Check your internet activity or network problems.
Check your internet activity or network problems.
I really don’t know how to name this! It seems there isn’t a proper section for such a topic, but all your feedback is appreciated. My main choice is LTE connection for my home internet since wired/fiber options are limited in my area. I won’t waste your time with unnecessary details—my plan is a monthly 60GB data allowance, with free data for social media and YouTube, so everything beyond that is capped. My usage mostly involves gaming or watching tutorials on YouTube, averaging around 50 to 60MBps both up and down, which works fine.
Recently, I’ve noticed data loss when using YouTube past the 60GB limit. Before you suggest contacting my carrier, I did so and they confirmed the lost data wasn’t used on YouTube—unusual, as their support team isn’t very helpful. If I spent more time with them over the phone, I might resort to risky methods.
I’m using two firewall tools: Glasswire (free version) and Windows 10 FirewallControl (Plus). I rely on Glasswire mainly for monitoring traffic and hosts, while Windows FirewallControl helps block apps and protocols. I keep it active because I live alone, my Wi-Fi is masked with a forgotten password, and I rarely connect family members. My PC uses root-level firewall for extra security.
As for the bigger issue, you might think it’s illegal or impractical, but I enjoy watching videos on YouTube—mostly tutorials and courses. I quit university, so it’s my alternative learning method, along with platforms like Lynda and Udemy. Most content is available for download via the YouTube app, though downloading through the LMS app feels strange.
My download manager, "Internet Download Manager," has been useful. It keeps things organized and prevents data overload when using multiple sources. However, when I use it to download from YouTube, I sometimes hit the 60GB cap, which is confusing since both my browser and the manager show data usage.
Thanks for understanding—I’m trying to stay within limits but still want to share what’s happening. If you have any suggestions, I really appreciate it!
I’m reviewing the information you provided. Some data appears here, though its origin isn’t clear. Do you have access to a dashboard from your ISP that shows what data is being used? How much data is involved—small or large? It might be something like a Windows update or a third-party app checking for updates. How often does this occur? Are there any timestamps around when it happens? Could the traffic come directly from YouTube rather than just Google servers? Have you tried stopping YouTube downloads for a few days to see if the usage changes?
Thanks for clarifying everything. Here’s a concise version of your points:
1) The ISP dashboard lets me track data usage accurately; I’ve been careful not to download anything recently.
2) My video consumption is about 4.2GB total across 24 videos, using the latest 1080p series.
3) I have two firewall tools installed, so no bandwidth spikes without my notice—no app updates or Windows updates either.
4) I started downloading videos from YouTube only in the past two months, so this issue has been emerging over the last couple of months.
5) I currently have around 12GB left (as of late May), down from 17GB a few weeks ago. My last question about data usage seems relevant—though I didn’t download anything today. With Glasswire, I logged about 4GB used on host.goglevideo.com or possibly cached content. One GB was attributed to Discord, Steam, Google Drive, etc.
6) Notably, I lost 4GB just by watching YouTube without downloading, suggesting the main issue is data usage rather than downloads.
7) It appears I might have hit a cap on my data (possibly around 100GB), and now I’m using a capped 60GB plan. I’m awaiting your response via email to confirm.
Thanks again for your help!
It renews each month, which is unusual. Besides the lack of public limits, they didn’t inform me or send a warning on the dashboard when I hit a threshold. I also haven’t received a response to my email yet.