 that has traffic monitoring:

Main interface that has the routers options and displays among other things which devices are currently connected:
 photo gwalk08_zpsij7jrxwz.png
Which devices used how much data by IP and by date:
 photo gwalk09_zpspdktnoij.png
And a statistical analysis per device by the top consuming software or process:
 photo gwalk10_zpsovtqslap.png
One often overlooked area is usage by the Router itself in the form of its internal services:
 photo gwalk11_zpsyllj6pbo.png
I had enabled two of the above services and the router internally co nsumed nearly 1/2 GB within just several days.
Determining the cause of missing data or even excess use requires that a user have some degree of understanding their Network.