How Fast Does Anyone Use Up 5 Gb?

Discussion in 'General Community Discussions' started by DXSMac, Feb 5, 2010.

  1. coacbcps

    coacbcps
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2009
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    0
    QUOTE(Trentheim @ Feb 9 2010, 10:11 AM) [snapback]20917[/snapback]

    1000 bytes = 1 kilobyte
    1000 kilobytes = 1 Megabyte
    1000 Megabytges = 1 Gigabyte
    1000 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte
    1000 Terabytes = 1 Petabyte
    1000 Petabytes = 1 Exabyte
    1000 Exabytes = 1 Zettabyte
    1000 Zettabytes = 1 Yottabyte


    Where do they come up with these names? :blink: Is this the metric version of million, billion, trillion, etc? What do those prefixes mean? :unsure: I know kilo is 1000 and mega means "large; great". What exactly is giga-, tera-, peta-, exa-, and zetta-? I'm looking in my daughter's dictionary and apparently these techno terms are not listed.
     
  2. Bud in Florida

    Bud in Florida
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2007
    Messages:
    161
    Likes Received:
    1
    I have had a verizon card for 2 years and just switched to a cell phone that can act as a hot spot. My wife does on line teaching and I spend a lot of time on line looking at campground reviews etc. No streaming video or music and we have never used more than a couple of Gbs.
     
  3. joez

    joez
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2008
    Messages:
    215
    Likes Received:
    5
    We have a Sprint aircard that we use with a Cradlepoint router. Two of us use computers, with a very limited amount of videos, music, etc downloads. The router with aircard is on most of the time. Luckily we are still grandfathered with unlimited usage. So far this month (with 8 days remaining) we have used 5,456,847 KB (Their billing statement says 1 GB = 1,048,576 KB). Even though we are entitled to new free aircard, we would have to revert to the 5 GB limit so we are still using our old Sierra. A Sprint rep did tell me during a phone conversation that the 4G cards will not have usage limits, but as of now there is limited 4G coverage in areas where we are.
     
  4. Florida Native

    Florida Native
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2005
    Messages:
    1,136
    Likes Received:
    17
    On my new Verizon Droid phone, we have unlimited for $30 a month, it does surfing, but the screen size is restrictive.
     
  5. Denali

    Denali
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2005
    Messages:
    1,575
    Likes Received:
    22
    QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Jun 2 2010, 02:54 PM) [snapback]22365[/snapback]

    On my new Verizon Droid phone, we have unlimited for $30 a month, it does surfing, but the screen size is restrictive.

    You know you can tether it and use it as a modem, right? PdaNet for Droid

    It works very well using the USB cable, but I can't get it to work with Bluetooth. Others, however, have reported using PdaNet with Bluetooth, so it's probably a driver conflict with my Bluetooth dongle.
     
  6. Florida Native

    Florida Native
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2005
    Messages:
    1,136
    Likes Received:
    17
    Do I understand this to mean, I can use the Droid to hook up my laptop to the Verizon internet netwowrk?
     
  7. Denali

    Denali
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2005
    Messages:
    1,575
    Likes Received:
    22
    QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Jun 6 2010, 10:30 AM) [snapback]22410[/snapback]

    Do I understand this to mean, I can use the Droid to hook up my laptop to the Verizon internet netwowrk?

    Sorry I didn't reply sooner, Lindsay. I haven't checked in since you posted.

    Yes, with PdaNet you hook your Droid to your laptop using a USB cable. The Droid will act as a modem, just like any other cellular data device. You use your Droid's Verizon Internet connection. You will get the same speed on your laptop as you do using the Droid by itself on the Internet.

    Feel free to contact me off-list if you want more details: denali@alaska.net.

    There is also a good Yahoo forum on this topic, for any cell phone: Internet By Cell Phone (I am the owner of the forum.)
     
  8. Florida Native

    Florida Native
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2005
    Messages:
    1,136
    Likes Received:
    17
    It has a USB adapter on the computer end, what does it have on the Droid end?
     
