Does Netflix dramatically increase your internet usage?

[nothing.sound]

Hi guys, I just got netflix last week on Monday, (so a week and a half ago)and I got a notice on my computer saying that Im way over my 60 gb usage. I already owe an extra 20 bucks on my internet bill in just a week and a half. Is this because of netflix. Any help would be great. Thanks

I have pretty much watched a movie a day since I got it.

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by nothing.sound

Hi guys, I just got netflix last week on Monday, (so a week and a half ago)and I got a notice on my computer saying that Im way over my 60 gb usage. I already owe an extra 20 bucks on my internet bill in just a week and a half. Is this because of netflix. Any help would be great. Thanks

I have pretty much watched a movie a day since I got it.

Could be, but i'm no tech geek. I heard on NPR that some internet company was gonna have to increase rates to it's customers based solely on the fact that they had to increase their bandwidth because of people watching netflix streaming every night.

[octagon]

You're esssentially downloading a movie. Granted, Netflix tends to compress their stuff to within a pixel of its life but that's still a lot of data.

[mywhitenoise]

Originally Posted by nothing.sound

Hi guys, I just got netflix last week on Monday, (so a week and a half ago)and I got a notice on my computer saying that Im way over my 60 gb usage. I already owe an extra 20 bucks on my internet bill in just a week and a half. Is this because of netflix. Any help would be great. Thanks

I have pretty much watched a movie a day since I got it.

Damn, dude...only 60GB of usage? I download 5x that in a week, haha!

[nothing.sound]

Originally Posted by mywhitenoise

Damn, dude...only 60GB of usage? I download 5x that in a week, haha!

yeah and the crazy part is that I wasn't even at half of that until I got netflix. Than apparently I used 40 gigs in a week and a half.

[iam1bearcat]

shows how much i know, i didn't even know there were internet plans that gave you a limit on internet usage!

[The_Donster]

Yeah, I'm on Comcast and they started doing that. Luckily both my 360 and Netflix haven't made a dent in what I use. It will be interesting to see what happens now that I have a blu-ray though.

[Peakr]

Netflix uses some crappy compression method. Even HD content can't be more than 3-4Gb per movie. I'd make sure your network is secure and dig around for how much bandwidth that xbox uses. Comcast is the devil. Hopefully the FCC will put a dent in their monopoly schemes.

[mywhitenoise]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

shows how much i know, i didn't even know there were internet plans that gave you a limit on internet usage!

Comcast does...that's a big reason everybody hates them. I use Surewest, 30Mbps upload/download, and $20 a month cheaper than Comcast's similar plan.

[The_Donster]

It honestly sounds like something isn't secure and someone is piggy backing off your signal. I've got my stuff locked down. My neighbors on the other hand don't. Every time I've set up something their networks pop up. I've tried talking to them about it, but it falls on deaf ears. I guess Comcast isn't as bad in my neck of the woods. That or I just don't pay attention. Not too many alternatives unless I want to go satellite though.

[Rob J in WNY]

Netflix HD requires a continuous 5mbps inbound connection. My cable connection typically tests between 15 and 20 mbps, with occasional speeds up to 30mbps. But, I've had problems recently. Technicians came to my home twice as I have had some serious speed issues - connection falling to less than 4mbps (even testing directly from modem wired to computer). Using Netflix HD brought the problem to my attention when I started getting repeated buffering.

They gave me a new cable modem (replaced a three year old one) and everything seems to be fine again. They may have made some managerial tweaks on the node that I am on as well. Of course, my wireless network is secured. I stream Netflix HD via wireless N to my bedroom system without a problem at all.

And yes, there's no doubt that my usage has gone up significantly since joining Netflix. Their current standard for HD is 720p and lossy 2 channel audio. I often chuckle at the idea that someone at my ISP is saying "Mr. Rob J's account is showing some serious increases in bandwidth."

I have enacted my router's usage meter and intend to check it after one month. It should be pretty interesting...

Make no mistake, though. For those curious about it, Netflix HD does require a minimum of 5mbps. Anything less will incite buffering or will fall back to SD video - a noticeable decrease in video quality. If your service is "right on the line" testing at 5mbps, then you may find Netflix HD streaming frustrating.

