Post by westgold on Mar 19, 2015 12:52:02 GMT 9
There is money to be saved if you can avoid overshooting your monthly data limits on mobile 3G connections. Most prepaid plans for mobile phones come with a preset data limit — you'll be topping up your balance sooner if you are not careful.
And depending upon your plan, you could be charged extra if you overshoot your monthly data quota on a postpaid connection. With so many smartphones around, an increase in social networking, gaming, audio/video streaming and apps that require constant data connectivity, inflated bills are common.
Home broadband connections are another story. All broadband plans come with a specified data limit or FUP (fair usage policy). Using more than what the FUP allows will slash your speed down to the minimum 256kbps.
However, there are ways to track data usage, identify data hog apps and set alarms. If you want a more powerful tracker, check out these options:
Onavo Count (iOS & Android)
This free app requires you to input a data plan (including details like the data transfer cap and the price that you pay for your plan). It then tracks data usage by individual apps on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It even detects apps that are data hogs and notifies you about them.
Counters (Windows Phone)
Counters lets you manage and limit data usage on your Windows Phone smartphone. Once you set a data limit, the app notifies you when you are about to exceed it. The app also let you monitor details regarding voice call and SMS usage.
My Data Manager (iOS & Android)
This one displays data counters for your carrier's data network (2G/3G usage) and your Wi-Fi data usage. It lets you set data transfer limits and track how much data you have left. You can even view historical data and then adjust your data plan according to your usage.
Data Monitor (BlackBerry 10)
The Rs 60 app runs in the background and lets you track how much data is used on the phone. You can even set the app to notify you when you cross 50%, 70% or 90% of your data limit. There is also the option to have the app start automatically when the phone restarts.
Networx (PC)
Networx is free and ideal if you have multiple computers using a single broadband line. It sits in the system tray and monitors traffic in real time. You can view totals in daily, weekly or monthly formats and even export the data to Excel. It even helps you identify any network problems.
BitMeter OS (PC)
BitMeter lets you monitor your usage either through a web browser or by using command line tools. You can view detailed information on your usage, export it to Excel or set alerts to notify you when a data limit is crossed. BitMeter OS is open source and it also works with Mac and Linux.
urplus Meter (MAC)
This app lets you select the connection type (Ethernet, Airport, USB modem) and then set a download limit — you can choose to exclude uploads in the transfer count. Start it up and it will show an active count of sent/received data and a daily data usage allowance.
Menu Meters (MAC)
Menu Meters sits on the top bar and provides information about data transfer over your current connection. You can chose to display data usage via arrows, actual data numbers or a graph. There is also the option to to ignore data transfers less than 1Kb/s and to show only incoming or outgoing data transfer.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/slideshow/8-tools-to-save-money-on-your-internet-plan/Surplus-Meter-MAC/itslideshow/46596438.cms
And depending upon your plan, you could be charged extra if you overshoot your monthly data quota on a postpaid connection. With so many smartphones around, an increase in social networking, gaming, audio/video streaming and apps that require constant data connectivity, inflated bills are common.
Home broadband connections are another story. All broadband plans come with a specified data limit or FUP (fair usage policy). Using more than what the FUP allows will slash your speed down to the minimum 256kbps.
However, there are ways to track data usage, identify data hog apps and set alarms. If you want a more powerful tracker, check out these options:
Onavo Count (iOS & Android)
This free app requires you to input a data plan (including details like the data transfer cap and the price that you pay for your plan). It then tracks data usage by individual apps on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It even detects apps that are data hogs and notifies you about them.
Counters (Windows Phone)
Counters lets you manage and limit data usage on your Windows Phone smartphone. Once you set a data limit, the app notifies you when you are about to exceed it. The app also let you monitor details regarding voice call and SMS usage.
My Data Manager (iOS & Android)
This one displays data counters for your carrier's data network (2G/3G usage) and your Wi-Fi data usage. It lets you set data transfer limits and track how much data you have left. You can even view historical data and then adjust your data plan according to your usage.
Data Monitor (BlackBerry 10)
The Rs 60 app runs in the background and lets you track how much data is used on the phone. You can even set the app to notify you when you cross 50%, 70% or 90% of your data limit. There is also the option to have the app start automatically when the phone restarts.
Networx (PC)
Networx is free and ideal if you have multiple computers using a single broadband line. It sits in the system tray and monitors traffic in real time. You can view totals in daily, weekly or monthly formats and even export the data to Excel. It even helps you identify any network problems.
BitMeter OS (PC)
BitMeter lets you monitor your usage either through a web browser or by using command line tools. You can view detailed information on your usage, export it to Excel or set alerts to notify you when a data limit is crossed. BitMeter OS is open source and it also works with Mac and Linux.
urplus Meter (MAC)
This app lets you select the connection type (Ethernet, Airport, USB modem) and then set a download limit — you can choose to exclude uploads in the transfer count. Start it up and it will show an active count of sent/received data and a daily data usage allowance.
Menu Meters (MAC)
Menu Meters sits on the top bar and provides information about data transfer over your current connection. You can chose to display data usage via arrows, actual data numbers or a graph. There is also the option to to ignore data transfers less than 1Kb/s and to show only incoming or outgoing data transfer.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/slideshow/8-tools-to-save-money-on-your-internet-plan/Surplus-Meter-MAC/itslideshow/46596438.cms