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Satellite Internet forum › TooWay and KA-SAT satellite › Tooway : Excessive large download amounts per month ?

Tooway : Excessive large download amounts per month ?

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Admin1

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Dec 9^th, 2015 at 2:18pm

Monthly download limits apply to Tooway satellite internet users and these can be really annoying when you find you have downloaded far more than you expected. Do those pesky 'Apps' and system software keep updating themselves and wasting your Gbytes download allowance ?

Whose fault is it ? The website owner for not using compression for their web pages and for not configuring their cache headers correctly ? Tooway for simply passing though what was sent from the server to you ? Software and 'Apps' for spontaneously doing unexpected updates and downloads?. Your fault for having too many devices, downloading the same things several times ?

Recent studies on the Tooway network suggest that customers download the same content multiple times in a month, thus wasting between 30 and 70% of their monthly allowance.

So you are not alone with this problem.

Are you a Tooway user ?

Do you look at the same Facebook web page, news web page, downloading the same videos or images more than once per month?

Do you have multiple ethernet or WiFi devices in your house, e.g. laptop, Android smart phone, iPad etc all fed via your Tooway terminal ?

How much content do you think you wastefully download more than once ?

Do you do routine tasks like backup, cloud and software updates strictly during Tooway off-peak night time free browsing periods ? Could you download your emails once per day during such times ?

Tell me your opinons, comments and experiences by email: eric@satsig.net or put it here yourself (if you are already a satsig forum members).

Best regards, Eric

« Last Edit: Dec 9^th, 2015 at 4:47pm by Admin1 »

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Hipolito Gonzalez

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Reply #1 - Feb 26^th, 2016 at 11:36am

Hello admin. Nice to write in your post.
And really, I think today about 30 or 35% is reused content. I tried in the past to use a Squid proxy cache in my router (mikrotik 2011 Rb) and the modem, but many content is uncacheable, like the https and youtube videos.

I have two OLD UNLIMITED (really unlimited) tooway service, but even, I don't update so much the apps, in all my computers in the house the auto update in "everything" (I think so) is disable, and just, when we are in a friend house with ADSL/FTTH/HTC/etc we update almost everything.

Even, I have two unlimited service working for me, I try to be conservative in bandwidth usage, because I know, our "dear" Tooway sat (Ka-SAT) is a shared service.

I don't download movies, software (just the necessary) in my service and we are using about 300 GB/month in each service.

Ahhh, and we DON'T have windows 10 sharing the UPDATES to everyone.....Linux, Win 7 without auto updates, some XP, VoIP, no streaming Tv, just in certain moments for watching something from America.

Also, in my router I downgrade some servide, like streaming videos to a low bandwidth (max 3 Mbps), Voip has CIR and maximum priority, DNS queries are forwarded to the same router and it's making DNS cache, NTP.. the same (for saving maximum bandwidth).

What is the purpose of limiting speed in streaming?...

If you start watching a video at maximum speed, the stream goes faster, but if you don't want to continue, you spent many MB because the stream goes faster than you... then, is the bandwith is limited to X Mbps per customer (using PCQ queues), you won't spent so much MB,,,,,

Thank you for your post.

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Admin1

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Reply #2 - Apr 3^rd, 2016 at 12:36pm

Posted by forum admin from email:

"I am new to the forum but I saw that you were discussing repeated downloads in your post of 15 December. Perhaps my experience of using the Home Cache I bought is of some interest for you.

I am on Tooway with a 20GB limit. We are an Apple household, predominantly using iPhones and iPads. We also live in a rural area without mobile signal which is the reason why we are linking mobile phones through a home signal box with our service provider.

Normally, it is just my wife and I that use the internet although friends who are staying with us also link into the system. We use about 10-15GB/month on average. As we were expecting our son and family for an extended holiday I considered a home cache box that was advertised a good option during this period.

The box arrived stating it was a FreedomSat home cache box even though I am on Tooway. After starting up the system I noted that our data usage increased significantly even though the box reported some savings, usually around 3-7%, on occasion more (the cache is currently about 20% full). This pattern seemed to repeat itself every time new users were linked to the system.

We never had a real issue with exceeding our quota as we don’t use this for streaming. On occasion I would buy 1-2GB boosters if necessary. It is since using the home cache box that I seem to be constantly having to buy boosters. I know this is no “evidence” that this is down to the box and not down to our usage, but this is the first time in more than 2 years with Tooway that I experience these sort of issues.

I would be interested in the experience of other forum members with the home cache box."

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Admin1

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Reply #3 - Apr 3^rd, 2016 at 12:38pm

This cache idea is appropriate if there are multiple users connected to the satellite internet link, particularly so if the users all visit the same web sites, as it avoids multiple downloads of the same content such as images and static html pages.

I have the impression that the Freedomsat cache device is intended for any type of satellite link, e.g HughesNet, Viasat Surfbeam (Tooway), iDirect etc. In all satellite system alternatives, it will avoid un-necessary multiple downloads. Each satellite system has its own compression/acceleration features, but the customer satellite modem/routers do not have any caching facility so there is benefit to be had by adding external caching, where the satellite terminal serves a number of local LAN users.

I believe that iPAD and iPHONE users often have their devices linked with cloud servers that back up and duplicate the users files, such as images and emails, which might otherwise be located only on the device with the risk of loss and inability to access users files from multiple personal devices used by one person. Think about the synchronising of emails across several personal devices or being able to access the same saved image, purchased music track or purchased video from both iPAD and iPHONE. Each time such a device is connected to the internet it will attempt to synchronise its files and this implies possibly large file upload and downloads, particularly if the device has been off the internet for some time. In addition, large software update download and app updates may occur.

In any case, to minimise downloads, it is helpful to make sure that all individual devices have local caching turned on and that the local cache is not cleared, unless security or privacy considerations apply. Files downloaded may not always be stored for very long. The time may be specified by the web site maker but may be overridden by the browser. Typically 1 month or more for images and 1 day or less for html text files.

Browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome etc) have cache settings which are worth checking. Other download options may include the option of pre-downloading of content that you might (or might not) wish view next, turning off the downloading images, popups, sounds, toolbars, and adverts.

Video downloads may not be cacheable. This could be deliberate to try to prevent you from copying them.

Files downloaded from https sites may not cached due to encryption and privacy considerations.

If the cache device can also filter web traffic this may be a major help in limiting unwanted traffic such as viruses, improbable and unexpected background downloads etc . It may be possible to put limits on individual LAN devices.

I have not seen the “Freedomsat cache device“, so I don’t know what it is or what options your model includes.

The following links may (or may not) be relevant:
Freedomsat caching for schools

Appliansys cachebox

Please anyone .. What is your experience of cache devices, filtering devices etc to try and get the best out of expensive satellite links to the internet ?

Eric

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