Help and support.
How do I use the broadband usage monitor?
- What information is being displayed?
The monitor is designed to show you all the usage that has been downloaded and uploaded over your broadband connection for the current month. This will help you to see how much of your monthly usage allowance has been used and how much there is remaining. The monitor only includes usage which counts towards your allowance; traffic from services such as BB talk and the BT Vision video store, is discounted from your total.
The monitor also helps you to manage your usage by displaying three different views to indicate the current status your usage:
- If the slider is green then, at the last update, you were within your usage allowance.
- If the slider is yellow then, at the last update, you were within your monthly usage allowance but there is a chance you might go over before the end of the month.
- If the slider is red then, at the last update, you had already gone above your usage allowance and you may be subject to charges as outlined in our Fair Usage Policy.
If you are on an unlimited product then you will never be charged for additional usage. The usage data will be displayed in blue for all customers who have an unlimited monthly usage allowance.
If you are finding that your current usage allowance is not meeting your needs, then you might want to consider upgrading to one of our broadband options with a higher usage allowance. To find out more please see; How can I increase my usage allowance?
- How do I access the usage monitor?
You can access the usage monitor through your My BT online account at any time. In the product section of My BT there is a 'View my broadband usage' link, click this link to open the usage monitor. If you don't already have an online account set-up, you can register at my.bt.com/mybt.
- When is usage information updated?
The usage displayed on the monitor is scheduled to update every 24 hours. To help you keep track of the updates, the time and date of the last update are displayed on the left hand side of the page.
- What if I have more than one billing account?
If you have multiple broadband accounts it is important to check that the right account is selected in your My BT page. You can change which account is selected using the drop down list on the homepage.
- Troubleshooting – Why isn't the monitor displaying correctly?
If you are having problems accessing the monitor it may be because:
- You do not have a My BT account set-up. To register please visit my.bt.com/mybt.
- The usage monitor is undergoing maintenance. If this happens we will display a service message informing when the monitor will be available again.
- The service is busy. In the rare event that this happens a service message will be displayed to inform you. Try again at a later time to access the monitor.
- The monitor is not displaying correctly. It may be that you need to adjust your browser settings in order for the monitor to display correctly. Alternatively the device you are using to access the monitor may not be supported. Try accessing the monitor from your PC.
Summary:
- The usage monitor helps you to manage your usage by showing how much of your monthly usage allowance has been used and how much is remaining each month.
- The monitor is accessed through the My BT online account. You may need to register for this service.
- Usage is updated on the monitor every 24 hours.
- It is important to make sure the correct billing account is selected in My BT to ensure the right usage data is displayed. The telephone number of the broadband line is displayed on the monitor.
- There may be some occasions when the monitor doesn't display correctly, please see the troubleshooting section to address these.
What is broadband usage?
When you access the internet you are uploading and downloading data, known as usage. There are three main factors that will contribute to the total amount of usage that is driven over your broadband connection:
- Number of devices accessing the internet.
- Amount of time spent accessing the internet.
- The type of internet activity being carried out.
Some internet activities require more usage than others; video streaming for example drives a lot more usage than simple browsing of web pages such as my.bt.com. To understand what is contributing to your overall usage level, it is important to first understand how much usage is required to carry out different types of internet activity. The table below shows typical usage values for some common activity types:
| Activity type | Typical usage* |
|---|---|
| Sending an email | 4KB |
| Streaming 30 minutes of audio (at 128kb/s) | 29MB |
| Streaming 30 minutes of SD video (at 800kb\s) | 175MB |
| Downloading \ uploading a digital photo | 1MB |
| Downloading \ uploading a music track | 4MB |
| Downloading \ uploading a SD film | 700MB |
| Downloading \ uploading a HD film | 4GB |
BT offers a range of broadband options with different amounts of monthly usage allowance included. These options are tailored to make sure we have the right product to suit the way you want to use the internet. For more information about monthly usage allowances and our range of broadband options please see; What is a monthly usage allowance?
Summary:
- Broadband usage refers to the amount of data sent up and down a broadband line.
- The amount of usage generated depends on how the internet is being used.
- The type of internet activity can have a big impact on the total usage required.
- BT offers a range of products with different usage allowances which are tailored to suit all types of internet user.
What is a monthly usage allowance?
- What is a monthly usage allowance?
The monthly usage allowance is the usage which is included with the broadband option you have. BT offers a range of broadband options to suit the different ways in which our customers want to use the internet so that each customer can choose the product which best meets their needs.
- What allowances are provided with each product?
The current monthly usage allowance for each of our broadband products is shown below:
| Broadband option: | Monthly usage allowance: |
|---|---|
| BT Total Broadband Option 1 | 10GB |
| BT Total Broadband Option 2 | 40GB |
| BT Total Broadband Option 3 | Unlimited |
| BT Infinity Option 1 | 40GB |
| BT Infinity Option 2 | Unlimited |
It is important to be on the right broadband option to meet the needs you have for using the internet. We've included the table below to give you an idea of the amount of internet activity that can be completed within the usage allowance provided with each of our broadband options:
| Activity type | Total Broadband Option 1 | Total Broadband Option 2 BT Infinity Option 1 |
Total Broadband Option 3 BT Infinity Option 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sending an email | 2,621,440 | 10,485,760 | Unlimited |
| Audio streaming (at 128kb\s) | 176 hours | 706 hours | Unlimited |
| SD video streaming (at 800kb\s) | 29 hours | 117 hours | Unlimited |
| Downloading \ uploading a digital photo | 10,240 | 40,960 | Unlimited |
| Downloading \ uploading a music track | 2,560 | 10,240 | Unlimited |
| Downloading \ uploading a SD film | 15 | 59 | Unlimited |
| Downloading \ uploading a HD film | 3 | 10 | Unlimited |
- What happens if I go over my allowance?
