I have done Teams video calls tethered to my phone and it used only about 300Mb an hour. It can be quite good as long as the connection is low lag rater than big bandwidth.
Theyāre asking how to stop it happening again not complaining about the sitter.
Hello @Glen
I find it a challenge to respond to your OP, as the understanding / agreement around the use of your data during the sit is not clear.
Can you provide more details/info on how you communicated the data issue to the THsitters verbally/ email/ text / listing or welcome guide?
Welcome to the forum and the continuum of opinions!
If there is no way to increase the amount of data you can offer sitters, is there a way the sitter can monitor how much data they use? That would certainly help a sitter manage their usage in order to not use it all up. Perhaps you can create a guide that would help them understand how much data different activities consume, such as streaming or video calls.
I find that data use can vary a lot even when people use the same platforms or tools. Thatās because, for instance, people might be sharing files or need to break out into separate groups during video calls and such. In some cases, you might go video-free and use audio only, but that wonāt work if you need to see graphs, charts, etc., for instance. And even at a given job, that tends to vary from mtg to mtg.
To me as a telecommuter, Iām never going to bother with a sit where I have to track usage or limit it. Itās simply not necessary when so many, many sites offer unlimited high-speed internet. Of course, my uses and preferences arenāt everyone elseās, but most people will make similar considerations.
If the sit is unique or otherwise hard to get vs. others, some folks might be willing to make the trade-off. It just dramatically lowers the odds on getting a sitter in nearly every case, though. And thatās the key thing hosts have to consider: If other sits offer X, how will you effectively compete for sitters, especially those with the most and best reviews, who tend to have greater options?
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To me as a telecommuter, Iām never going to bother with a sit where I have to track usage or limit it.
That would also be my preference but a lot of countries or areas donāt have unlimited so it can be helpful to know your usage and even be able to moderate it if it allows you to spend time there working remotely. Getting away is a nice idea but working remotely allows people to live local for longer without blowing your holiday allowance.
In the spirit of keeping to the original question of how do you or someone else not use up all your data allowance here some possibly unwanted technical advice if anyone is interested:
The router you connect to is the best source. You can log onto the web management interface usually using the details provide on the sticker on the back/underneath. I wonāt go into more detail as last time I talked about accessing routers a lot of people got upset. It should show usage of various time periods. Your ālimitā will be the download as upload is usually not counted towards the limit. It doesnāt really have any knowledge of the limit your provider may have placed so will just show total usage not how much you have left.
I travel with my own portable router for various reasons so I also have full access to that.
The internet provider may have an app or webpage where you can see usage but that will require access to the customers account so likely only useful if you are teh customer or they monitor and let you know how you are doing.
Windows10/11 will show you usage if you go to Settings>Network & Internet > Advanced Network Settings > Data Usage. You can select your WiFi adapter or other network adapter and see usage for last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days including each programs usage.
Obviously if you have your phone connected and are using Netflix on the TV etc this also counts towards usage which is why getting it from the router itself is a better total but if nothing else you may discovery just how data intensive (or not) your activities actually are.
Weāre in NZ.
No problem. Weāre now on unlimited. Changed it. Thank you for the advice.
Edited to remove personal links as per Forum Guidelines](Community Rules - TrustedHousesitters Community Forum)
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Itās all done
I didnāt say anything to them. Itās fine.
Sorry I mentioned it. It was a telecom issue and they have sorted it.
Edited to remove personal links as per Forum Guidelines](Community Rules - TrustedHousesitters Community Forum)
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As a remote worker and near-full time sitter, I always ask about the internet service - speed, consistency, data plan etc. The responses would seriously affect my decision to accept a sit.
Iām sorry to hear about this issue. Iām sure the sitter was grateful with the wine bottles and the opportunity to have guests over. Still, most sitters will consider unlimited high speed internet, as a must. I have never encounter a sit that had an internet restriction nor spotty internet, thankfully. I work from home and stream all of my entertainment: Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, TikTok, etc. So, even with the perks of the wine and guests, Iād be tempted to leave a 4 star review, due to Internet issues.