[cheryl j]

We live in a rural area and cannot get high speed through the telephone company. We use a cellular turbo hub, and have to stay under a certain amount of usage or the price goes way up. We were using a consistent amount for months and suddenly it went way up. My daughter says she is not doing anything different, doesn't download videos, isnt going to youtube or playing games on line. Any ideas what might have changed? i know Facebook uses a lot because it refreshes consatntly but she says she is on there less than before.


_{Mod edit - Subject changed to a question to help keep the forum tidy and easy to navigate.}

[CliffordK]

It could be a number of things.  What is the volume for your rate plan?  Have you talked to all the cell phone companies about getting unlimited volume?

Make sure your antivirus is up to date. 
I've used ZoneAlarm in the past which allowed one to specify exactly which programs had access to the internet.

One possibility is that you were hit by a number of operating system updates.  For example, if you were hit by a Service Pack, although I'm seeing major Windows service packs being released in mid 2011.  I think if you go into the windows updater, you can review the update history.

I'd probably make sure my antivirus and antispyware programs were up to date, and install a good 2-way firewall such as zonealarm (I haven't used it for a few years so I don't know about the latest version, but it used to ask one to verify all network activity), then turn off all automatic updates so that you don't get surprised by anything.  If you can monitor your monthly network activity, then pull down a few extra updates at the end of the month as capacity permits.

Depending on how rural you are, beware of unsecured wireless networks.

Oh, also install NoScript, and perhaps an ad-blocker.  Be judicious about what you open up.  This will also knock out a bunch of unwanted video content.

[RD]

I second the suggestion to include the browser addons NoScript and Adblock plus.
They block adverts being downloaded which use your bandwidth, and slow your browsing. 

The worst case scenario is your computer has become a zombie ...  http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/pc-security/botnet.aspx

[evan_au]

Some internet plans include uploads in the usage limit. Installing "Peer-to-peer" software can generate a lot of uploads without you knowing, even if you hardly ever use the Peer-to-Peer software yourself.
Each new version of a website like facebook or an email program just assumes that you have more bandwidth available, so it is more intensive in what it downloads, how many pictures it displays, etc.
If you have a Wifi hotspot in your home, downloading a new "app" to your smartphone can consume more network bandwidth.
All this points to more bandwidth consumption, without the users actually doing anything different on the fixed computer(s) in your house.

[CliffordK]

There are many websites (and programs) that periodically do a status update. 

For example, Yahoo chat program must periodically check who has logged on or logged off.  Other websites such as a banking app may do that to figure out whether you are still logged in.  Other websites might periodically rotate ads.

It usually isn't a lot of traffic.  However, it would add up if you run 24 hrs a day.  It is possible that changes or updates would occur that you wouldn't be aware of.

[Githu]

I would suggest using linux, like ubuntu.
When its coupled with noscript and adblock plus I think it would minimise the wastage of bandwidth.
Using linux would mean that you would not need to worry about viruses as you would on a windows machine.
Updating the machine and installing any software would all be up to you :)

[grizelda]

If there are any malfunctions or loose connections in your equipment the digital signal will be corrupted requiring re-sending the data resulting in more usage.

[techmind]

Apart from the obvious ones (anything "video", including sites such as youtube, and even just video clips on news sites), Skype really uses the data allowance quickly if used for video calls (1GB/hour is quite plausible).

The other possibility (which I've seen) is certain AntiVirus products (mentioning no names, Norton/Symantec) have been known to have their updates corrupted by the extra caching/compressing servers used on mobile-network-based internet systems ... and redownload them time after time after time because they're corrupted. All without telling the user. I saw this happen with a trial version of Norton on a new computer I bought a couple of years ago - took me a while to figure why it was downloading continuously for hours on end. I uninstalled the trial product, and the problem was solved.

[nicephotog]

"because it refreshes consatantly" , so you use in data transfer size on your plan.
...But you live in a rural area , ..."hmmm do you have a Kelpie that you require to put a padlock on the fridge for?"... These have already figured a chair can be pushed to the kitchen bench and anything else assisting the hop up can be put there too at four months old.