Do you know your download limit?

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Exceeding your download limit can be a very expensive experience. To help avoid a nasty shock when your broadband bill arrives, check out my top tips for monitoring your usage.

Earlier this month a friend of mine had a near heart attack when she discovered her internet provider, BT, had taken around an additional £200 out of her bank account – more than ten times what she usually pays for her monthly broadband package.

Convinced it was all a horrible mistake, my friend called BT ready to rant and rave. However, to her horror she was informed the extra £200 bill was in fact the total amount of charges she had racked up by continuously exceeding her download limit.

What download limit? Megabyte…Gigabyte? Does watching TV online count as a download? Why didn’t they warn me?! (These were just some questions my friend bombarded me with mid-panic.)

And it would seem my friend is not alone. According to a recent survey by Broadbandchoices.co.uk, nearly half of broadband users do not know how much online content they download every month. And a worrying 20% of broadband users have no idea what the terms of their download limit/fair usage policy is.

Determined to help, I put on my fetching personal finance hat and got to work.

What is a download limit?

A download limit is quite simply how much data you are allowed to download from the internet each month before extra charges are imposed. This amount is measured in kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).

You will use up some of your download allowance simply by surfing the internet and sending emails. But if you spend hours using iPlayer and regularly download music and film you will use a lot more.

When you purchase a broadband package you need to decide if you want a deal that allows you a limited number of downloads or one that allows you unlimited downloads. However bear in mind that if you do opt for an unlimited download package you will be still be subject to your provider’s fair usage policy. (You can read more on this later).

How much do I download?

It is all very well agreeing to a download limit of 10 or 20GB, but what do these numbers really mean and what will contribute to your usage?

As a very rough guide:

• Viewing 25 web pages uses around 1MB
• Downloading one music track uses 4MB
• Downloading a film uses 225MB
• Watching TV online (streaming) for just a few hours can use around 2GB

However, unless you make a note every time you download a song or watch an episode of your favourite TV show, these numbers are only good for giving you a very rough estimate of how much you’re downloading.

To help monitor your usage more effectively, it’s a sensible idea to download a free bandwidth monitor. For example, if you register with Broadbandchoices.co.uk you can download the Broadband Download Monitor for free. This clever tool will track your downloads and alert you when you get near the limit you have set.

Other similar services available include the Thinkbroadband ttbMeter, Rokario Bandwidth Monitor and the Softpedia NetMeter.

What will happen if I go over my limit?

The consequences of exceeding your download limit depend on what provider you are with.

With BT, for example, although you will not be disconnected if you exceed your limit two months in a row you will be charged £1 for every extra GB you use. In addition to being fined, you may also find your speed is ‘throttled’ (slowed) at peak times – this is usually from 5pm – midnight everyday.

BT should send you an email informing you when you are nearing your limit and further notification if you exceed your limit. However, be aware that these e-mails may not always get delivered to the same email account your bills are sent to.

Going back to the earlier example of my friend, when she asked BT why she hadn’t received any warning emails she was told the notifications had been sent to a separate email account they had set up for her when purchased her package.

If I have an unlimited deal can I download what I want?

If you opt for an unlimited download deal, it is important to be aware that this does not necessarily mean you can download as much as you like. You will be subject to your Internet Service Provider’s ‘fair usage policy’.

This means if you are a heavy user and your provider feels your downloading activity is slowing the connection speed for others, your own connection may be throttled to restrict how much you can download.

Worryingly, according to the survey by Broadbandchoices.co.uk almost a quarter of people are completely unaware that the vast majority of unlimited download packages come with fair usage policies attached.

This could prove to be a costly mistake as breaching these rules can result in penalty fines being incurred.

Five fab deals

Here are five of our top deals for medium to heavy broadband users who regularly download and watch TV online:

Terms & conditions apply – see ISP sites for full details

^ Monthly cost excludes line rental

^ ^ Subject to fair usage policies

*Free for 2 months, £28 thereafter when you take Virgin Phone

Top tips

Finally, here are a couple of top tips to help you manage your downloading and avoid any extra expensive charges.

• If you regularly use TV download applications such as BBC iPlayer and 4OnDemand, in my opinion you should always opt for an unlimited package as you can gobble a 2GB allowance in just a few hours– especially if more than one of you in the house own laptops.
• Ensure you always disable download applications when they are not in use. If you don’t they may continue to run in the background even after you think you have closed them.
• Turn off your peer-to-peer. Some programs use peer-to-peer software to share files faster between users. However, again, simply closing them may mean they continue to run in the background.
• Try to download during off peak hours - at night. You should find your music and movie files download a lot quick

**This material is for information purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. We strongly encourage our readers not to rely solely on this content, but to seek independent advice when making financial decisions.**

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