Unaccountable data usage-hate to sound like a broken record but...

[udanwudeligv]

We've been down the "where'd my data go" rabbit hole many times. We turn ipads off, disconnect wifi from computers and put them to sleep etc. when we go to bed. We don't have phones, don't use icloud or any kind of connected TV. We make sure that all updates are done manually during bonus time, and downloads as well. We have no neighbors, no kids, no games, no extraneous drains. 

I've been paying very careful attention because I'm trying out Netflix-watching about 1-1.5 hours per day for the last several days and the data usage has not been bad (I have it set to low res). I have been checking and comparing, before and after each 1 hour show, so I am sure (as long as the usage meter is not malfunctioning) that Netflix is not the problem. But this is the only new thing in the system. 

So want to clarify a few things because we had a 1.7GB data drain last night while we were sitting here watching a DVD, from 9-10pm PST (12midnight-1am according to the hourly meter**) Neither of us were on line. Both of our browser histories show no usage at that time (I checked). 

  - Is the System Control Center Data Allowance Status Meter in real time? (I am pretty sure it is because I check it before and after a 1 hour show and see it go down). 
  - Is there some way that the data useage from Netflix or other sites is not counted until later or ? Like, does the SCS delay showing usage for some things? 

 - I checked to see what devices are connected as per another thread here, but it won't show my desktop and sometimes doesn't show an ipad when connected and also shows an old dead computer as being online a week ago. So that wasn't much help. 
  - **Why does the hourly meter say it's in EST when I'm positive it's not?  I ask this because I am sure that I got up early yesterday AM to download two files and my computer shows that they were created at 6:44am and 6:46am yesterday, well before the end of bonus time. Each was 1.37GB (two of them, total about 2.8GB). The Hourly usage meter says that there was 3089.72 MB used in the 6am-7am EST hour-but I'm in the PST which would be 3-4AM. I was NOT up then.  And in the 9-10am EST hour (which is where it should show my download there is only 157MB.) So clearly this is NOT showing EST. 
Additionally, on 9/29 I WAS up at 2am and downloaded stuff from 2:07-3:34 or so. The hourly meter shows heavy usage from 2-4am. So it's NOT in EST. 

So that means the 1.7GB used between (what the hourly meter says is) 12midnight to 1am which is really 12-1am my time and I know I went to sleep a little after 11:50pm and the last thing I did was send a note on Facebook on my ipad (date stamped). And all of my auto-updates on the ipad are turned off. The ONLY thing I can see is that I may not have turned the wifi off on the ipad last night (since i sent a message right before bed) and Instagram and Shazam were still running...please don't tell me Instagram ate that much...the ipad was closed/sleeping but  not powered down...I've checked everything I can think of...that's the only possibility.

I'm just grasping at straws here because we're doing everything right and I noticed a big drop today, and found that huge chunk gone...

Thanks Community! 

[GabeU]

@udanwudeligv

First, if by the hourly meter you are referring to the old site that shows data usage by the hour, I'm not really sure, but I do know this site is not recommended for monitoring your data usage and isn't counted on as reliable.  It's specifically designed for the older legacy systems.  I do believe that the time is supposed to be in Eastern, though.  

The SCC data readings are in mostly in real time, as in it can take a few seconds for it to catch up.  It's the same with the Usage Meter, and the MyAccount site.  None of them are right to the second, but they usually catch up after a few seconds.  The best thing to do is refresh the data readings, like on the myAccount site, or refresh the webpage itself, to get the most current readings.  Again, though, they can still be a few seconds behind.  

Is it possible that one or more of your devices aren't getting a good WiFi signal?  I ask this because, chances are something legitimately used the data, but the data used can be increased if the signal isn't very good.  The devices will keep trying to the request the information, and if they don't get all of it, they'll ask again, over and over and over until they do.  

[udanwudeligv]

I just tried to reply and was shown a message that my reply was marked as spam, guessing it's because I posted the url to the hourly meter so I'll try to fix that...

This is the hourly site I was looking at:   http  :// customercare.  myhughesnet.  com /frmUsage  .cfm (remove the spaces).
I'm still on Gen 4 because I'm in one of those weird spots Gen5 doesn't reach...
Is that the site that's no longer accurate? Because something ate the data over night, and I can see that drop on the data allowance too...so I know it happened overnight, and everything else on it seems pretty accurate (several instances of odd times to download, etc.) 
Is there an hourly detailed reliable site? Seems fishy to me if they won't provide something that's accurate, or leave the old one up and tell you it's wrong. And the time is definitely the same as mine (PST)...so yeah that's messed up. 

No device is more than 30' from the wifi. My hubby can even get signal in the back yard, behind a building, so no, I don't think that's it. Only 2 computers and 2 tablets (one iPad and one Samsung something) on the premises and the only potential candidate for a data leak was about 20' from the wifi and had been used there (bedroom) for FB before bed...
I do refresh before I recheck the status meter...just watched 1.5 hours of Netflix and it only used .5GB...
It's hard to believe anything would use 1.7GB.

