For most additional bandwidth charges we can go back up to a month* to put you on a plan that works best for you.
*Some restrictions apply.
Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, etc. are big users of bandwidth. On HD (1080p) quality 1 hour of streaming is about 1GB-3GB of bandwidth. We want you to have very watchable video while lowering bandwidth usage, so we recommend switching your streaming platform to DVD quality (480p). On DVD quality, videos use about 0.3GB-1GB per hour. This can reduce your usage tenfold. Remember you must lower resolution on each device individually. Steps to do this can be found online, or give our office a call.
Sometimes we will start a video on a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, etc. and then walk away or turn off the TV. This causes the streaming platform to still use bandwidth to get the video stream, but no one is watching it. Some devices will auto turn off on their own, but do so after an hour or so of idle time. The best solution is to power off if you are done watching.
Some newer routers can monitor the traffic going through each device. In the settings you may be able to set limits or times on those devices so they do not use unnecessary bandwidth. You can also power off your router during the night to prevent auto-downloads from occurring without your knowledge.