  9. Denali

    Denali
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2005
    Messages:
    1,575
    Likes Received:
    22
    QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Jun 12 2010, 05:28 PM) [snapback]22494[/snapback]

    It has a USB adapter on the computer end, what does it have on the Droid end?

    The Droid uses a standard micro USB cable. It ships with a cable, but many folks buy a longer one.
     
  10. Florida Native

    Florida Native
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2005
    Messages:
    1,136
    Likes Received:
    17
    My charge has a micro USB on one end and a regular USB on the other. i thought it was for charging from the computer. Thanks, now I know. I guess I should actually read the instruction manual.
     
  11. Denali

    Denali
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2005
    Messages:
    1,575
    Likes Received:
    22
    QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Jun 13 2010, 03:36 PM) [snapback]22519[/snapback]

    My charge has a micro USB on one end and a regular USB on the other. i thought it was for charging from the computer. Thanks, now I know. I guess I should actually read the instruction manual.

    It will not only charge from the computer, you can also use the USB cable to transfer files, e.g., pictures, from the Droid to the computer.

    I regularly copy a couple of spreadsheets from the computer to the Droid so I can have them with me for reference.
     
  12. Florida Native

    Florida Native
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2005
    Messages:
    1,136
    Likes Received:
    17
    I guess when I hook it up, go to Windows Explorer, and turn it onm then it will appear as a devise with a drive letter like a camera or other external devise.
     
  13. Denali

    Denali
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2005
    Messages:
    1,575
    Likes Received:
    22
    QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Jun 14 2010, 06:12 PM) [snapback]22537[/snapback]

    I guess when I hook it up, go to Windows Explorer, and turn it onm then it will appear as a devise with a drive letter like a camera or other external devise.

    That's correct.

    The Droid will prompt you to connect as a disk drive when you connect the USB cable.
     
  14. JDRobar

    JDRobar
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2011
    Messages:
    40
    Likes Received:
    0
    If there are people out there that still have a question in their mind as to what a Gig is, here's a translation that may help:

    100 MB = 5 hrs on the web, or 25 min streaming video, or 10,000 average emails
    250 MB = 12 hrs on the web, or 1 hour streaming video, or 25,000 average emails
    600 MB = 30 hrs on the web, or 2.5 hrs streaming video, or 60,000 average emails
    1 GB = 50 hrs on the web, or 4 hrs streaming videos, or 100,000 average emails

    So unless you are using netflicks as your prime source of entertainment, a 5 gig prepaid MIFI (mobile personal wifi) each month should do the job.
     
  15. DXSMac

    DXSMac
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2007
    Messages:
    2,111
    Likes Received:
    9
    Thanks! I have ONLY ONCE come close to 5 gig, I ended up with 4.99999 one month. That is back when "24" (the TV show) was on, and I was camp hosting, no TV reception, had to watch it, and there were some 2 hour episodes that month. Otherwise, I average 2.5 gig, and I'm on the internet a lot. I have downloaded songs from I-Tunes. Surprisingly, they didn't affect my gig much.

    There has been times I streamed music from pandora.com, pretty much uses up 100 meg an hour.

    JJ

    QUOTE(JDRobar @ Jun 12 2011, 07:21 PM) [snapback]26423[/snapback]

    If there are people out there that still have a question in their mind as to what a Gig is, here's a translation that may help:

    100 MB = 5 hrs on the web, or 25 min streaming video, or 10,000 average emails
    250 MB = 12 hrs on the web, or 1 hour streaming video, or 25,000 average emails
    600 MB = 30 hrs on the web, or 2.5 hrs streaming video, or 60,000 average emails
    1 GB = 50 hrs on the web, or 4 hrs streaming videos, or 100,000 average emails

    So unless you are using netflicks as your prime source of entertainment, a 5 gig prepaid MIFI (mobile personal wifi) each month should do the job.
     
