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How to manage your broadband usage with Top10.com
How to manage your broadband usage with Top10.com 
If you are on an unlimited broadband package you may be misled by the term ‘unlimited’ and what it actually means.
London,
UK,
United Kingdom
(prbd.net)
21/08/2010
"If you are on an unlimited broadband package you may be misled by the term ‘unlimited’ and what it actually means. "
If you are on an unlimited broadband package you may be misled by the term ‘unlimited’ and what it actually means.
As more and more people are spending time on the Internet searching for goods and services, downloading files, videos, music and programmes, Internet Service Providers (ISP) are introducing fair-use policies to ensure that their customers are receiving reasonable connection speeds
While these fair use policies are a good thing to have in place, they do effectively restrict the amount of web activity during certain times of the day. So there may be no limit on how much data you download however your ISP may warn you if you are downloading too much at peak times.
The reason that ISP’s do this is because you may be sharing an Internet connection with 49 other paying customers, and if you are downloading loads of music or videos you may be slowing down their connection making their time surfing the web super slow.
If you continue to download regardless of the fact that your ISP has warned you may find that your Internet speed is restricted or worse, you could be fined for going against their advanced warning.
To help prevent you from getting penalised we at Top10.com have come up with a few tips to stop you from running into the wrong hands of your broadband provider.
Choosing the right Internet Service Provider
Internet Service Providers offer a wide variety of deals that differ in price, features and free gifts. If you are regular downloader of videos and music then you need to consider an unlimited package. However, if you don’t download much then you will only need a small bandwidth connection which are not very expensive and can accommodate for your Internet usage if you simply check your emails and surf the web.
Download during the night
If you download after midnight you will find that your music and film files download a lot quicker as less people will be accessing their Internet connection in your area. ISP use a method called ‘traffic shaping’ which prioritises different types of activities and slow down ones which they consider a low priority.
Switch off Peer-to-Peer Programmes
There are many programmes which use (P2P) or software to share files faster between users. If you are no longer using the programme make sure that you completely sign out of the programme rather than just clicking off the site as it will continue to run in the background and will further slow your Internet connection down. You may also find that these sites use up your monthly usage allowance.
Monitor your usage
If you have chosen a broadband package that has a usage limit, it is a very good idea to monitor how much data you are downloading each month. That way you can see whether you are going over the limit at any stage and whether you require a bigger broadband limit to accommodate for your Internet usage.
If you are considering switching to broadband why not speak to Top10.com the leading comparison site for broadband and mobilephones in the UK. The website has some fantastic broadband deals, from unlimited downloads to free modems and routers at some low and extremely affordable prices.
For more information visit www.Top10.com