How to Avoid Hitting Your Internet Data Cap?

Data throttling is something that you might come across once you reach a specific data limit for the month. It depends mainly on the provider, so choose wisely. Though internet plans with unlimited data are the preferable choice, subscribing to internet plans like Cox internet deals with massive data limits works equally. The considerable data limit is more than sufficient for you to carry out heavy online activities throughout the month and not consume it entirely. Most internet service providers intentionally cap the data so that they can charge you for any extra usage. The data caps vary from provider to provider. It would help if you first began by understanding what activities use data the most and analyze your data requirements. Here are sure of the best tips to get started:

Understanding Data Usage

Activities like checking your email or browsing through your social media accounts would not make any difference in a 1024 GB data limit, for instance. However, heavy online activities, like online streaming, can consume more data. It is imperious to be conscious of your data usage since it will guide you to keep your data consumption under control and choose the right internet plan in the first place.

Limiting your Resolution and Bandwidth

In case you are a heavy streamer and love watching videos online, you must know that streaming eats away your data within no time. Therefore, here are some of the things you can do to minimize data consumption. First thing’s first. Let us check out how Netflix streaming uses data:

• Netflix consumes around 0.7 GB/h for standard definition or 720p video
• 3 GB/h for high definition or 1080p video
• 7 GB/h for 4K UHD video

The greater the video output, the more the data consumption. If you are using 4K streaming, you should go back to 1080p as that can help save data. The jump back to 720p can be a hard one, but it can be beneficial in lowering data usage.

Also Read: Things to Look for When Appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO)

Video Games

Playing video games online might not add to data consumption as much as downloading them does. All gamers know that downloading games require enormous data. You can end up using as much as 50 GB to 60 GB by just downloading a couple of games. If you plan on playing new games, you must keep an eye on the remaining data usage and schedule your downloads accordingly. It can save you from paying any data overage fee.

Utilizing Off-Peak Hours

You can check if your internet service provider offers off-peak hours, where the data you use does not add up to your cap. You can call them up to ask this. In case off-peak hours are available, you can make use of the free data offered. Though it might be during the late hours at night, you can still schedule your big downloads accordingly in those off-peak hours to avoid running out of data allowance.

Avoiding Mobile Data Caps

You can avoid reaching the mobile data limit by making use of data compression. It can do by compressing the downloaded data, which reduces your data consumption significantly. You can also use a VPN that offers data compression. Try force-closing apps running in the background as they also eat up your data. It is essential to monitor the data usage on your devices.

Also Read: Why Internet Users Should be Concerned About Their Data Privacy

Go for a Bigger Plan

In case you try out the tips and still end up running out of data, then it is about time that you upgrade to a more effective internet plan. Though you might have to pay a little more money, it can be worth it. After, what is the point of paying for a lower-tier plan with a lesser data limit and getting charged for a data overage fee that can add $10 for every 10 GB block? Therefore, you can lookout for a better provider or a better internet plan with faster speeds and ideally, no data caps.

Wrapping Up,

Data caps imposed by certain internet service providers can indeed be a nuisance, but they are still manageable. You have to analyze your data requirements by assessing your online routines and choose a suitable internet plan that can suffice it. Keep an eye on the data consumption and follow the tips above to avoid reaching your data cap limit. By paying a little attention and being more careful with scheduling your significant downloads, you can indeed prevent hitting your data limit.