Okay, Exede, you win. I am now at 72% with 16 days to go. This is the 3rd month in a row that I will use up my data before the end of the month. I do not have smart tvs or blueray players that are connected to the internet. My Directv is not connected to the internet. First I was told it was because of my phone, which is not on any of your plans, then I was told it was due to "Other Videos" (apparently these are not from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc, but from news sights that I don't even visit). Then when I disagreed with this explanation, I was told (and this is my favorite) that I have 4 computers and a phone connected to the internet. That would be kind of hard to do since I only have 1 computer, its only my husband (who doesn't even know how to turn on the computer) and myself in the house and we are not close enough to any of our neighbors for them to log on to my password protected wifi. I have been with this company for several years, and the few times I used all my data was my fault (I streamed a couple of movies), but when you say I used 30 gb in 4 days, then in 11 days and this month in about 20 days (and I haven't streamed anything and am only on my computer about 2 hours a day), then there is a problem and I don't see it being resolved by you, Exede.
Posted 3 years ago
Gwalk900, Champion
Hello Bettie,
Exede will INFER what sites you visited and what was connected by the type of traffic they see. The problem with that is that every website is built out of a large number of blocks or modules if you will.
They can take on many characteristics based on the site itself, Operating System settings, browser used and browser settings and of course any browser extensions that are installed.
As to your Router being "password protected" I'm afraid that a Router has a few more aspects to it that you may or may not be aware of.
In addition to having a strong Router username and password protecting the Router's GUI there is also the matter of wireless security encryption being enabled properly as well as disabling all Guest Accounts, disabling WPS and knowing what internal router services if any are enabled and active.
In addition Netgear, Linksys and Cisco routers have had recent security issues announced that makes them vulnerable if not patched with the latest firmware update.
There have been many changes in the way Microsoft does business lately that many users are not aware of ..... Telemetry and updates now delivered as "roll-ups" as well as some update/fail loops that can really burn through a lot of data.
Many sites have increased the number of "Ad modules" that make up their website. Many more now "auto-start" video content and probably the most invasive and least understood is the HTML5 video "pre-fetch" of embedded video content that will preload all video of that type without your knowledge so that it is instantly available .... as a courtesy ... just in case you wish to see it. That activity has to be blocked with specific browser extensions.
The only way to tell what is consuming your data ... on that single computer is to install the free version of Glasswire. That will tell you the details of what is needed such as FlashBlock, AdBlock Plus and Flash Control.
Rather than a lot of reposts there are three topics that I have replied to at length that I think you would benefit from. (yes they are long but your answer lays within them)
https://community.exede.com/exede/topics/have-glasswire-now-what?utm_source=notification&utm_med...
https://community.exede.com/exede/topics/need-a-mac-expert?utm_source=notification&utm_medium=em...
https://community.exede.com/exede/topics/excessive-data?utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email...
Bingo to everything Gwalk said. It's easy to bash the Internet provider as being the problem when the real issue is that the end user is ignorant as to everything that is going on behind the scenes that is bandwidth intensive.
I said ignorant....not stupid. That is where we the end user when on a bandwidth limited platform have to do a bit more due diligence on our end. Most of the websites and the various updates from Microsucks and others are designed for the majority of the Internet users that have a big pipe today. The satellite internet users are a small minority of the overall demand.
One of my biggest beefs is what you said with the html5 video prefetching that goes on behind the scenes. That can suck up a ton of bandwidth if your not aware of what is going on. Go to any of the sports websites that have video feeds/stories and use html5 prefetch and your browser might download three or four videos that your not aware of and you don't even watch them but it counts against your quota.
Perhaps exede could be a little more forceful with their education of their customers or perhaps even design something into the modem firmware if possible that would let you turn some of that hidden bandwidth or at least notify you about it through a toolbar or something but I don't know much about coding to know how feasible something like that is.
What I do know however is like anything else in the end the onus comes down on us the end user of any service to educate yourself and look out for your own interests as nobody will step in and do that for you.
I said ignorant....not stupid. That is where we the end user when on a bandwidth limited platform have to do a bit more due diligence on our end. Most of the websites and the various updates from Microsucks and others are designed for the majority of the Internet users that have a big pipe today. The satellite internet users are a small minority of the overall demand.
