fbpx

Do Data Caps Matter?

Do Data Caps Matter?

There is some debate around data-caps (or usage limits) and what they mean when using the internet.

Data caps are how much data you are able to use in total in a given period (think of it like a water meter). Internet generally is charged on a monthly basis, so the data cap resets every month. Data caps shouldn’t be confused with bandwidth. Bandwidth is more like the water pressure; how fast a person can get the data.

Depending on the internet company, the data caps can be fairly cost prohibitive if someone is using their connection excessively. For example, if you are watching Netflix in High Definition (HD), you will use ~1Gigabyte(GB)/hour. That said, if you have a data cap of 100GB, you would be able to watch 100 hours of HD Netflix that month and then either be throttled down (significantly slowing your connection) OR being charged for every GB you use above the data cap. (Reference)

The first time I experienced this myself was using a mobile hot spot with a data cap of 2GB while I was spending time in Montana. Needless to say I wasn’t watching Netflix on it, but was amazed at how quickly I used up the 2GB! The result of me using the connection for a week was that the data cap was used up and then my connection was throttled so slow that it was difficult to even check email on the connection. Since I still had to work I called up the provider and had to purchase 4GB more for the month since I figured I could get by with that.

So to answer the question, ‘Do Data Caps Matter?’, the answer is they don’t until you hit them, and then they matter A LOT!

One of the unique aspects of Alyrica is that we do not have data caps. We don’t believe people should be punished for actually using the connection that they are paying for!

No usage limits or data caps; that’s Alyrica!

More From Alyrica

Straight Forward Pricing. No Hassles.

We have no hidden taxes or fees, so the price is the price you pay for as long as you have the chosen plan, no surprises!