broadband usage

Hi I am on Bt Broadband with a 10gig limit, I received an e mail today from BT informing me that I am near my limit. I have never used any more than 3 gig a month for years as I do not down load anything other than I Player and the odd I Tunes. I am a new Mac user also it the first time I have used wifi, I have followed advice on setting my hub security is it possible that someone else is using my broadband to download. Is there a usage meter that I can install so that I can check the usage,I had a nifty one on my pc. I have been using the sleep function to close when I finish using my Mac, could this be letting anyone in?

G'day and welcome to the forums.

A 10GB limit is not real big these days if you are into iTunes. Suggest contacting BT and asking if they recommend a suitable usage meter. If you log into your account you should be able to access the amount you have used for the current month.

Also inquire if they sell additional blocks. And if this continues suggest closing down to see if the usage pattern changes.

If you're reasonably sure you're not using up 10GB, I'd ask if you're operating a wireless network. And if so, do you have WPA enabled to prevent your neighbors from leeching your connection?

also if you play games on facebook, watch things on youtube, that also explains a lot too

allchange said:

I have never used any more than 3 gig a month for years

I am a new Mac user also it the first time I have used wifi

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I do not understand how these two sentences can co-exist.

As a BT user also, I have a feeling I fell for a con.

I had the 10gb limit, and received the same message from them - I was over the limit for a certain month but this time they wouldn't charge. So, feeling they had been reasonable I allowed them to upgrade me to the 40gb limit, and I kept an eye on usage.
Surprisingly I didn't actually exceed the old limit during the next couple of months, so I wonder if your usage as portrayed by BT has been misrepresented in order to get you to upgrade to the next level.

Of course, once I got used to having a 40gb limit I'm downloading so much there's no way back!

Cheers

Hugh

chas_m said:

I do not understand how these two sentences can co-exist.

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Could be - that the OP has been using wired networks for years - and just now got Wifi.

Hi harryb2448 thanks for the greeting 10 GB is usually enough for my browsing, BT do now have a usage meter all though it is not very good it is better than nothing. Shikarnov yes I have WPA enabled. IvanLasston got it in one not really difficult. cha-m 1st I have been a pc user for many years and in all that time I have never exeeded my usage. 2nd I am a new Mac user so I am still finding my way around also it is the first time that I have had a wireless connection so I was not sure about the security issues. I think that when I did my first software update on Mac I downloaded a very large file, I have spoken to another Mac user and am informed that I should be more selective in what I update.

Operating System updates are for very good reasons, and lately Lion updates, and even Snow Leopard, often run over the 1GB mark, which in a half hour os so uses up 10% of your monthly allowance. Do you turn your Mac off at night to prevent downloads occurring? Looking at BT forums there are lots of complaints about the usage gauge BT uses. My ISP here Down Under provides download and uploads on a daily basis and as a per cent age of your monthly allowance.

harryb2448 Yes I have been leaving my Mac on sleep mode perhaps I will turn it off just to be sure about the downloads. As for being selective the big download I mentioned had a vast amount of languages that I probably did not need as I only know one;D, that took about an hour and a half to download. BT is not the most helpful ISP and it really needs to look at its usage meter but as it owns most of the telephone network I really think it dose not give a jot for customer relations.

I use around 4gb of data a day but I have unlimited data you should make sure that you have your wifi secured.

allchange said:

BT is not the most helpful ISP and it really needs to look at its usage meter but as it owns most of the telephone network I really think it dose not give a jot for customer relations.

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Check to see if you can login to an account on their website. I suggest this because you can sometimes get a visual representation of your bandwidth usage (as harryb2448 suggested above).

https://www.bt.com/appsauth/genericlogin.do?TYPE=33554433&REALMOID=06-97c7b65c-4070-10cb-a9e1-83aaa3f30cb3&GUID=&SMAUTHREASON=0&METHOD=GET&SMAGENTNAME=$SM$6Y64TnvLdGEZ%2f1F3Ax4OkMCGZRCpxvXYWPwztgo6hgzwfvQFg7bX8lsGBD4BpAie&TARGET=$SM$HTTP%3a%2f%2fwww%2ebt%2ecom%2fappsyouraccount%2fusage%2fviewYourBroadbandUsage%2edo%3facKey%3d13871028 takes you to a login screen; once logged in successfully it passes you on to the broadband usage page for your account.
However, I think the OP already has this info.

Cheers

Hugh

hugtheslug you are correct I do have a link to the BT usage meter but it is very basic but it is better than nothing. I was hoping to find a usage meter that had more details about what is coming and going. I have found some on Google but the reviews on them are not very good,I shall keep looking.

Just my thoughts..being a grumpy middle-aged man. BT can keep my copper line rental and that's all they get from me, it's theirs and it works.

It appears to be the most sought after commodity by all the providers because none of them will give you that 'must have' deal without you agreeing to migrate it.

Divide and rule, keep your BB separate and if you can your TV as well

Unfortunately though, in my village the line hasn't been opened for other providers, so we're stuck with BT only until that happens.

Cheers

Hugh

hugtheslug said:

Unfortunately though, in my village the line hasn't been opened for other providers, so we're stuck with BT only until that happens.

Cheers

Hugh

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I didn't think that that was possible under the Telecommunications Laws and Regulations.

By all means keep your line with BT but you should be able to play the market for BB etc.

Cheers,
Liam

Well, when we moved last year O2 said they couldn't transfer their service because the line hadn't been unbundled.
Actually had a lot of bother with O2 because at first they said that as they couldn't provide the service they would terminate the contract at no cost, followed swiftly by a demand for the balance, and a denial of what they'd origianally stated. I didn't pay them though after a lot of argueing.

Cheers

Hugh

Hmm...and this is the problem. The line in my opinion is now the golden fleece, everyone wants it..Sky want it, Virgin want it etc etc etc.

The line is what it is, and is owned by BT; they have to open it up so that other providers can service you on it, but at the end of the day it is still BT's. That is unless you sign the rental over to someone like 02 who won't actually own the line it but will treat it like they do by the contractual bind.

Glad you didn't pay.

Cheers,
Liam