Before we decide the amount of the internet we require for our household, professional or personal use, and come to a conclusion about it. It is imperative to comprehend how internet consumption works and the types of internet connections available on the market. Everybody in the house has different usage and the consumption of the internet entirely depends on that. Let’s discuss some facts and information regarding some of the most popular platforms on the internet that the majority of us use hence must be widely known for building a better understanding of data usage and requirements.
Before we begin, we should learn the difference between Bits and Bytes:
Megabyte or Gigabyte are basically known as a parameter of file size – popularly referred to as ‘MB and ‘GB’ in that order. Each increment is 1000-times larger than the other one. A gigabyte is comprised of 1000mb (or to be precise 1024mb) and so on.
On the other side, Megabit or Mbps is a measurement of speed. There are eight ‘bits’ in a ‘byte’. So, if someone has 100mbps download speed, they are able to download 12.5mb of data per second, which suggests a movie that’s 1GB will take as less as 80 seconds to download – pretty fast!
It is significant to note that the speed of your internet plan has little bearing on the amount of data you use. Nevertheless, with a faster internet plan we are likely to stream more, download more and enjoy the time spent on the internet more, so the data usage may elevate!
• Facebook consumes around 2mb per 60 seconds, however, it depends whether the videos are on auto-play mode or not, also the number of media content present on each newsfeed – as it varies from person-to-person based on their interests and subscriptions.
• Browsing & Surfing: Considering the standard size of any webpage, a regular internet user on a monthly basis can exhaust around 6-7GB on internet browsing only.
• Netflix uses as minimum as 300mb per 60 minutes, however, the HD streams may consume more or less 1GB per 60 minutes of streaming, whereas if someone has got a pro 4K plan, the amount can exceed above 7GB per 60 minutes.
• Foxtel Now consumes around 1.4GB per 60 minutes for a SD (Standard Definition) picture, whereas an HD (High Definition) picture can exhaust more than 3GB per 60 minutes.
• YouTube consumption of the internet greatly depends on the quality of the content is being offered from the channel(s) and the kind of viewership that content type has. A high-quality video i.e. 1080p can exhaust more than 12mb per 60 seconds, however, the average quality of 480p video consumes around 4mb per 60 seconds.
• Movies from iTunes or Google Play: Whether you download, buy or rent the video content – a Standard Definition quality can exhaust up to 1.5 GB of the internet, while a High Definition movie can use more or less around 3GB. And obviously, the lengthier the film would be the larger the size of download.
• Streaming Online Music: The free of charge account of Spotify uses 160kbps for streaming music which makes around 72mb per 60 minutes. The pro version, however, streams online music at 320kbps or more of 150mb per 60 minutes. Apple Music broadcasts online music somewhere between 256kbps and 155mb every 60 minutes while Google Play music plays at 320kbps and can modify it depending upon the delivered quality of the internet.
• Online Gaming: Surprisingly, online gaming does not consume as much amount of the internet as you presume. Any regular or popular online game will consume around 50mb on every 60 minutes usage. Online gaming updates is something one ought to be cautious about. For an instance, updating Call of Duty series, may take more or less 15GB and can occur quite frequently.
Now that you know how much amount of the internet is being consumed by which particular activity. As most of us have this question on our minds: How can I save on data use?
Here is a quick check-list of don’ts so we can get smarter with the usage of data:
– Turning off auto-play videos on Facebook, YouTube, etc so they do not keep on playing.
– Check and adjust the quality of Netflix, or any streaming app you use. If you don’t want the HD or don’t mind watching the SD picture – it can save the amount of data consumed with a great margin.
– Adjust the quality of videos on YouTube. If the content doesn’t need HD, select a lower resolution to save on the data.
– Reassess lossless audio.
– Try to download movies in Standard Definition rather than High Definition.
– Think again while downloading big games.
– And last but not least, get a steady internet connection like Mediacom internet plans.
37 total views, 37 views today