We will send an email to let you know when you are approaching your maximum monthly usage allowance and the monitor will also indicate if you are likely to go over. If your usage allowance is exceeded then you may be subject to charges for additional usage. To find out more about usage charges see; What happens if I go over my usage allowance?
- What does Unlimited mean?
Our BT Total Broadband Option 3 and BT Infinity Option 2 products come with an unlimited usage allowance. This means that customers can use the internet as much as they want and we will never charge them for additional usage.
- Is all broadband traffic included?
No, there are certain types of internet traffic which we do not count towards the total monthly usage that is displayed on the usage monitor. This includes any traffic associated with our BT Vision video on demand and BB Talk services.
Summary:
- A monthly usage allowance is the usage which comes included with your broadband option.
- BT offers a range of options to suit different needs from light use through to heavy use.
- Emails will be sent to make you aware of your usage level during the month.
- If the allowance is exceeded you may be charged for additional usage.
- Some traffic is intentionally excluded from your total usage such as BT Vision video on demand traffic.
What happens if I go over my usage allowance?
- How am I kept informed about my usage levels?
The new usage monitor is designed to give you a regular view of how much usage you have driven during the month and how much of the monthly usage allowance is remaining. The tool is also designed to provide an advanced warning if it looks like you will go over your usage allowance before the end of the month. This feature is based on how much you have used so far and will provide the earliest indication that you could exceed the monthly allowance.
We will also send you an email to make you aware if you are approaching your maximum usage allowance. The email will always be sent to the primary btinternet.com address that was set-up when you ordered broadband. Where you have supplied a preferred contact email we will also send a second message to that address. It is important to keep this contact email address up to date to ensure that the email is received.
We will send a reminder email at the following usage levels:
| Broadband option: | Monthly usage allowance: | Reminder sent when usage goes over: |
|---|---|---|
| BT Total Broadband Option 1 | 10GB | 7GB |
| BT Total Broadband Option 2 | 40GB | 32GB |
| BT Infinity Option 1 | 40GB | 32GB |
- What happens if I go over my allowance?
If you do go over your monthly usage allowance then you may be subject to additional usage charges as outlined in our Broadband Usage Policy. In certain situations charges may not be applied. If it is the first month that the allowance is exceeded, we will waive the charge and send you an email confirming the amount of additional usage and notifying you that any further over-use in subsequent months will be charged. All charges will be added to your next bill.
- What are the additional usage charges?
Additional usage will be charged in units of five gigabytes (GB), at £5 per five GB. Additional usage charges may change. Find out about the latest charges at my.bt.com/broadbandusagepolicy.
We will always email you to make you aware of usage charges and if you are finding that your current allowance does not meet your needs then you may want to consider upgrading to a product with a higher monthly usage allowance.
To see the options that are available and to place an order click the 'Upgrade my broadband' button on the monitor, or visit my.bt.com/broadband/upgrade.
If you upgrade your broadband before the end of the month then you will not be charged for any additional usage in that month.
Summary:
How can I increase my usage allowance?
- How can I receive a higher usage allowance?
We want to make sure that our customers are able to make the maximum use of their BT broadband service. If you are finding that the usage allowance included with your current product is not meeting your needs then you may want to consider changing to one of our products which offers a higher usage allowance. Our unlimited product allows you to upload and download as much as you want, and you will never be charged for additional usage.
- How can I upgrade my broadband?
To find out about your options and to upgrade your broadband you can click on the 'Upgrade my broadband' button which is displayed on the monitor if you have gone over, or are likely to go over, your monthly usage allowance. Alternatively, you can visit my.bt.com/broadband/upgrade.
- Why is my usage higher than I expected?
There are several reasons why the usage recorded on your connection may be higher than you were expecting or than a software usage meter on your PC may show.
Additional devicesIf you have secondary computers in your household, or other devices such as games consoles and smartphones connected to your broadband, these may be contributing a higher level of usage then you expect.
Viruses
It is important to ensure that you have an up to date virus checker and that it runs regularly because viruses can access your internet connection in the background. Some viruses, for example, hijack email accounts to send fake emails using the internet connection.
Wireless security
If you use a wireless broadband connection you should make sure that the security is enabled to prevent other people from using your internet connection without permission. If you suspect that the security settings may be breached you should change the password immediately.
Peer to peer uploads
If you set up a peer to peer account other users may be able to access content that you have stored on your local machine. Multiple users could access the same piece of content repeatedly and potentially without you knowing. As usage includes both uploads and downloads, any file requests will contribute to your total usage level. If this becomes a problem you can usually adjust the setting on your peer to peer software to control the amount of data that other people can access or alternatively you could remove the peer to peer software completely.
Background activity
Certain software may access the internet directly from your PC in order to install updates. This can drive background usage that you may not be aware of.
Summary:
- BT offers a range of products to suit all types of internet user.
- If you are finding your current usage allowance is insufficient you can change to one of our products with a higher usage allowance.
- There are a number of reasons why the usage on your connection might be higher then you are expecting.
- To manage your usage it is important to ensure you have an up to date virus checker, that your wireless is secure and that you are aware of other processes or devices which may be accessing your internet connection.