I don't consume any data monthly.
I don't consume any data monthly.
I've seen the sticky thread that currently talks about how fast people's connections are - but I couldn't find anything on how much people actually use their connections. It's been a topic of some interest to me lately, as I have started doing more at home to secure and monitor my network. I have now set up an encrypted DNS proxy for all devices in the home, and in order to do that I had to set up a dedicated DHCP server as well - since our cable router doesn't have the ability to modify DHCP nameserver allocations away from our ISP provided ones (our ISP hijacks NX requests, which is a nightmare for traffic analysis). Our usage typically involves a LOT of streaming (Netflix, Amazon Video, iPlayer, YouTube, Twitch, etc), but also a lot of regular downloads - I've recently been redownloading some of my Steam library after a reinstall, so I could have a fresh slate for modding. In our case, we have 300/30 and in the last 3 weeks, we've downloaded just shy of 3TB of data, and just over 80GB upload. So, I wanted to ask the community about their usage. Feel free to post a little here about your connection, your network, what you use it for etc, but don't feel obligated. The questions in my poll are what I'm really interested in. Cheers!
I own 30 downloads and 1 upload. The process takes some time, but it's manageable. The cost is $50 USD overall. In Russia, where I'm staying, the rate is about $8 to $10 for each transaction.
Sorry about the upload, I'm eager for better quality files. Non-symmetrical content will linger for some time, but I hope you get ratios of at most 4:1. That's a great point in Russian though. Our 300/30 package includes TV and phone line with Virgin Media, but we're spending over £120 (around $160) each month for this bundle.
I dislike how uneven some connections appear. I get why async isn't available everywhere—especially on cable and DSL where it's linked to the home device's transmit power. Ratios like 20:1 are disappointing. It's only enough upload to process the ACKs needed for fast downloads. Thanks for your feedback.
The issue stems from the fact that the available frequency bands between 5 MHz and 42 MHz are limited, which often leads to poor upload speeds. Docsis 3.1 is expected to resolve this by upgrading their network infrastructure. My current provider, Comcast, only supports up to 10 Mbps across all connections, except for the Gigabit tier offering 40 Mbps. It seems another provider in a nearby city provides around 50 Mbps upload speeds on all tiers.
Absolutely, DSL behaves similarly to SDSL—it's symmetric—but it wasn't officially approved for speeds beyond the original ADSL limits and capabilities. The top-tier packages were essentially 4mbit up and down, often significantly lower, at a premium cost. For DSL, the focus shifted to the power required to send the signal back through the copper line. This setup was similar to what was used in cable for separating data from analog signals before full digital adoption. It's regrettable that this older approach remained in use after analog TV became obsolete. Thanks for the reply. To be honest, my current provider (Virgin Media, UK) is testing DOCSIS 3.1 now, with 500/500 and 500/100 options still in development. My existing plan isn't the fastest available for downloads, but we were lucky to retain the legacy upload speed of 30mbit. We're currently on 300/30, though the newest package they offer is 350/20. Moving backward seems unlikely—power users probably won’t notice much change between 300 and 350, but the jump from 10 Mbps to 20/30 Mbps upload is substantial when it matters most.