One of my biggest beefs is what you said with the html5 video prefetching that goes on behind the scenes. That can suck up a ton of bandwidth if your not aware of what is going on. Go to any of the sports websites that have video feeds/stories and use html5 prefetch and your browser might download three or four videos that your not aware of and you don't even watch them but it counts against your quota.
Perhaps exede could be a little more forceful with their education of their customers or perhaps even design something into the modem firmware if possible that would let you turn some of that hidden bandwidth or at least notify you about it through a toolbar or something but I don't know much about coding to know how feasible something like that is.
What I do know however is like anything else in the end the onus comes down on us the end user of any service to educate yourself and look out for your own interests as nobody will step in and do that for you.
Same here . In the four years of using Excede my data usage per month is usually about 3 to 4 gb. I never had reached over the 5 gb Evolution plan I have until 3 months ago. Now I am using up 5 gb in 5 days. UNREAL. I have called in just to hear the same thing. Well it might be something loading in the background a video clip etc. Or maybe your watching movies etc. etc. I don't watch movies. I have unlimited web browsing and unlimited emails with the evolution plan. I maybe watch 5 You Tube short clips , nothing over 5 minutes per clip. I asked if maybe something could be making the modem draw more bandwidth . The looked at modem and said it seemed to be working fine. Yes it might be working but it is eating bandwidth like crazy for no reason. I have about had it too. Thinking seriously about going back to Hughes , since they have higher speeds now.
Gwalk900, Champion
Kathy,
Exede has changed the algorithms that count what is considered "browsing" versus "streaming" in the Evolution plan.
These days there is sooooo much more embedded video content in many run-of-the-mill websites. This type of usage was previously not counted.
In my browser I have shockwave flash on always ask to activate and in my social places like Facebook I have the automatically play videos turned off. I know some websites play video content even with those things done but I always click them off as soon as I can . I haven't changed one thing about how I browse and what I do on the net in 4 yea rs and have never gone over 4 gb of usage . Now in the last three months 2 to 3 gb per day now on the same Evolution plan I started with. I still think it might be my modem looping or something but could get now where when I called Excede with their suggestions. The suggested I buy more data. Frustrating to be doing the same thing I have done for 4 years without ever going over my limit then asked to buy more data! I have also changed all my updates in programs and windows to update during my free time 3 to 8 pm and ran all the malwares and antivirus software to clean anything that might have been causing problems there. I know with what I do as I have been doing on the net for 4 years can be eating up that much bandwidth.
Gwalk900, Champion
"In my browser I have shockwave flash on always ask to activate and in my social places like Facebook I have the automatically play videos turned off. I know some websites play video content even with those things done but I always click them off as soon as I can . I haven't changed one thing about how I browse and what I do on the net"
For some reason you are not picking up on this very important fact from our replies to you:
The "internet", its content and its delivery methods are constantly changing. What worked well yesterday is not sufficient today.
Flash and auto-start video are one thing ... HTML5 Pre-fetch are quite another. Pre-fetch will eat your data alive and you will NOT even know its happening other that your allowance taking a hit you can't find.
In you case the Big One is the change in the way Exede counts data on the Evolution Plan. That "embedded" video USED to be not counted. Now it is and it will remain counted.
You need to determine just where you are taking the "hit" (HTML5 Pre-Fetch?") and add the proper browser extensions to stop it or it will continue to eat your data.
Your choice, I'm finished with this topic.
Good Luck.
Thanks. I turned off the HTML5 Pre-fetch in Firefox. Will see if it helps
I'm sorry, Gwalk900, that you took the time to post all of this to me, but thank you. I really wasn't looking for another explanation as to what I have done wrong. I have already been given all of this information. All of this is helpful but still does not address how I use the data on "other video" when I don't go to the websites that you or Exede seem to think I visit. I have a morning and evening ritual when it comes to my computer time. I first check my email (videos are turned off), then I check my bank account (has no ads), then I check MyExede and then Facebook (videos are turned off). If I have time, I may go on Pintrest (videos are turned off) for about 15 minutes. As far as Exede Inferring what sites I go to is not the problem I have with them. The problem is, my data gets used up and I keep getting different answers as to why.
Gwalk900, Champion
Again, all websites are made up of many small "segments" and as far as Exede telling you what was connected and where you "went" is a result of what they see as "traffic".
If a website has an Apple IPad related ad or segment ... that "segment" of traffic is going to show "you went to Apple" as far as Exede phone support is concerned.
