How much data do I need?

These days, the proliferation of cheap unlimited data internet plans means more and more households are hopping on the limitless bandwagon. But do you really need unlimited internet data? Depending on the plan and provider you choose, you could still save some money month-to-month if you assess your data use and pick an appropriate data-capped plan. The results could mean you save $200 or more over the course of a year.

What’s the difference between bits and bytes?

The difference between a bit and a byte is more than just apples and oranges. If you’re confused about the difference between a ‘megabit’ and a ‘megabyte’, the differences are:

• Megabyte/Gigabyte: Is a measure of file size – ‘MB’ and ‘GB’ respectively. Each increment is 1000-times larger than the previous. A gigabyte contains 1000MB (or technically 1024MB) and so on.
• Megabit/Mbps: Is more a measure of speed. There are eight ‘bits’ in a ‘byte’. So, if you have a 100Mbps download speed, you can download 12.5MB of data per second, which means a movie that’s 1GB will take as little as 80 seconds to download – pretty quick!

It’s important to note that the speed of your internet plan has little bearing on the amount of data you use. However, with a faster internet plan you are likely to stream more, download more and enjoy the internet more, so your data use may increase!

How much data do services use?

Not all websites and activities are made equal! Whether you’re a browser, emailer, Netflix binger or downloader, if you’re on a data-capped plan, you will have to be mindful of how much data you are using.

• Facebook: Can use up to 2MB per minute, depending on if auto-play videos are set or not, plus the amount of multimedia content that is on your newsfeed.
• Browsing: Australian Census data suggests that users browse the internet for about 48 hours per month. Considering the average size of a webpage, the average user can burn about 6-7GB per month on browsing alone.
• Netflix & Stan: Use at 300MB per hour in standard definition. High definition streams can use a minimum of 1GB per hour of streaming, while if you have the premium 4K plan, it can use up to 7GB per hour!
• Foxtel Now: Foxtel Now – the streaming arm of Foxtel – uses about 1.4GB an hour for a standard definition picture, while HD can consume upwards of 3GB.
• YouTube: Varies greatly due to the quality selection offer from channels and the choice of users. A 1080p video can burn upwards of 12MB per minute, though an average 480p video uses about 4MB per minute.
• Movies from iTunes or Google Play: Downloading – buying or renting – a SD movie will use up about 1.5GB of data, while a HD movie can use upwards of 3GB. Of course, the longer the film, the bigger the download.
• Music Streaming: The free version of Spotify streams at 160Kbps – about 72MB per hour. The paid version streams at 320Kbps, or upwards of 150MB an hour. Apple Music streams only at 256Kbps or 155MB an hour. Google Play music streams at 320Kbps but can adjust based on the quality of your internet. Lossless – uncompressed – audio can use upwards of 500MB an hour.
• Online Gaming: Online gaming may not use as much as you think. An average online game will use around 50MB an hour. Online gaming updates you have to be wary of: updates in a Call of Duty series, for example, can use upwards of 15GB,and happen semi-frequently.

Likely the heaviest data suckers in your home are the TV streams and big downloads. If you’re unsure, you can ballpark how much you stream, browse, game and download throughout the day and multiply it by 30 days for a rough estimate of monthly usage.

NBN Providers & Plans

Thinking about a new NBN provider or plan to take on your data usage? Check out some of the providers and plans available in the table below. The table contains affiliate links.

• NBN Sponsored Plans
• NBN50 Plans
• NBN100 Plans

The following table shows a selection of sponsored unlimited data Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50), and Premium Evening Speed (NBN 100) plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.

Sponsored Products

NBN 100 SL Bundle BYO 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $79.99) Typical evening speed of 97Mbps Special Offer: Save $10/month for the first 6 months! $0 modem available. Plus, get 50% off SIM Plan fees. New customers only. T&C apply.

Unlimited Data/month

$79.99 Cost/month

Go to Site

NBN 50 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $85) Typical evening speed of 50Mbps Have a Vodafone phone plan? You’ll save $15/mth on Vodafone internet Get in quick on this package deal. T&Cs Apply

Unlimited Data/month

$85.00 Cost/month

Go to Site

NBN100 Liimitless 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $99.99) Typical evening speed of 97Mbps Save $10/mth for first 12 months on selected iiNet NBN plans Available to new customers only Available until withdrawn. T&Cs Apply

Unlimited Data/month

$89.99 Cost/month

Go to Site

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Unlimited Home Standard (NBN 50) Plans

The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

Unlimited Home Fast (NBN 100) Plans

The table below shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

How can you monitor data usage?

If you’re uneasy about the amount of data you are using, there are a few methods to monitor data.

