Data Usage

Question

We have a USB620L attached to desktop computer with no other wireless connections the desktop the USB modem is attached to is networked to a 2nd desktop with internal network cards & hard wired (no WiFi). We do not do any gaming or use anything like Netflix and use the 2 computers only for email and limited Facebook and a few other sites. What might we expect our Data usage to be per month ?  Both machines are Windows 7 with Outlook and Explorer.

John_Getzke · Accepted Answer

> What might we expect our Data usage to be per month ?

Please understand that there is no way for anyone to accurately answer this question.  Actual data usage will depend entirely on what your PCs are doing while connected to the VZW network.  If you wanted to find out you would have to setup a data usage monitor and observe your behavior for a few months.  There are lots of products out there that can expose this info to you, i prefer to use Glasswire as it is more user friendly and can expose individual app data usage.

Once you have a data monitor configured then build up an average and use that as your estimated usage for that specific situation.  This will change over time as your machines take various updates, patches and your internet consumptions habits change.

That being said I would estimate that a good benchmark to start with would be 5 GB.  That should be plenty for 2 PCs with normal patches and no consistent video or audio habits.  You will want to keep a close eye on your unbilled data usage report for the first few months.  I'd also advise making a habit out of powering off the USB modem when it is not in use to reduce the risk of updates pulling at odd hours of the day and confusing your results.  Once you are comfortable with you online behavior then you can ease back into leaving the VZW device online all the time.