Could the wifi itself use that much? We used to turn it off at night (light pollution) but realized it updates during bonus time but if this was an update it wasn't during bonus time...
Do you know if I called CS at HN would they be able to tell me if it was something they were doing? 
We are just so careful because of this very reason...

[GabeU]

@udanwudeligv

Yep, that's the site.  It may very well be accurate in what's it's showing you.  It's just that, from what I understand, there's no way to guarantee that it is, so they don't recommend using it anymore.  It's definitely handy, though, no doubt.  

You can try calling, but to be honest, I'd rather have one of the reps on here look into it, were it me.  They'll be able to tell if anything looks funny with your system, like the aforementioned WiFi signal and things like that.  The phone reps might be able to do this, but I just see people having much better luck on here.  I personally do, as well.  

I would recommend, though, that if you do want the reps on here to take a look, you don't unplug the modem until they do.  If it's been plugged in since the data usage happened, the logs might be able to help them.  

The reps here are on M-F from approximately 8AM to 5PM EST.  They should reply within a day.  With that said, though, there is one on later than that once in a while as of late.  

[udanwudeligv · Accepted solution]

No our DVD player is not hooked to anything-it's old-school (gosh I love old-school!) 

But this morning when I got up I had no internet (funny that) so I called and after working on it a bit and getting it back on, I then addressed the data drain issue. 
She made sure I was saying it was not my drain and eventually gave me 1GB back (out of the 1.7GB I lost) so that's good enough. 
All I can say is I will be paying closer attention to being 110% sure everything is totally off every night and screen capturing before I go to bed, and monitoring during the day-including that old antiquated hourly usage meter. For what we all pay, I'm not going to ignore those kinds of drains...
Thanks everyone...

[maratsade]

Why don't you turn off the modem before you go to bed?  No power, no data usage.  (Just make sure to turn it off by disconnecting it from the wall or power strip or similar). 

[udanwudeligv]

maratsade - From what I'm to understand (and correct me if I'm wrong) Hughesnet does do updates to the modem software late at night-I guess that's why the "bonus time".  We've done that in the past only to have "updates" (not our computers, but the modem's) happen during regular hours, which is a data drain I don't need....
I hope that makes sense...

[GabeU]

@udanwudeligv

While the modem does check software when it starts, the amount of data used is very minimal.  The actual software/firmware updates/upgrades are usually done many months apart.  I know you have the HT1100, which I don't have, so I don't know when the last one was done, but I believe the last one for the HT2000W was done about six months ago.  And, though I could be wrong about this, when a software/firmware update/upgrade is performed, the data used for such is not deducted from the customer, as the modem is in an update/upgrade state rather than a normal operational state.  

If you're seeing the "Software download status" in a state of "Updating" on a regular basis, other than when you first power up the modem, this might be indicative of a problem.  I don't want to say that it is for sure, as I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure you should only be seeing the status of updating at modem startup and during the actual modem software/firmware updates/upgrades, which happens months apart.  

[GabeU]

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@udanwudeligv wrote:

She made sure I was saying it was not my drain and eventually gave me 1GB back (out of the 1.7GB I lost) so that's good enough. 

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That was nice of them to give you 1GB of data.  🙂  

[BirdDog]

@udanwudeligv

My DVD player also acts as a media player and has Netflix, Hulu and other streaming site capabilities built in. If yours has the same features and is connecting to the Internet it may be doing something in the background you're not aware of.

[udanwudeligv]

Nope, it's old school. And no internet connection.

[Bonnied50]

We're having same issues last 2 months. We are never home Monday thru Friday between 6 am 6 pm.... Weekends and evenings is when we are on the tablet or computer and maybe used total of 6 hours for the week .our bonus time we have 80% data left every month. Wish they would alot over the left over data from bonus to reg use time. They have you pinned on this one. 

None of our TV DVD player is connected to internet. Our tablet are off when were away. My computer is turned off and atuomatically disconnects from internet .We are frustrated. Our data was gone in a week and half when the new cycle started. Month before, 2.5 weeks, gone.

When the contract is up in April 2019, I will be looking into a provide like Petera out of Spokane. They use short radio waves, unlimited data and good pricing. We can get their service where we live thank goodness. Or Verizon wireless where we already have unlimited data just need to have them. Free of cost,  a signal booster proceeded in areas as ours .we get 4g signal outside the house and a signal booster they will provide. 

[GabeU]

@Bonnied50

Unless you figure out what it is that is using your data the chances are very good that you will experience the same issue no matter what service you have, and with a capped service it will continue to a be a problem.  With a truly unlimited service, however, it shouldn't matter.