  16. Traveling man

    Traveling man
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2009
    Messages:
    98
    Likes Received:
    5
    QUOTE(JDRobar @ Jun 12 2011, 09:21 PM) [snapback]26423[/snapback]

    If there are people out there that still have a question in their mind as to what a Gig is, here's a translation that may help:

    100 MB = 5 hrs on the web, or 25 min streaming video, or 10,000 average emails
    250 MB = 12 hrs on the web, or 1 hour streaming video, or 25,000 average emails
    600 MB = 30 hrs on the web, or 2.5 hrs streaming video, or 60,000 average emails
    1 GB = 50 hrs on the web, or 4 hrs streaming videos, or 100,000 average emails

    So unless you are using netflicks as your prime source of entertainment, a 5 gig prepaid MIFI (mobile personal wifi) each month should do the job.




    That's a good guide. I think you are safe unless you are doing a lot of Netflix downloads or similar. I had the Sprint unlimited internet for several years, but it was rare that I used over 2 GB. Even the month I watched quite a few old rerun shows, due to lack of tv reception, it was only about 3.5 GB. Earlier this year I switched from unlimited to their 5 GB plan which was cheaper, as I figured I would never use over 5 GB.
     
  17. rgatijnet

    rgatijnet
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2009
    Messages:
    114
    Likes Received:
    1
    On our last trip, we found that we did use 5 gig in 28 days. We do not download any movies, but the wife and I will both download our emails and do some surfing. I will even post a RV park review on here while we are on the road. We use the Verizon card, and I can check daily usage, BUT, how do I know that Verizon is accurately calculating my usage?
    When I used to tether my cell phone for internet access, Verizon once charged me almost $500 for data usage for one month. This was when I had my unlimited data contract from Alltel, which Verizon purchased. Thank goodness I caught it before they automatically deducted that amount with my auto pay. I since canceled my cell phone service with Verizon but still use my air card, on a prepaid month to month basis.
    Since I refused to pay Verizon because of my contract with Alltel, they eventually stopped hassling me. They never would admit that they were wrong and that my Alltel contract, which I had used for almost 2 years, would be honored. Naturally my letter from Verizon during the Alltel purchase, was that they would honor all parts of your existing Alltel contracts. Ignore them enough and they do go away. :D
    I guess what I am saying is that even tho you may monitor your daily usage, you are still at the mercy of the provider to insure that they correctly charge you for what you actually use. There really is no way to argue with them. It becomes your word against theirs.
     
  18. DXSMac

    DXSMac
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2007
    Messages:
    2,111
    Likes Received:
    9
    QUOTE(rgatijnet @ Jul 23 2011, 03:56 PM) [snapback]26905[/snapback]

    I since canceled my cell phone service with Verizon but still use my air card, on a prepaid month to month basis.



    Wow. Someone told me that they couldn't get an air card unless they had the cell phone.

    I have air card, cell phone, and wireless landline. My cell phone is pretty much redundant with the Wireless Landline (Home Phone Connect) service.

    JJ
     
  19. Florida Native

    Florida Native
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2005
    Messages:
    1,136
    Likes Received:
    17
    Our current Verizon Droid has an unlimited data plan and I can tether it to my laptop so we can get service. (a little slow). They have stopped offering the unlimited plan though.
     
  20. Denali

    Denali
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2005
    Messages:
    1,575
    Likes Received:
    22
    QUOTE(DXSMac @ Aug 2 2011, 05:26 PM) [snapback]27050[/snapback]

    Wow. Someone told me that they couldn't get an air card unless they had the cell phone.
    They were mistaken, at least regarding Verizon. They may have meant that you can't get a data plan on your cell phone without a voice plan.
    QUOTE

    I have air card, cell phone, and wireless landline. My cell phone is pretty much redundant with the Wireless Landline (Home Phone Connect) service.

    JJ

    When I googled Home Phone Connect, I came across this interesting article: Home Phone Connect. If you are going to keep your cell phone anyway and are willing to give up your land line number, it's an interesting alternative.

    As I recall, you want to keep your land line number, though.
     

Share This Page