NBN internet usage 7GB in less than two hours

voteoften on 13/09/2014 - 13:39
Last edited 17/09/2014 - 09:55

I've recently moved and had NBN installed with iinet. For the first week, I didn't have the appropriate modem, so I was connected via a cable.

I received an email last night from iinet saying I had already churned through 16 of my 20G allowance.

We do not download or stream any entertainment, including music.

I checked my internet usage and on one period of less than 2 hours shows that I used 7 GB of data. All I did during that time was check qantas, virgin, iwantthatflight, cheapo air and some hotels. I also emailed a one page excel spreadsheet.

Since the wifi was not connected, I can't really consider that someone hacked that.

For the past 18 years, someone else has paid my internet so this business with usage is a bit vague for me. But, the couple of people that I have spoken with think that is really not possible wiithout downloads.

Does anyone have any idea how I can figure out where this usage came from?

UPDATE: I am not sure how it happened, but the 7GB of usage on the 9th has disappeared from my account. I still have 3GB and 5GB showing on my account on the 11th and 12th. All of my other days now range from 0.22GB to 0.67GB so it appears that there was either a malware in my laptop that my free subscription to AVG got rid of or iinet fixed a problem. Thanks everyone who helped.

Internet

Comments

        • Dan_ on 17/09/2014 - 13:29

          @mattyman: You don't need a router with any internet connection if you have a standalone modem. The question is, is it a standalone?

        • Magus on 18/09/2014 - 13:09

          @Dan_: Correct. No router required. Modem has no place on an NBN connected system. Be aware though that without a router or decent firewall, your system is exposed. ie it is a HUGE security risk.

  • bondy28 on 16/09/2014 - 16:50
    -1

    I have disputed usage before. Regardless of whether you did it or not… persistence is the key. Call up and ask for a break down of the usage. If they are unable to provide it you can dispute that it must have been in error. Repeat yourself, ask to speak with management. Repeat yourself again. They will eventually fold. They will tell you they can't provide usage information for security reasons. This will be the basis of your argument. Good luck man. I was hit up for 3.5k charges personally and they kept saying they will reduce it to 70 and I kept going till they dropped it all. ;)

    • Apoca89 on 16/09/2014 - 17:16
      -1

      So your saying to the main company trying to STOP net monitoring that they must monitor you or you won't pay? Grey ground here for the morals… And the future

  • bondy28 on 16/09/2014 - 18:17

    I am merely stating that without proof they cannot ensure a mistake has not been made. Good work on misinterpreting me though.

    • Dan_ on 17/09/2014 - 13:32
      +1

      And Apoca is saying they cannot have the proof you're after unless they monitor. Where's the misinterpretation?

  • bam on 16/09/2014 - 18:21

    Haha super fast nbn and you skimped on the data allowance?
    Upgrade your plan pronto dude.

  • Aneurism on 16/09/2014 - 20:50

    Perhaps the OP had a wireless modem hooked up that didn't have a password set.

  • voteoften on 17/09/2014 - 06:16

    I have gone into my iinet account and checked for usage.

    The 7GB on the 9th has magically disappeared. I still have 3GB on the 11th and 5GB on the 12th. But now my total usage is down to about 10GB for a fortnight.

    My daily usage has dropped to between 0.22 GB to 0.670GB per day.

    So it looks like something may have resolved itself. Now I have all this extra data to use up….. :-)

    I need to figure out how to download movies and the like.

    Thanks everyone.

    If you use iinet, that iinet checked that was suggested above is really nice.

    • DeWalt on 17/09/2014 - 07:21
      +6

      thanks voteoften,
      If you think it was a mistake by iiNet and it's been resolved, can you please update your summary. It will be useful for anyone reading the thread. If you prefix your update with the word "update". It makes it obvious your issue evolved.
      Glad it's fixed for you.

      • voteoften on 17/09/2014 - 09:55

        Thanks. Good idea.

    • twocsies on 17/09/2014 - 12:35

      Some movies are legitimately available as torrents. However, many torrents are not endorsed by the content owners.

      Telstra's $9.99 per month service seems good, for all the videos you want.
      https://www.presto.com.au

      • c0balt on 17/09/2014 - 16:41

        Presto seems so expensive compared to Netflix, with a smaller library that most titles seem to be additional rental purchases rather than included in the base package.

        Netflix at less than 9AUD/month and using the free VPN tools such as Mediahint or Hola seems a much better recommendation to go on a site that's about bargains. You will be supporting content owners just the same rather than supporting those dinosaurs in the business of price gouging content delivery systems - such as Foxtel.