If I go to msn.com it has numerous aspects. Some are "Flash" based others are HTML5 content and so forth.
If I use IE11 with no alterations it will use "X" amount of data as the browser delivers the page content.
If I go to the same page and click the same links while using Firefox that has AdBlock Plus, Flashblock and Flash Control browser extensions I will use dramatically less data.
Not all content is necessarily visible such as HTML5 Pre-fetch. Turning "off" video will have no effect on that.
I offered up Glasswire as a free option to see what is being consumed on your computer both by running Programs and by background Processes as well as being able to "see" what segments of a webpage are loading and where they are going.
Your data, your choice.
Bottom line here is that video content is changing constantly but Exede also changed the way they "keep score" by altering the algorithms. I am using Chrome as a browser and have been unable to block the HTML5. Does Glasswire have blocking properties or just show you what hole your data is going down? Glad I joined today; the posts on this subject have been quite helpful. I was beginning to think that the RUSSIANS were up to their tricks again!
The only browser/add-on combination I've found that adequately handles HTML5 media if Firefox with the Flash Control add-on (not to be confused with FlashBlock - Falshblock doesn't handle HTML5 simply flash media while Flash Control handles both flash and HTML5 meida).
The Flash Control add-on for Firefox is the only one I've found that does a decent job at blocking HTML5 pre-load behavior (again not to be confused with the simple autoplay behavior - the preload behavior will buffer content without playing it - how much is browser dependent - while autoplay typically implies preload, the reverse is not true). You can turn autoplay off of sites like FAcebook, YouTube and others but it doesn't turn off the preload behavior.
While Chrome would be my browser preference, I've yet to find an add-on for it that blocks the more problematic HTML5 preload behavior - so have stuck with Firefox since most major sites have shifted away from Flash towards HTML5 for security purposes.
Glasswire's firewall currently only allows blocking applications.
Like Gwalk, I can point you at numerous sites having embedded HTML5 videos (more than one is typical on each) where videos are preloaded - without Flash Control enabled, they'll consume upwards of 50-60 MB when simply visited and no visble sign that it's doing so; with Flash Control it's single digits of 2-4 MB
P.S. ViaSat only changed the algorithm for the Evolution plan - it's speculated that Evolution subscribers were getting a free pass on HTML5 media all along.
The Flash Control add-on for Firefox is the only one I've found that does a decent job at blocking HTML5 pre-load behavior (again not to be confused with the simple autoplay behavior - the preload behavior will buffer content without playing it - how much is browser dependent - while autoplay typically implies preload, the reverse is not true). You can turn autoplay off of sites like FAcebook, YouTube and others but it doesn't turn off the preload behavior.
While Chrome would be my browser preference, I've yet to find an add-on for it that blocks the more problematic HTML5 preload behavior - so have stuck with Firefox since most major sites have shifted away from Flash towards HTML5 for security purposes.
Glasswire's firewall currently only allows blocking applications.
Like Gwalk, I can point you at numerous sites having embedded HTML5 videos (more than one is typical on each) where videos are preloaded - without Flash Control enabled, they'll consume upwards of 50-60 MB when simply visited and no visble sign that it's doing so; with Flash Control it's single digits of 2-4 MB
P.S. ViaSat only changed the algorithm for the Evolution plan - it's speculated that Evolution subscribers were getting a free pass on HTML5 media all along.
(Edited)
Thanks for the info!
Gwalk900, Champion
I'll second all the above of Old Labs comments.
A web browser is a "tool" and as the old saying goes .. Use the best Tool for the job.
I have several browsers installed on all my computers. Each has its own attributes. Firefox probably has the greatest number of extensions that allow "tuning" of what a website is allowed to display as content.
I know for example the Facebook does chew up data and that I use LESS data when accessing Facebook if I use Firefox (with the extensions I have installed)
Other times I may use Opera for certain websites.
Browsers are "tools" and you are not limited to just one.
In my toolbox I have multiple 1/2" wrenches. Some are short, others long, open end, box end, straight or curved. All are 1/2" wrenches ... some work better on some jobs than others. Use the best tool for the job at hand.
As Gwalk also notes an ad blocker is also recommended - but ad content is also switching to HTML5 media delivery. Unlike him however, I don't find it necessary to also run FlashBlock since Flash Control handles Flash also (but mileage may vary).
