upgrading internet and equipment for multitasking

Dos And Don'ts Of Reacting To A Bandwidth Limit Warning

10 January 2019 by Isabelle Jensen

As the end of the month approaches, it's possible that you may receive a notice from your home internet provider that warns you about your bandwidth usage. If you have a monthly bandwidth limit, your ISP will alert you when you get within a certain threshold of it, for example, 75 percent. Such a notice, especially if you haven't previously received one, can often be a shock to you. Here are some dos and don'ts of reacting to it.

Do: Consider If Your Usage Is Unique

If you've gone several months in which your bandwidth falls within the limit, and have now received a warning, you should consider whether this month's usage has been unique. For example, if you were sick for more than a week and spent much of that time streaming HD videos, you'll have understandably used more bandwidth than usual. You don't necessarily need to take any action if it's evident that this month's use is an anomaly.

Don't: Panic About Overage Fees

ISPs charge their customers a set rate for exceeding their monthly bandwidth limits, and this information will be spelled out to you in your emailed notice. Don't panic about the fees that you might incur, especially if it's still relatively early in the month and you feel that it's likely your family will exceed the limit. Overage fees are very reasonable, and while they vary from ISP to ISP, surpassing your limit won't be financially difficult.

Do: Evaluate An Upgrade

If you don't believe that your internet usage for the month has been unique, you may not want to deal with such warnings in the future. It may simply be time to upgrade your home internet package, either by choosing a package with a higher bandwidth limit, or perhaps even opting for a package that offers unlimited bandwidth. The latter may be preferable to those who stream and download frequently, and who don't want to worry about overage fees.

Don't: Dramatically Restrict Your Usage

It's understandable that you might seek to dramatically restrict your usage of the internet in your home until the end of the month in order to avoid going over your limit. The idea of not streaming videos, downloading music, or playing online video games can seem prohibitive, however, and won't likely be a popular decision with your children. Instead of restricting your usage, decide to either upgrade your package or deal with the overage fees.

Share

Search