• If on a data-capped plan, your provider may include how much data you used the previous month on your bill. Of course, this may not be ideal if you want your usage in real-time.
• You can use your online user portal – usually by entering 192.168.1.1-XXXX – for a real-time look about how much data you are using.
• Your provider may also provide warnings if you reach half, three-quarters and your full data capacity. These alerts, however, may be delayed by upwards of two hours.
• Using your online login on the provider’s website may also feature how much data you are using, but again this could be delayed.

If there are no avenues to track data use, however, it may be prudent to be honest about the activities you do on the web and estimate data use from there. For example, two hours of HD Netflix per day can use upwards of 6GB; add in some general browsing, YouTube and a file download, and you could use upwards of 100GB per household member per month.

What happens if you exceed your data cap?

The good news is that these days most service providers do not have excess data charges. Instead, your speed is slowed to about 256Kbps – enough to use email and some light browsing. Some other providers may offer data packs to add on, usually in 10GB blocks.

Here’s what your data cap will let you do

The company responsible for rolling out the NBN – NBN Co – has indicated that those on its fixed wireless network use just 200GB data per month. However, fixed line residents may use a lot more, and if you’re a heavy streamer you may make use of an unlimited plan.

Below is a quick overview of how far your data caps will go for different activities.

Key:

• Tick – Sufficient
• Dash – Use Caution
• Cross – Need More Data

General guide only

These days, internet plans with less than 50GB of monthly data are few and far between, but there’s still a few on the market. While these plans are cheap, users do have to be cautious, as anything other than basic browsing and email could eat up your data very quickly. Users with low data caps should be careful with Facebook and other social media, as videos can auto-play and quickly burn through your gigabyte allowance.

NBN plans with unlimited data

Most NBN providers tend to offer only unlimited data on NBN plans across all the speed tiers, so it’s fairly easy to find a broadband option with unrestricted gigabytes. The following table shows unlimited data plans across all four commercial NBN speed tiers, including NBN 12 (also known as Basic), NBN 25, NBN 50 (also known as Standard), and NBN 100 (also known as Fast).

Six data-saving tips

If you find yourself regularly exceeding your data cap, or constantly experiencing excess data slowdowns, there are some easy things to do if you need to rein in that data use.

1. Turn off ‘auto-play’ videos: Facebook can be great for cat videos, but often they are auto-play, which means simply scrolling past can burn through precious megabytes. These megabytes can add up to gigabytes over the course of a month if you’re a heavy Facebook user. You can turn this off in your ‘Videos and Photos’ settings tab.
2. Check Netflix, Stan & Foxtel streaming quality: These services can burn through upwards of 7GB an hour on a 4K stream, which can make short work of a 100GB data plan. Luckily, you can select the playback quality in your settings, and reduce it to Standard Definition. SD can use as little as around 300MB per hour.
3. Adjust YouTube quality: It’s tempting to see your favourite YouTube channel in glorious HD, but if you’re just looking up a quick video, consider using 480p or thereabouts. For a small computer screen, it will likely look passable and could save precious data over the long run.
4. Reconsider lossless audio: Lossless audio is great for audiophiles but not so great for data conservation. Apps such as Tidal feature lossless audio, but if on a data budget, choosing 320Kbps or 256Kbps could save in the long run. Lossless audio is likely lost on many average headphones, anyway.
5. Download movies in SD rather than HD: Doing this can save a gigabyte or more per movie. On smaller screens, SD or ‘DVD quality’ likely won’t be much less of a quality compromise.
6. Reconsider that big game download: Online gaming doesn’t use much data at all, but the in-game downloads can chew through massive amounts. Consider doing them in off-peak periods where your data cap may be higher or consider if you need the download at all; often, the downloads are only necessary to access certain parts of the game. A 15GB download could make light work out of a 100GB data cap.

Overall, to conserve data there’s a common theme, and it’s usually to do with streaming video. Selecting the ‘lesser’ option may seem unsavoury to our HD-adjusted eyes. However, for most applications, DVD quality likely won’t have too much of an impact on your viewing, especially if you’re watching on a smaller screen.

The bottom line: How much data do I need?

If you’re constantly experiencing a slowdown because you’ve exceeded your data, it could be time to reconsider your broadband plan. If you’re a household full of streamers, gamers and browsers, an unlimited data plan may provide peace of mind. Plus, they are so plentiful these days and there is a lot of competition.

• Streaming is a major data killer in the average household, using upwards of 7GB an hour.
• Despite what critics may have you believe, online gaming uses relatively little, but the in-game downloads can consume a lot.

With today’s data usage, it’s all too easy to burn through hundreds of gigabytes each month. Why don’t you take a look at the hundreds of plans Canstar Blue can compare through our comparison tool and, while you’re browsing, have a think about how much data that cat video you always watch uses.