Is Internet plan affected?

February 6, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Q. I have a 25-GB-per-month Internet plan. I have set up my Blu-ray player to my router via an Ethernet cable and my router is on 24 hours a day. The Ethernet light on my router is on 24 hours a day as long as it is plugged in to the Blu-ray, with or without the power on. Does this mean that it is counting against my 25-GB-per-month time? I am contemplating buying an Apple TV device to watch iTunes and Netflix on my HD big screen TV. Will this be the same drain on my bandwidth?

— D.R., Alfred, Ontario

A. You probably don’t need to worry. Most likely, the light on your router means that it is communicating with your device.

Though devices such as Apple TV do connect with the Internet to download updates, the bandwidth used by these background processes isn’t contributing much toward your cap.

You can confirm that the Blu-ray player isn’t draining your bandwidth by comparing a recent statement from your ISP with an older one, or you can use a program designed to let you manage your bandwidth usage.

Let me remind you to make sure you’re clicking to download the programs below, and not ads cleverly designed to trick you into paying for other programs.

BitMeter keeps track of real-time usage and can be set to alert you when you’ve reached a specified percentage of your bandwidth allotment. You can download BitMeter II (for Windows only) or BitMeter OS (a beta version for Windows, Linux and Mac) at http://codebox.org.uk.

SurplusMeter, another free program available for Macs only, offers the additional benefit of calculating a daily bandwidth allowance based on your cap and actual usage. It’s available at http://www.skoobysoft.com.

Finally, NetWorx for Windows gives users the chance to monitor their entire network, rather than just one computer, which some reviewers of BitMeter II have complained about. Download NetWorx for free at Download.com.

If you use the Internet to video-conference, stream movies and play online games, it’s probably a good idea to start keeping track of your bandwidth usage.

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2011, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

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