[The_Donster]

Thanks for your post Rob. Looks like I'll be calling tomorrow and seeing if I can get someone out here to check out what I have. I just bought my tv and blu-ray last week. Sounds like we have had similar issues and I'm hoping it is just a modem switch out.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Rob J in WNY

Make no mistake, though. For those curious about it, Netflix HD does require a minimum of 5mbps. Anything less will incite buffering or will fall back to SD video - a noticeable decrease in video quality.

3.0, actually, to get the minimum required level of MediumHD.
Still, that's a lot of MB to be flowing in and out for a two hour movie.

If you're only watching the SD fare on a 1.5 connection, the usage is going to be less--
My (ahem) normal insanely-overpriced Comcast account puts the surcharge meter at 250GB a month--or about 9GB a day--and I worry about that.
(But haven't seem to have gone over the limit yet.)

[Xerios]

Originally Posted by mywhitenoise

Damn, dude...only 60GB of usage? I download 5x that in a week, haha!

i do about a TB a month

luckily Cablevision doesnt Packetshape / regulate my usage... or id have been in jail many years ago lol

why are you charged per usage OP? is it cheaper considerably?

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by The_Donster

It honestly sounds like something isn't secure and someone is piggy backing off your signal.

Not really. If the OP streamed a movie a day for 10 straight days at ~4GB per movie, that's 40GB, which is exactly the additional amount he posted for a week and half's worth of usage. No one else is using his bandwidth. Video streaming is just much more bandwidth-intensive than the average internet surfing that most people do.

[nothing.sound]

Originally Posted by Xerios

i do about a TB a month

luckily Cablevision doesnt Packetshape / regulate my usage... or id have been in jail many years ago lol

why are you charged per usage OP? is it cheaper considerably?

well im with Rogers in Canada, and I am allowed 60 gb a month, anything over I have to pay $2 a gig. The Highest I got in previous months was 17 GB. Than in November after just joining Netflix I was up to 70 GB. lol

I got my network secured with a password last night. And now my internet is almost twice as fast. This gives me the impression that someone else was using my connection. However I'm pretty sure it was Netflix that drove up my usage.

Something that was weird I noticed is when I checked online about my usage. It says that I have mega bytes used up in uploading. I found this odd since I never upload anything at all. Does anyone know what that could be about?

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by Xerios

i do about a TB a month

luckily Cablevision doesnt Packetshape / regulate my usage... or id have been in jail many years ago lol

why are you charged per usage OP? is it cheaper considerably?

Because he probably lives in Canada.

I have 100 gigs / month and I pay 79.99$ for a 30mbps connection.

[master_8ball]

Originally Posted by nothing.sound

well im with Rogers in Canada, and I am allowed 60 gb a month, anything over I have to pay $2 a gig. The Highest I got in previous months was 17 GB. Than in November after just joining Netflix I was up to 70 GB. lol

I got my network secured with a password last night. And now my internet is almost twice as fast. This gives me the impression that someone else was using my connection. However I'm pretty sure it was Netflix that drove up my usage.

Something that was weird I noticed is when I checked online about my usage. It says that I have mega bytes used up in uploading. I found this odd since I never upload anything at all. Does anyone know what that could be about?

I'm with Rogers as well, 60gigs a month is nothing and that is why I have not signed up for Netflix. It will only be a matter of time before Netflix Canada says something though as I am sure the ridiculously low bandwidth caps here in Ontario are hurting their sales.

I must have read something that was wrong though as I read that a HD streaming movie is about 7-8 gigs.

[aznkidlee]

I have Verizon FIOS with 25 Down/ 25 Upload and I do not know of any bandwidth caps. I have Netflix too and I pretty much use it everynight, not sure how much bandwidth I'm using tho. Anybody kno any software that I can use to track it?

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by nothing.sound

Something that was weird I noticed is when I checked online about my usage. It says that I have mega bytes used up in uploading. I found this odd since I never upload anything at all. Does anyone know what that could be about?

Anything sent out beyond your router from computers on your local network uses "upload" bandwidth so you're uploading even if you don't realize it. For example, if you send e-mails, then you upload. I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be megabytes-worth though, unless you sent some attachments. Additionally, any number of applications and even your OS may be sending some amount of data (usage statistics, version numbers to check for updates, etc). Again, I wouldn't expect that data to add up to much - it just depends.