Data Limit ?

peter021072

A message on my Android warns me I only have a day's worth of data left, I've used 2.5 GB. However, it's connected to my router (there's a lit sign on the top left of my phone with the name of my internet provider). I rarely take it out of range of the router, and the data limit on my provider says that I've got 2.88 left of 3 GB left. Screenshot below.

Last month however, I had the connection to the router turned off by accident and it really ran through data when that happens, as soon as I connected to my router it was OK and barely used any. Could it be getting confused, I certainly am!

What happens if data runs out anyway, do I really need it if I don't take my phone out?

Vitor

What happens if data runs out anyway, - depends on your tariff, you might get a hefty surcharge at £1/MB, throttled right down or get no data service at all.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6674311/data-limit

You may be confusing two different things. Your contracted data allowance is what's within your plan that you pay for each month. That only gets used up by mobile data (not wifi on your router) and will refresh each month. As noted above, you will pay additional fees per mb/gb once its all used up.

The warning you received may be generated by your phone. This also measures how much data you've used, but it may not be exactly the same as your network providers measurement, and it may refresh on a different date. Looking at your screenshot, your contract refreshes on 20 of each month, your phone will probably default to the first of each month, so they won't align.

You can adjust the timing in your data settings menu.

flaneurs_lobster

Assume that's Lebara?

Previous thread here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6444279/lebara-data-cap

The data warning on your phone is configurable, search for 'Billing cycle and data warning' in Settings.

poseidon1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6674311/data-limit

Not sure what you are paying for your sim only deal, but a 3gb monthly allowance would give me anxiety the moment I step out of house and wanted to use mobile data for any purpose.

I use ID mobile on a £ 7 p.m rolling monthly contract ( no tie in ) for 20gb of data. However with their automatic rollover of unused data most months I get 37gb +.

This has proved very useful at home for the occasional broadband outage, when the phone hot-spot then performs temporary home wi fi duties.

Obviously when abroad in Europe, this decent data allowance really comes into its own, with the roam as if at home function.

For a few pounds more than you are paying now, wouldn't a more generous 20-40gb monthly allowance be less stressful, and a real asset if/ when home broadband plays up?

Newcad

To minimise you phone's mobile data use turn off mobile data, and only turn it on again if/when you are out of wifi range and wsnt to access the internet.

You can usually do that on Android by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the icons to toggle them on/off.

eg. Here the first two icons on the left show wifi on and mobile data off.

peter021072

I must have placed the phone setting at 2GB as you say and need to adjust the dates somehow. As I've only used 0.12 GB of data over the last 10 days it just isn't going to go over. It must have been due to an overlap from last month when it wasn't accessing data through my router. I probably pressed the front panel by mistake and turned it off.

With regard to Lebara, I can see many ways of buying add ons and spending more, no way of limiting it.

J_B

I'm confused - first you say you've used 2.5GB then you show a screenshot saying you've got 2.88 out of 3 left which means you've only used 0.12GB

You don't say exactly where the warning has come from - maybe it's the total data your phone has used including WiFi from your home router?

peter021072

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052144#Comment_82052144

Yes you are right, someone has mentioned this, it's due to the different date ranges between my phone data warning setting (probably set to old BT) and my actual Lebara contract. I will try to fix that but it seems to only offer normal month date ranges. There's no danger of going over the limit the way I use it, unless I accidentally alter the connection.

I've also turned the data saver on which otherwise would allow unrestricted data usage, and placed a 3GB limit on the phone.

savergrant

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82051933#Comment_82051933

There is potential for confusion in that the phone data usage will refresh on the same date each month, whereas lebara sell 30 day bundles which usually refresh on a different date each month (and potentially on both 1st and 31st of the same month. Over time that can lead to your phone calculating that you are running out of data when the plan has been renewed several days previously, and vice versa. Any information the phone system provides should be taken with a pinch of salt.

savergrant

Fortunately lebara do not have a payg rate for data usage, so there is no real.risk.of being charged if you use up all your allowance.