Top tips for downloaders
Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk
If you want to make the most of music and movie downloads, internet TV streaming and catch-up services like the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s 4oD, then you need to take a few steps to ensure that you don’t end up with a big bill or a slow connection because you’ve exceeded your download limit or fair usage policy.
Set downloads or fair usage?
Broadband packages either have a set download limit, so that you know exactly how much you can download each month, or are advertised as “unlimited”. However, as most people now know, “unlimited” doesn’t really mean unlimited. You’ll have a fair usage policy attached to your package, and depending on your provider, you could have your download speed throttled, be upgraded to a more appropriate - and more expensive - package, or even have your service terminated if you regularly exceed your fair usage limit.
Those with set download limits will be charged for additional usage, varying from £3 for an additional 3GB with Pipex (www.Pipex.co.uk) to £1.75 per GB with Eclipse (www.Eclipse.net.uk) or £2 per GB with Madasafish (www.Madasafish.com).
Before you go mad with your downloads, check the small print on your contract to see what kind of package you have.
Pick the right ISP
Some providers, like Be Broadband (www.BeThere.co.uk), are designed with heavy downloaders in mind. Although its packages come with “unlimited” downloads and fair usage policies, it is generous with its allowances and rarely enforces restrictions. It also offers the UK’s fastest headline speed at up to 24Mb, so downloads will be even faster.
Download at night
Traffic shaping, which slows down your connection and therefore your downloads, is applied by many providers during peak hours. So if you can do your downloading at night - usually from midnight onwards - your music and movie files will download a lot quicker.
You might even be able to set programs to start downloading after a delay so that you don’t have to wait up to do it.
Some providers like Plusnet (www.Plus.net), which doesn’t believe in advertising “unlimited” downloads has set usage limits on all of its packages, ranging from 1GB on Option 1 to 40GB on Option 4. However, if you do your downloading at night, it won’t come out of your monthly allowance.
Turn off your peer-to-peer
Programs like the BBC iPlayer, Channel 4’s 4oD and Sky Broadband’s Sky Anytime (www.Sky.com), use peer-to-peer software to share files quicker between users. However, with many of these programs, if you simply close them, they will continue to run in the background uploading files to the sharing network.
This not only slows your computer down but will also eat away at your download allowance as uploading files also counts.
Make sure that you fully exit the program each time you close it, and use your task manager to check that it’s not running any more.
Track your usage
If you have a set download limit, or you’re concerned about exceeding your fair usage agreement, then installing the free BroadbandChoices.co.uk Broadband Download Monitor is a great way of tracking your downloads and you can even set alarms to alert you as you near your limit.
If you’re using a home network and downloading on more than one computer you’ll have to install it on each computer and add up the usage.
(Take a quick broadband speed test)
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