I have an internet usage problem, for some reason it's saying that I've used over 50gb in only 2 weeks.. Help?

Question

Well I use Roger's Internet service and bought the highest speed for Roger's. The limit of usage was 60GB. I didn't have this problem at my old house, but once I moved and began going on the Internet, the usage skyrocketed. Downloaded 38GB/Uploaded 13GB. I don't know how it happened. I closed all of my programs for one day and it says I used 3 GB in one day! I play a little bit of Xbox live for 1-2 hour's. But it wouldn't of turned out to be 3GB. Any help?

I also have a router password protected. (Linksys WRT150n)

Answer 1

if you don't use the wireless, disable it on the router,.

if you are using it make sure you have strong WPA key. and use MAC filtering to allow just your PC to connect

check your router to see who else is connecting to your wireless connection.

Answer 2

Hmmm, that is really odd. Maybe if you called them and they'd help you isolate the bandwidth hog? I want to say that XBOX Live uses a lot of bandwidth, but 3 GB is a bit excessive. Just call up Roger's Tech. Support.

Answer 3

Make sure nobody is piggybacking - you say "password protected" but is it encrypted?

If it is, make sure you use WPA-PSK or WPA-PSK2 with a very long passkey - and change the passkey in case someone got it.

Answer 4

use a hex code for your pass word not wep..

a hex code i always use is

A2A633ED12

Answer 5

Make sure your wireless is using WEP or WAP or some sort of password protection. My brother had his setup unsecured and his neighbor was using his connection...

(Great answer - the person above me)

Answer 6

A password is not enough to prevent bandwith theft.Use a wpa2 or wep encrypted router. (check the manual)  There are WPA issues with this router and Intel Centrino processors, buth there are workarounds. Just google for it. Good luck man.

Answer 7

I would say that Rogers has messed up, or there's people stealing your internet. If you watch a lot of streaming videos on line (like You Tube) that will suck up your bandwidth but I would increase your routers security to get rid of any thieves or if you don't want to do that(it SLIGHTLY slows down your connection you could just disconnect the router and use the net the old fashioned wired way for a while to see if it drops down to more expected levels.

Spam/virus stuff isn't likely to download so much stuff but just in case, make sure you have your antivirus software up to date and run a scan(AVG free Anti-virus  works great if you dont have one) and get a program called "Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2008 free edition" to check for spam and malware.

Answer 8

ya, i upgraded my DSL connection to a 1.5 mg, then noticed on the bill an overage charge from 10 to 20 dollars in the past few months~!

called em up and they said that someone is sharing your bandwidth, like a neighbor, and that i should have someone that knows about this issue look at my computer to see if it is set up wrong so i am letting other people in on my bandwidth~!

just found this out and haven't resolved the issue yet, as i am a die-hard do it yourself-er i am going to study up on it and figure it out~!

Answer 9

There is a possibility someone is freeloading on your wireless system.  Here are some steps you can take to stop it.

Because routers differ as to details, I can't be specific about how to accomplish these steps, but they're almost all done from within the router's administration web pages. Note: It’s best to do them from a computer cabled (even just temporarily) to the router rather than wirelessly, especially since wireless administration will be deactivated by step #1.

1. Deactivate wireless access to your router's administration web pages so only a computer connected via an Ethernet cable can reach them.  This won’t affect wireless use of the Internet, just wireless administration. Even if you don’t want to leave a computer connected via a cable, leave the cable there for when you need it.  Here are some horror stories of people who didn't:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

2. Turn off the SSID (network name) broadcast from the router.  There's no need to advertise your network's presence.  You're not running a hotspot; everyone who should be on your network should know its name.

3. Change your SSID from the default.  Hackers know that routers come with default SSIDs and look for them.

4. Set up encryption with an encryption key.  The longer, the better. WPA (if your network and all your computers can support 802.11G) is better than WEP.  WEP is better than nothing.

5. Limit access to only the computers you want on the network via MAC filtering. (MAC refers to unique NIC (Network Interface Card) addresses, not Macintosh computers, and not IP addresses.)  This isn't a defense against hardcore freeloaders -- it's possible to fake MAC addresses -- but it keeps out casual interlopers.

6. Change the range of and/or limit the number of automatically assigned IP addresses (DHCP) to reduce the chance of extra users.  Again, hackers know what ranges routers come from the factory with.  Changing them makes it a little harder to hop on board.

Generally, to access your router’s administration pages, hook up a computer directly to the router and enter the router’s local IP address into a browser’s address window.  

Here's how to find your router's IP address:

1. Click on the Start button.

2. Click Run...

3. In the text box, type in  

cmd

and press Enter

4. A black "DOS box" window will pop up.  Type into it  

ipconfig  /all

and press Enter.

5. A bunch of seeming gibberish will fill the screen.  On the line next to "Default Gateway" your router's IP address should appear.

That should go far toward hardening your wireless network.

Answer 10

Better check and see if anyone is piggybacking on your router.  Just because its protected doesnt mean it cant be done.  Also, you might have a virus spamming people nonstop or something.

Answer 11

It would be really hard for 2 people to d/l 50 gigs in 2 weeks - the internet just isn't that interesting (unless someone is using your bandwidth to serve content)

I suspect the internet provider is at fault.

Answer 12

try defragmenting your computer...? it might help

Answer 13

dont play xbox live

Answer 14

Are you sure your wireless is really secure? Are your other computers secure?

You can check your routers DHCP table to see if there are any hosts that have IP addresses you don't recognize. There should be another place in the router software that shows you who is connected. Just because the router has a password on it doesnt mean the wireless is secure. You need to make sure that WEP or WPA is enabled, with a strong password. Since you are going to go in there, you might as well change the password now too.

It really sounds like you have the whole neighborhood surfing the internet from your router though.

Good luck.

Answer 15

Maybe somebody is looking at p**n on there.

J/k I'm not sure, I'd check with a computer technician and see what they would suggest.  Maybe you should defrag your computer?