What Uses Data on my Cox Internet?
More and more people are using the internet and thus they are always in a hurry to figure out what activities consume their valuable home internet data allowance. Specifically, for consumers who are subscribed to Cox Communications internet services, knowing your data usage will help in preventing extra charges or slower internet connection. In this article, we will be discussing some common activities that are known to cause data drain to customers that subscribe to Cox Internet connection and how they can avoid them.
Streaming Video
Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming services are among the most data-hungry types of internet use. For just one hour of streaming high-definition video, up to 3 gigabytes of data may be consumed. Data rate always varies with the quality of the video; the standard definition videos use less data than the high-definition videos and even the 4 K Ultra High Definition videos use data most of. Hence, using your internet connection to stream movies and shows in higher definition means that more of your cap will be used.
Audio Streaming
While Cox Streaming music or podcasts from services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Soundcloud from the Internet consume a considerably lesser amount of data as compared to video streaming, it is still a considerable amount that can accrue over time. Streaming audio has a requirement of about 60-150 MB an hour. Thus, listening to 5 or more hours could consume 1 GB. Downloading means you can listen to a song or episode while using data minimally, and not using data at all once downloaded.
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as Snapchat can take a moderate amount of data when browsing through them, particularly with the auto-play feature on. Scrolling basic text and images only requires a smaller amount of data while videos as well as live streams, half a gigabyte every hour. Do not rely on autoplay options and download posts to watch them later if possible.
Gaming
Computer games have grown popular due to the multiple titles on Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo consoles that use the internet. Multiplayer gaming occupies 100MB to 300MB per hour concerning the quality of the game as well as the number of participants. Obtaining new games and software updates is a one-time, large amount, generally in a range of 1GB to 20GB or over per title. Minimize online gaming as much as possible to save data; try to play games that can be downloaded offline instead.
Operating System Updates
It is always advisable to update your computer’s OS and security software and although these background downloads are helpful they tend to use up much data. Updates for Windows and MacOS are about 2-4GB in size, which will be a problem when consuming limited plans repeatedly. If the metered connection is being used, then it is advisable to delay the updates, or in case one needs to download then do so. Another option is also available and refers to using bandwidth only at specific times of the day.
Large Downloads
Non-periodic usage includes downloads of programs, applications, files, and system updates that can consume large amounts of data within a short period. A backup of the entire photo library could be in the range of 10GB – 60GB. Sometimes downloading a program like Adobe Photoshop can be as large as 10GB or even more when being installed. Head to specific application download settings on Steam, Origin, and so on to limit usage at peak hours or daily data caps.
Cloud Storage/Backups
Syncing photos or files to iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox is easy, but doing it regularly in the background is going to eat data more often. Similarly, use the background data limit notification to temporarily disable background data usage for these programs when close to your limit. The backup of as little as approximately 100MB daily can sum up to a large figure within the billing cycle month.
Web Browsing & Email
Daily web surfing, for instance, when it comes to the simple user’s internet browsing experience, using such websites as Reddit, or Pinterest for that matter, only requires a surprisingly small amount of data. Surfing a site does not consume more than 5MB per hour in most cases when the users are only opening links randomly. Attaching files, for instance, in emails has a way of accumulating over some time thus it becomes essential to limit the size of the files that you wish to attach. Thus, if it involves light browsing and checking emails, then it will be safe to assume that it will not exceed 50MB per day.
Video Conferencing
As working from home rises, current mainstream tools like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime are becoming bandwidth monopolists. Video conferencing also generates a similar amount of data and ranges from streaming video where high-definition (HD) video can reach up to 1.8Gigabytes per hour. And thus if the work calls are frequent or lengthy they will be a very big addition to your monthly usage. Audio-only calls consume considerably less data whereas an hour of call takes approximately 60MB.
This post aims to provide helpful tips on how to reduce Cox data usage.
Here are some key tips that can help limit how much of your Cox internet data you consume each month:
- The goal of this feature is to be able to review and understand your monthly data allowance so you can monitor usage.
- Do not allow the videos to play automatically and choose the option to play videos in Standard Definition only when possible. Downloading is possible for shows when connected to WiFi for viewing the episodes later even when offline.
- Turn off the option of Background App Refresh and automatic backup on iCloud on mobile devices. The manual backup, as the last one, should be done only when connected to WiFi.
- Switch off the automatic download and install Windows and other software updates and do it while the loads are low.
- This is a simple process that should involve closing any programs and browser tabs that may be consuming too much bandwidth when they’re not in use.
- Utilize Cox’s free feature for tracking the daily data usage through the Data Usage Monitoring tool.
- Switch to an unlimited data plan if you are frequently crossing the data limit set by the provider in your monthly bill.
Strict adherence to these guidelines will assist in minimizing how much of the precious data various kinds of internet usage demand in all the used gadgets. This lets you appreciate streaming video, gaming, and web access, among others, without having to worry about going over a certain limit or having your speed slowed down. Assess your family usage and choose the most suitable Cox data plan for the month.
Ready to upgrade your internet experience? Call us now at +1 844-349-7575 to explore the best Cox Internet plans for your needs!