How does internet data usage work?
Internet data moves in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes. There are 8 bits of data in 1 byte, 1,000 bytes in a kilobyte, 1,000 kilobytes in a megabyte and 1,000 megabytes in a gigabyte.
The amount of data — either in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes — transferred between the internet and your device in a given period is known as internet usage. All activities that use the internet in your home contribute to your data usage. These include surfing the internet, scrolling through social media, using smart home devices, enjoying online entertainment — like streaming videos, music and playing online games — and uploading and downloading files.
The devices you use, such as a computer, smartphone or tablet, can also influence your data usage. For instance, using a computer to stream videos or browse the internet generally consumes more data than using a tablet or smartphone. This is because, when accessing websites on your computer, you’re accessing the desktop version of the website. The scripting language will take into consideration the larger screen size, which means more data. Additionally, video quality and resolution are often better when using a computer rather than other devices.
For the same reason, a tablet consumes more data than a smartphone. And even when your devices aren’t in use, some apps may use background data. This can impact your overall data usage over time.
Generally, internet data is used in two ways:
- Downloading information
- Uploading information
When downloading information, the data is transferred from the internet to your device. It, therefore, encompasses:
- Surfing the internet
- Opening files received via email
- Streaming video and audio content
- Receiving messages during an online conversation
Conversely, when uploading information, the data is transferred from your device to the internet. Uploads, therefore, consist of files sent during an online conversation — including text responses to a chat — attachments sent via email and uploading pictures or videos to a social media platform. Both data uploads and downloads can affect your internet data usage.
Monitoring or keeping track of your data usage can be quite challenging. That’s why a data calculator comes in handy. A good data calculator will make it easier to track your daily, weekly or monthly data usage. As the billing cycle approaches, this can help you decide if you need to change internet plans to increase or decrease the amount of data you buy.
What uses a lot of internet data?
Various internet activities consume large amounts of data. However, overall data consumption is also dependent on the type of device used. Once you know the things that use a lot of internet data, you can make changes to minimize how you consume your data. Below are some internet activities that are capable of using a lot of data.
- System upgrades: Upgrading either your computer, tablet or even mobile device can require huge amounts of data. For instance, you will need about 3 GB to upgrade to a Windows 10 operating system. About the same amount of data is required to upgrade to the latest version of macOS Big Sur Upgrading from older versions, say from macOS Catalina to Big Sur, will require more data. And while mobile upgrades consume less data, some mobile operating systems, like Android and Apple, put restrictions on cellular data usage. So, both system and large app updates can only be downloaded through Wi-Fi.
- HD video streaming: Watching HD videos or movies on streaming platforms like YouTube, Hulu or Netflix can take a toll on your data. The reason is that the video content and video quality received affect the amount of data consumed. The bandwidth consumption of HD videos can range from 4 Mbps to 8 Mbps. Most platforms allow you to adjust the video’s quality so you don’t have to experience buffering due to a slow connection. Additionally, you can often set your video quality preferences. So, you can choose average quality to keep your data usage lower instead of going for the best quality possible, which will consume more data.
- Online gaming: The data consumption of online gaming varies depending on the type of game you’re playing and the device you’re using. For example, some Xbox multiplayer games consume a lot of data, especially when downloading or during upgrades.
- Video uploads and downloads: Sometimes, you may wish to download your favorite movie instead of streaming it to watch later. Downloading a high-quality video requires a lot of data. For videos with the same file sizes, uploading consumes data similar to downloads. For example, if you upload a video to the cloud and later want to download it, the download will consume the same internet data.
- Other large file downloads: Large file downloads, like software configuration files, files with many graphics and applications are also capable of using a lot of data. Even indirect data usage, like automatic cloud backups, can consume an appreciable amount of data.
What doesn’t use very much internet data?
Although some internet-based activities consume large amounts of data, a majority of internet activities consume little or no data. Below are some activities that don’t require a lot of data.
- Phone calls or video conferencing: The amount of data consumed by phone calls or even video conferencing is usually not as large as many people assume. Voice calls can use between 50 KB and 500 KB per minute depending on the app you’re using. Video calls can use between 3 MB and 9 MB per minute for standard-definition calls depending on the app and between 7.5 MB and 18 MB per minute for high-definition calls.
- Surfing the internet: Browsing the web doesn’t require much internet data if you only read text and view pictures. The average size of a webpage is about 2.5 MB. Usually, a website with graphics-rich content, including videos and images, will ordinarily have a larger size than a text-rich website, such as blogs.
- Checking email and social media: Sending or reading plain text emails doesn’t need much data either. Assuming the average size of a plain-text email is 20 KB, you’d need to send and receive about 7,500 emails to reach 150 MB. Even if we assume 400 KB per email with an attachment, you’d still need to send and receive 375 emails to reach 150 MB. The bottom line is that email should be less of a worry when it comes to data usage.
- Music streaming: Streaming music doesn’t typically require large amounts of data. Although the amount of data used depends on the streaming service you’re using, on average, music streaming uses about 2.5 MB per minute.