        • twocsies on 17/09/2014 - 17:57

          Netflix isn't a bargain at the new Presto pricing. US$8.99 is currently AUD$9.91. Presto costs AUD$9.99. And no lock-in contract is also a plus.

          At the old price I'd understand the price gouging claim but at the new price it's the same as Netflix and less hassle. One disadvantage is that Presto doesn't have as many new release rentals as Netflix.

          Also VPN tools are a bit of a hassle and hard to keep on top of which ones are the good ones. IF they are popular then they must charge because the bandwidth rates are too high. For example, Media Hint is now charging a monthly fee. You really need to talk to someone who uses a particular VPN if that's what you want to do.

          Usually I watch ABC iView. http://iview.abc.net.au/
          Or use Hulu via VPN.

        • mirridon on 17/09/2014 - 18:26

          Hulu and ABC iView cannot be compared to Netflix though.

          Netflix have both movies and TV Shows, whereas hulu is TV Shows only. The other optional movies on HULU are quite…. out of the ordinary if I do say so myself.

          Netflix at $7.99 not 8.99, is a far better choice than presto.

          I personally would like to see a all-in one service that offers both TV and Movies, both old and current. It should be bundled and offered world wide. Will this ever happen? Not for a long time. Spotify have it right with music, why not the same with TV and movies?

  • [Deactivated] on 17/09/2014 - 12:27

    You can check how much bandwidth your computer is using at any given time with the application networx.
    http://www.softperfect.com/products/networx/

    I've used it alot. Mainly when I was in share-housing and my landlord would point the finger at me for using all the bandwidth and I had to prove otherwise. It should however be able to do these things for you:

    1. Show bandwidth usage in real time, i.e. 250kb down/15kb up speed being used at this time
    2. Give warnings when usage is being used excessively
    3. Show how much bandwith is being used by each application (I've set this up before, it was a pain but after about an hour I got it to work. If you choose this path I do remember that you couldn't set Networx to meter all network connections you had to set it to monitor only one)
    4. Disconnect your internet connection for you if usage exceeds a level set by you
  • horseshoe on 17/09/2014 - 19:52
    +1

    On a related note, 20GB is absolutely nothing and you won't last long if you start getting a habit of watching HD streaming video with your new fibre.
    If you're not locked into a contract already, you should consult Whirlpool for the best NBN plans around. I'm with Exetel and pay $40/month for 100GB at 12Mbps/1Mbps speed.

  • cycleri3 on 17/09/2014 - 23:10
    +1

    NBN with 20GB Cap? I am not adding anything helpful to your question but this is like buying a Ferrari and only being able to use it on a 200 metre strip of road!

    • Wiggleh on 18/09/2014 - 06:55

      Agreed.

      But OP said he was not offered broadband or ADSL..

      • scrimshaw on 18/09/2014 - 13:46

        Here's the deal with the NBN. Since it's in the transitory stage, you can expect it to be 2 of the below:

        [] Fast
        [] Cheap
        [] Generous download quota

        TPG I reckon would be the obvious choice for big downloaders. They offer unlimited NBN but on a throttled connection (12Mbps/1Mbps) for $59.99. That ticks both the cheap and download quota boxes but it ain't fast.

        It's like we've gone back to the early days of cable internet… 2004 era, 60 or 80 dollars for 8 gigs of quota.

  • thebeast456 on 18/09/2014 - 20:17

    What sort of society do we live in where any ISP would offer 20gb plans on NBN? they must be cracking up laughing when they issues these plans…. the accc should be stepping in here, seriously! Whatever the issue is with "how" the data was chewed up, the ISP should be able to tell you how it was used. All plans should be 200gb plus these days with all the tv/video streaming that is being used. I am on unlimited with tpg because its cheap and ok for me. I do understand that its not available to everyone because of a numerous reasons (how close to exchanges etc etc) . Boycott the low data expensive plans on high speed connections please!

  • muncan on 20/09/2014 - 00:13

    You people with NBN make me sick! It's not due here till 2020, or some such.

    • scrimshaw on 20/09/2014 - 02:44
      +1

      Dear Muncan,

      We're sorry to hear that the NBN is not in your area. We've looked at broadband options in your suburb and have determined that Pigeon Packet Internet (PPI) may be your best solution for you Muncan, and that I'm happy to sign you up for a 24 month contract for $200 dollars per pigeon sent (extra costs for avian flu medication will apply). Don't worry, our pigeons fly really fast, so you won't have to worry about latency issues in online gaming!

      If that option is too expensive for you, we can also provide a more budget friendly means of internet connectivity — tin can on a string. This service is provided free of charge and has no lock in contracts, excess charges, bandwidth shaping and completely avoids NSA or ASIO surveillance.

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