Summary
Home internet service never used to come with any limits, but now, data caps are becoming more common. If you have a data cap, there are things in your home that can burn through that cap quickly. Here are four things to look out for.
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It used to be that your home internet had unlimited data, while mobile data use was much more limited. Now, mobile data is moving to unlimited plans, and home internet sometimes has limits. If your home internet has limited bandwidth, here are four things that can quickly burn through your data cap.
For Personal Tech Media, this is Two Minute Tech. I’m Jim Herman.
First, streaming devices can hog bandwidth, even when you’re not using them. These devices may run screensavers when they’re not in use, and those screensavers can chew up your data, even when you’re not streaming. One estimate from HowToGeek said that a single Chromecast screensaver could burn up ten percent of a one terabyte data cap. To limit your data usage, switch your device to low-res screensavers.
Second, device updates can also burn through bandwidth. Windows typically downloads updates automatically. However, these updates can use a large amount of bandwidth as they’re being downloaded. You may want to turn off automatic downloads so that you can decide to do them when it makes sense for you.
Third, cloud storage can use up your bandwidth. All the files that you save will need to be sent to your cloud provider. If you’ve saved many files into your cloud folders recently, syncing them to the cloud may burn through your bandwidth.
And fourth, if you have a gamer in your home, online games can take up a lot of bandwidth to download and play. It might not make your gamer very happy, but if you need a solid internet connection or you’re worried about data caps, you may need to limit your gamer’s time online.