Data diet, how do you guys manage?

[aquaholik]

I'm testing out At&t network to see if the grass is really greener on the other side. So far it is but I'm not allowed to eat as much grass as I want. I'm currently on Sprint with the contract expiring in a few months. I know most of you guys would think this is a slam dunk case. Of course At&t is going to be faster but you gotta live with the limited data and higher price. But you guys don't know that I live in a Sprint Spark city which is Tampa/St Petersburg.

So for the past month while on Sprint, I've been running 4g LTE speed test on my note 2(didn't upgrade to note 3 because no spark antenna) whenever I'm driving to see how much they've improved. Surprisingly, I stay on 4GLTE most of the time and the speed range anywhere from .2Mbps to 24Mbps. I'm getting 12-20 Mbps at home but at work, it is a paltry .2Mbps.

I looked at my data usage last month on Sprint and it was 16GB! The only one that stream video from youtube is my son since he loves to turn off wifi and utililize the 12-17 Mbps LTE. So I blamed that heavy usage on him.

So I got the no contract note 3 for $250 today via FEDEX, set it up and proceeded to run speed test at work. I ran two speed test back to back and got 20Mbps and 17Mbps download speed. Fantastic! Fast like I thought it should be. Then I went and set the data usage limit at 1GB and a warning at 500MB since I signed up for the $50 mobile value share plan (1GB). I glanced down and saw that the two speed test I just ran just consumed 100MB! So much for running speed test head to head against my note 2 on Sprint. Seems I was too quick to blame my son since the speed test I ran on Sprint Note 2 is probably responsible for most of the 16GB usage last month!

So realistically, for 1GB, if I don't stream video and just check email, facebook, web browsing, yelp, google map, will that be enough?

I'm not looking to stay with the mobile value plan because of the tax on top of the $50 plan. I'm switching to Go Phone plan 2.5GB free hot spot plan after I use up my $100 credit for new customer with AT&T. I figured 2.5 gb is plenty since my wife occasionally stream video on her note 3 on Sprint and hardly go over 2gb of usage.

What is you guys typical usage since most of you guys are tech savvy enough to limit background data, disabling sync, notification, etc. I figured 1GB is probably too limited and 2.5 GB should be plenty if I'm not streaming video. I also have plenty of choice for Wifi now that I am both a Brighthouse customer and an AT&T customer.

 

[jboch9510]

I use about 2.3 GB per month, most from web browsing at work where there's no wifi.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[TheChefSLC]

I personally use 5-10 gm per month. this is doing anything i want with it and only using wifi at home since i do not have wifi at work (well i do but its filtered and scrubbed)

this would be a few netflix movies, some streaming music through the play store (all access subscriber) and downloading any game/app i want.

 

[raduque]

What the hell speed test did you run? the Ookla Speedtest.net app uses a 3mb source file.

Also, I don't have a data diet, I have 10gb. I used ~4 last month.

Edit: I don't stream video or audio. I just download (buy) music, surf, Facebook, and download games.

 

[Jakman85]

I run Plex, netflix, spotify, Web browsing, facebook, games... pretty much everything. I usually watch one 30 minute tv show over LTE during lunch due to no wireless at work. My usage is around 8gb/month. My wife uses around 1gb since her work has wireless. We use the 10gb plan.

I have been trying to go on a "data diet" since realizing how much I have been using. One thing I am currently trying is PlexPass sync. This allows me to download my TV shows to my device for offline viewing. It's still in beta, and it definitely shows (random unplayable content, breaking its usability). The streaming of Plex works perfectly and I just set the bit rate low to conserve.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[aquaholik]

What the hell speed test did you run? the Ookla Speedtest.net app uses a 3mb source file.

Also, I don't have a data diet, I have 10gb. I used ~4 last month.

Edit: I don't stream video or audio. I just download (buy) music, surf, Facebook, and download games.

Trust me, I'll post screen shot later. The faster your dl and ul speed, the more the Ookla speed test app use. I ran another one at home and got over 20 dl and 7 ul and that tack another 50 MB. On the other hand I streamed Milk music and that only used .5Mb for every minute. Not bad at all.

 

[aquaholik]

Speedtest Data Use







I ran three Ookla speedtests and two rootmetric speedtest (7 Mbps not shown). So the higher the speed, the more data it consumes.

