Bandwidth Usage
Know How You Use the Internet
Knowing how much data you use regularly is important. It can give you clues to potential problems early on.
When you download software updates or other large files, you’ll see one-day spikes. These are common. However, usage that increases significantly and remains at a high level for several days could be a problem. It could mean:
- Someone is using your wireless network without your knowledge
- You have a virus or spyware
- There was a technical glitch
Notice a long-term usage increase or something that looks strange?
- Log in to My Account.
- In the Services section next to Internet, select Check Usage.
- View your usage by the hour, day, month or year to date.
The bandwidth utilization report measures all data usage flowing through your cable modem – showing you the total data usage for all of the devices on your home network. Bandwidth usage is typically presented in GB (gigabytes), though you can look at the information by KB (kilobytes), MB (megabytes) and TB (terabytes).
How much bandwidth do certain activities take? Here are some examples:
- Website browsing for 10 hours = 0.005 GB
- Sending 100 emails = 0.008 GB
- Posting 100 photos = 0.05 GB
- Streaming music for 1 hour = 0.05 GB
- Playing games for 10 hours = 0.5 GB
- Streaming HD video = up to 3 GB per hour per device
Data usage changes over time as you use the internet and the services and applications available for it. Each home’s usage profile is unique – which is evident in the report’s daily, weekly and monthly averages that you can compare.