Glasswire is just another tool in the arsenal - but even then as sites switch to content delivery networks (e.g. Fastly, Axamai, etc) it's becoming increrasingly difficult to determine what site is causing data usage without digging in deeper with other tools to determine who's linking to what.
For most casual users (that don't want to go to the level of detail investigating as some of us have), I suspect installing FireFox (with both Ad Block Plus and Flash Control) would take care of the majority of phantom data usage attributed to the browser - it's relatively painless and what's to lose? Evolution users experiencing higher usage would do well to give it a try - you may just return to life as you knew it before the recent changes - but without the free ride for HTML5 media ;)
After that address automatic updates and ensure your router is secure - most bases will then be covered.
Glasswire is just another tool in the arsenal - but even then as sites switch to content delivery networks (e.g. Fastly, Axamai, etc) it's becoming increrasingly difficult to determine what site is causing data usage without digging in deeper with other tools to determine who's linking to what.
For most casual users (that don't want to go to the level of detail investigating as some of us have), I suspect installing FireFox (with both Ad Block Plus and Flash Control) would take care of the majority of phantom data usage attributed to the browser - it's relatively painless and what's to lose? Evolution users experiencing higher usage would do well to give it a try - you may just return to life as you knew it before the recent changes - but without the free ride for HTML5 media ;)
After that address automatic updates and ensure your router is secure - most bases will then be covered.
(Edited)
Gwalk900, Champion
"- relatively painless and what's to lose?"
I'm going to get beat up on this but ......
Old habits die hard. I have, believe it or not, IE11 as my default browser on most of my 11 computers! Just an Old Duffer I guess.
I KNOW its not the best or perhaps the most secure choice but ... I leave IE in "pristine condition" for those times when a site is not acting as I think it should .. the question being "is it a setting or ad-on causing the problem?"
I do use other browsers for other purposes ... those being tuned for the task I ask them to do at the time.
Sometimes its Safari, other times its Opera or even SeaMonkey.
Whatever works ;)
The great phantom usage debate will never go away and most casual users aren't going to go to the lengths to track down exactly where data is being consumed like you, I or others.
I've given up on the lengthy technical explanations at this point since it's become more like Johnny Bench saying "I have no idea what you're trying to do, but I can tell you're doing it wrong"
Much like Blue Emu, Firefox with AdBlock Plus and Flash Control works great and it doesn't stink.
The great phantom usage debate will never go away and most casual users aren't going to go to the lengths to track down exactly where data is being consumed like you, I or others.
I've given up on the lengthy technical explanations at this point since it's become more like Johnny Bench saying "I have no idea what you're trying to do, but I can tell you're doing it wrong"
Much like Blue Emu, Firefox with AdBlock Plus and Flash Control works great and it doesn't stink.
Gwalk900, Champion
"I've given up on the lengthy technical explanations at this point since it's become more like Johnny Bench saying "I have no idea what you're trying to do, but I can tell you're doing it wrong""
I have to agree with you.
My replies tend to get a little, well OK, more than a little wordy in the interest of ... completeness.
I try to offer up a complete "picture" of the scope of the problem as well as avenues of investigation and possible tools and methods in one "chapter". It usually falls on deaf ears.
If I post the short version, they then complain of being lead on when it comes to pass that a modem isolation test reveals that the usage is on the users end and I post the methods needed to look in that area.
Everyone expects their ISP to be their personal IT/Computer Repair facility and are just "destroyed" when told that if you have a computer you need to have some inkling as to how to maintain it. If you choose the "Network" at least learn enough of the basics to ask the right questions.
No one buys into the thing of: if I am going to learn how to Skydive, I'm going to learn how to pack my own 'chute".
Diana, Viasat Employee
Gwalk900, Champion
Bettie,
Here is an example:
Today between the hours of 7 &9 am Internet Explorer used 92 MB in total . 90.9 MB download and 1.1 MB upload.
If we look a little deeper we find that one of the places "visited" was "prod.giphy.map.fastly.net
Now I didn't KNOWINGLY go there ... either a background process did or it was the result of a data feed from one of the webpages I did visit in that two hour period.
In any event, known or unknown it used 1.2 MB of data.
I can pull up the IP address of where it went and see who is associated with the address but the overwhelming fact is ... is used data that I otherwise wouldn't have known where it went.
And my ISP had nothing to do with it.
There are also 46 more "places" that used data except I had not visited 46 websites in total thus far today.