 

[netnerd]

i dont watch youtube or stream music/movie.
i use about 1.7gb-1.9gb per month.
i have the old att 2gb plan for 25$.
i just ordered the FreedomPop hotspot, 500mb free data every month.
so now i have 2.5gb a month !

 

[cc16177]

If I don't stream music on Play Music I can stay under 2gb with what I would consider to be "moderately heavy" web browsing (1-2 hours a day maybe) and then crap tons of Hangout messages/texts etc.

If I stream music when i'm driving to work (which I generally do) it goes up to like 3-5gb per month.

 

[sandman7793]

I have a 20gb plan with 7 phones for $320 a month, that includes my phone payment and taxes. I use 6 to 8 of the gb myself.

Sent from my SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

 

[hp79]

i dont watch youtube or stream music/movie.
i use about 1.7gb-1.9gb per month.
i have the old att 2gb plan for 25$.
i just ordered the FreedomPop hotspot, 500mb free data every month.
so now i have 2.5gb a month !

You know you can be friends with other freedompop users, if you add 10, you get 50MB extra per each friend, making it total 1GB per month for free. But if you get close to 900MB, I heard they cut you off. In your current situation, if you get close to 400MB, you will be cut off.
Also Freedompop uses Sprint's Wi-Max which doesn't have that good coverage. But that depends on where you are.

I'm living with 300MB plan, but I wish I can remove the data completely. I think $20 for 300MB is a rip off.

 

[SladeZero]

I have been on a data diet ever since I switched from my 4GB plan 2yr contract to the 2GB value plan with no contract. I usually get speeds up to 25GB/s.

The way I manage is by listening to pandora at work on my work computer on my cell via their wifi... its the only way I can survive programming all day. On saturdays, I still punch about 12 hours on pandora at my side job. Other than that... that is all of my heavy usage. Everything else would only clock about 700MBs a month. ALL OF my updates for apps are done at home on my home wifi since my work wifi doesn't like the stores download packages, its will update some but not all.

Overall i am averaging about 1400 MBs a month. Sometimes just to get my moneys worth... I will purposly DL large so i cap out... even if I don't need it.

 

[DrAzzy]

I'll bet your 100mb was the phone downloading updates for installed apps? Check Settings -> Data Usage to be sure.

Ookla speed test is ~2.5MB/run

If I don't stream video, I use 250mb/month, plus what I use tethering. I have no idea how people run through 16GB of bandwidth in a month - I don't even do that on my home broadband...

 

[netnerd]

I'm living with 300MB plan, but I wish I can remove the data completely. I think $20 for 300MB is a rip off.

Give att a call and tell them you switched to a dumb phone.
Then uncheck the box for Mobile Data from phone.

 

[hp79]

Give att a call and tell them you switched to a dumb phone.
Then uncheck the box for Mobile Data from phone.

Won't work. They have a IMEI database, so they know I'm using a smartphone. Even if you get to take off the data, it'll be added right back on within days.
If I had an international version Note3, that would be a little bit different story. But even then (with unknown IMEI smartphone), they sometimes find out that you have a smartphone, and they slap you with $30 data or whatever charge. It's pure BS.

I'm thinking of moving to AIO wireless once my contract is over. $35 per month with unlimited (throttled data after 500MB) everything.

 

[aquaholik]

I'll bet your 100mb was the phone downloading updates for installed apps? Check Settings -> Data Usage to be sure.

Ookla speed test is ~2.5MB/run

If I don't stream video, I use 250mb/month, plus what I use tethering. I have no idea how people run through 16GB of bandwidth in a month - I don't even do that on my home broadband...

Nope all apps and therfore the Google play store are downloaded and updated via wifi. Clearly the data usage screen shot showed what used a majority of the 226 Mb. And that was the speed test app and the root metric app. I ran two test shown and it used 100Mb. Ran the third one and it showed 159 Mb used. I got the phone for two days and that is all the data used.

None of this is a big deal. I can effortlessly stayed under 2GB with wifi at work and at home. Just search speed test data hog and you will confirm that it used a lot more than you think. If you're getting 25 Mbps download, it likely used 50 Mb of your data. I ran Speedtest app continuously on my note 2 on sprint and racked up 2.5gb in 7 days. I never paid attention to it until I'm testing at&t. I'm going to switch to the 2.5gb go phone plan anyway so I am sure I can stay under 2.5gb.