Joined mid-month... bandwidth cap pro-rated?

[Simon]

I'm not aware of the IDNet network peak time utilization, but in general it would have more of an impact during peak time simply because there are more users online and more people to notice it. If everyone started downloading all night then there'd be a slow down in non-peak hours.

True, but if everyone was downloading all night (I'm talking about downloading as in music, films, etc), a) there wouldn't be the usual daytime traffic to contend with, and b) if night time usage became predominant, then the peak / non-peak hours would eventually be reversed.  My point being??  Haven't a clue really, I'm just rambling.  I think I've got bird flu.  I'm talking rubbish, and this evening, I couldn't park the car. 

[Rik]

If IDNet raise the limit on the lower package I'd end up downgrading so they'd better be careful or they'd lose as much as they gain.

Having increased it from 2GB to 5GB this year, Ann, I'd be surprised to see another increase - as you say, it could be expensive in two ways.

[Inactive]

I personally think IDNet have it just about right now.

I would like to see a form of roll-over of unused bandwidth from month to month, other than that, it is fine for my needs.

[Rik]

I suspect a full rollover would be prohibitive, In, as they might find everyone saving their allowance for a month or two, then hitting the central all together. It would be nice to have a partial rollover, though, say 10-20% of the package.

[Inactive]

My take on it Rik is; if someone has paid in full for a given allowance, then they should be able to use that allowance when ever, the total over a period would remain constant.

I have selfish reasons for this of course...

[Rik]

I take your point, In, but from a business pov, I don't see how it could be delivered without the risk of serious service degradation. If it were to be done, I suspect it would involve a general price increase to allow for the extra capacity which would have to be provided against possible, rather than predictable, use.

[Inactive]

I posted it on a; If you don't ask, you don't get basis Rik.

Seriously, I am very happy with what I get from IDNet, no complaints.

[Rik]

Shame SimonD isn't around to read the thread.

[PeterNem]

I can give a definite answer :-P.

I migrated in a few months ago nearer the end of the month and got my full download allowance. In 15 days I used 28gb and it reset again on the 1st of the month so you've got nothing to worry about!

Awesome, thanks very much

I have selfish reasons for this of course...

Would your reasons be as selfish as mine? I'm only home 1 weekend a month, then for slightly longer periods occasionally (xmas, easter). All my parents do is light browsing and email, so I can't see them going over 5gb/month, but I've put them on the 30gig package to allow for when I am home.

It's easier to tell them it's 24.99 per month, than to tell them it's less than that, but then some months when I'm home it will cost them more!

[Rik]

Hi Peter

I've just had confirmation from IDNet, you get the full allowance for the month, regardless of the date on which you join. Obviously, it would be sensible not to join on the 31st, therefore!

[Inactive]

Would your reasons be as selfish as mine? I'm only home 1 weekend a month, then for slightly longer periods occasionally (xmas, easter).

I am out of the country on a regular basis Peter, usually for 3 weeks at a time, hence my selfish request.

[ducky22]

I'm not aware of the IDNet network peak time utilization, but in general it would have more of an impact during peak time simply because there are more users online and more people to notice it. If everyone started downloading all night then there'd be a slow down in non-peak hours.

Quite true... I can see myself upgrading further to IDNet's 'unlimited' business service. But i'd be nice if I didn't have to :-P. FYI, other ISPs encourage off peak downloading by removing limits completely - ie. plusnet. On their 1gb/month package you can download as much as you want during off peak hours.

[Adam]

I take your point, In, but from a business pov, I don't see how it could be delivered without the risk of serious service degradation. If it were to be done, I suspect it would involve a general price increase to allow for the extra capacity which would have to be provided against possible, rather than predictable, use.

I doubt a roll-over for 1 month would have much effect, although I'm not sure how much capacity IDNet has last, or how fast it is being filled.

Something I've mentioned in the past is how IDNet is somewhat closed about their network. There are many small to medium ISPs which share their network information openly, even some of the bigger ISPs do. My original request was, admittedly, almost 2 years ago so perhaps I should try again in the new year to see if they are willing to share any information.

[Adam]

Quite true... I can see myself upgrading further to IDNet's 'unlimited' business service. But i'd be nice if I didn't have to :-P. FYI, other ISPs encourage off peak downloading by removing limits completely - ie. plusnet. On their 1gb/month package you can download as much as you want during off peak hours.

The uncapped business package looks somewhat expensive, and that does not include VAT. It would be nice if ISPs hadn't moved to a charging system which revolves around usage, though I believe it to be partly BT's fault.

A few ISPs offer off-peak incentives, another example would be entanet who set very high limits for off-peak downloads. I'd like to see the performance of the mentioned ISPs networks during off-peak times; I'd be willing to bet the speeds drop significantly.

[colirv]

Something I've mentioned in the past is how IDNet is somewhat closed about their network. There are many small to medium ISPs which share their network information openly, even some of the bigger ISPs do.

And are they as good as IDNet? I doubt it. I think IDNet should be left to run the service their way, which seems to benefit all of us.

[Adam]

And are they as good as IDNet? I doubt it. I think IDNet should be left to run the service their way, which seems to benefit all of us.

I have nothing against the way IDNet run their network, in fact it is indeed better than most. I simply would like to know more about the network out of interest, though I'm not all that bothered if they give me information or not.

[Simon]

Just to clarify the SuperMax day / night split, are users paying for, essentially, two separate allowances, i.e., if someone downloaded 40Gb during the off-peak hours, but only 5Gb during peak times, thus using a total of 45Gb of their 60Gb monthly allowance, would they then be charged for the 10Gb 'overdraft' they used during the off-peak hours, even though they still technically had 15Gb of total allowance left?

[Rik]

My take on it would be that they had used more than their allowance, as it's split into two, and that they would be charged, but I'll try and get a definitive answer.

[Rik]

I've now had confirmation that, if a user exceeds either part of their allowance on Home Super Max, then they are charged for excess bandwidth on that part, regardless of how much they use in total.

[Simon]

Thanks Rik.