Is 200 mb enough?

[acrazzyhobo]

If I get opera mini and get a data tracker app, and don't go on youtube, and don't upload videos, just look at pictures on facebook, post updates, and surf the web, will it be enough? I don't have a wifi connection btw and im not intending on tethering.

 

[s2h2golf]

My phone is on 3G from 6am to 5pm M-F and on Wi-Fi during the other time. I do not push emails, I manually check them, but never do that during the day when I am in front of a computer. I have a couple of weather apps running in the background and a few other apps. No Facebook or other social media running. I run task killer to kill apps frequently. I still manage to use 5-10 mb a day (over 350mb last month). Some of that is accessing the Market to review apps. Some of it from working out problems with GPS and mapping and some of it is working out problems with my 3G speeds bouncing all around. Maybe, once I get all of this worked out I could get under 200mb a month.

 

[Joeybear23]

Heck, for the last couple of years that I have used a data plan, I have been under 60 MB per month. But it depends on how you utilize the phone.

This month I have used more data than I had in the previous year. I just topped 700 MB and there are still a few days left in my billing cycle.

 

[wjkrysak]

I am a new owner of a Captivate. Incredible screen, fast response. I am a fan. I have considerable access to WIFI and purchased the 200mg plan.
However.....At this point I am trying to keep up with data usage. Something (software) is accessing 3G without my initiation, at 2:30am...and while in a WIFI environment (?). 23G Sunday night At this rate, I will exceed.
I do not like surprises. I am OK, if I initiate, but hey, while I am asleep. Now, come on
This concerns me, as I am trying to track the access. Ideas, thoughts? Software to identify, specific, data usage? I use 3dog at this time. It is good at letting me know total usage. I am back tracking to any software that I downloaded and see what liberties I have allowed. The search is on.....
cheaha bill

 

[AustinWolv]

I am a new owner of a Captivate. Incredible screen, fast response. I am a fan. I have considerable access to WIFI and purchased the 200mg plan.
However.....At this point I am trying to keep up with data usage. Something (software) is accessing 3G without my initiation, at 2:30am...and while in a WIFI environment (?). 23G Sunday night At this rate, I will exceed.
I do not like surprises. I am OK, if I initiate, but hey, while I am asleep. Now, come on
This concerns me, as I am trying to track the access. Ideas, thoughts? Software to identify, specific, data usage? I use 3dog at this time. It is good at letting me know total usage. I am back tracking to any software that I downloaded and see what liberties I have allowed. The search is on.....
cheaha bill

Exact same thing here!

22MB hit one night, 10MB another night, 6MB another night.......however, the last couple nights, only 2-4MB it appears.
Not sure what it was......and I've got WiFi on at home also.

I have noticed in the morning that when I wake the phone up that the WiFi indicator isn't on when the phone first lights up, but quickly pops up.

 

[wjkrysak]

Hey Austinwolv,
Yep, annoying. I plan to put it in flight mode tonight. I am checking access that I have allowed with downloads.

I wonder (aloud) if there is a way to disable data download while allowing phone access (?). Flight mode shuts it all down

I am happy with the potential, just have to customize it for my use. Learning curve continues...cheaha bill

 

[dmnall]

Have you checked under Settings/Wireless and network/Wi-Fi Settings/Advanced/Wi-fi sleep policy is set to Never? That will keep it from switching over to Edge/3G when you are at home using Wireless.. It will also keep your data usage down as well. I do that even with Unlimited Data because my T1 is faster then Edge at my house..

Cheers,
Charlie

 

[AustinWolv]

Thanks, will check that.

 

[beachhead]

Another tip...go through all of your apps one by one, and when you first start them up, click on the "menu" button on the bottom left of your phone. Many have "settings" that you can change that will force them to only update when wifi connected, or you can minimize them to only update once per day, manually, etc.

 

[wjkrysak]

Have you checked under Settings/Wireless and network/Wi-Fi Settings/Advanced/Wi-fi sleep policy is set to Never? That will keep it from switching over to Edge/3G when you are at home using Wireless.. It will also keep your data usage down as well. I do that even with Unlimited Data because my T1 is faster then Edge at my house..

Cheers,
Charlie

Hello Charlie,
Good idea. I have done this now. Thanks for the tip. cheaha bill

 

[acrazzyhobo]

well im not gonna use gps and when im not on my phone ill probably turn off the 3g and data

 

[wjkrysak]

Hello Beachhead,
Thanks for the tip. I am doing it now. Have to get used to using the menu button for more options. cheaha bill

 

[acrazzyhobo]

so back to the question of the thread, its not gonna be enough or what?

 

[lillejord]

Well thats a bit of a personal question. For each person its different. Half way through the billing cycle I have 139MB used. My brother only has 49MB but regularly goes about 300MB. A friend of mine who has an iPhone has only gone over 200MB once.

I would say that its probably not enough. If it was 500MB/month I would recommend it to most, but not 200MB. Sure 200MB might be enough for the "average" person, but I have a feeling that if you're on this forum asking this question, you're probably not the "average" person. Most months you may not go over but its low enough that it would be very easy to go over.

 

[danl#AC]

Anytime you see a large data bump in the middle of the night, it can be when ATT gets updated info from other carriers that you were roaming on their tower instead of on an ATT tower.
One 'secret' to staying under 200mb is to not fill your home screen with widgets that constantly update. Stuff like weather and sports scores really add up over the course of a day to 5-7Mb sometimes if you don't have wi-fi coverage more than say 12 hrs a 24hr period. That can eat half or more of your 200Mb.
Another way to keep your data in check is to use Juice Defender to manage how often the phone checks stuff over 3G, and can even turn off non-wifi connections without affecting calls. I really wish there was an app to monitor other apps data useage.

 

[wjkrysak]

Good point Dani. Check the apps that require access. 3G dog is my monitor. The greatest change that worked for me was to change my WIFI off to "never". I am frequently in a WIFI environment and 200mg appears to be my plan.
For a peace of mind, if I needed to access 3G, i would pick up the 2g plan.
bTW: this is a remarkable phone, I am "captivated". Anticipation of Froyo is like anticipating christmas cheaha bill

 

[aphrony]

hey, i don't know how many of you this effects...but if you guys have a discount on atnt, the 25% off "selected" lines and add ons doesn't not effect the 15 dollar a month 200mb plan, but it does effect the 25 dollar a month 2gb plan. so its like 18.75 a month, so you get 10 times the data for 3 dollars more. i understand most people dont have the discount, but sometimes you can get it from random places...like when i was working at staples, their were fliers in the breakroom saying we qualified. i dont know, i think there is an option to call them to see if you qualify.

 

[Redneckbutlerboy]

Thank God I'm grandfathered in on unlimited! I'm 13 days into my billing cycle and I've used 1678.27 MB and I used 5719.41 MB last month. My wife had a Captivate for a few weeks and then went back to my old iPhone 3G and she even managed to use 1169.85 MB last month and she does nothing but Facebook and Words with Friends.

 

[Bignick84]

I'm with you Redneck. I just switched over from a Blackberry and was wondering what my data usage would be like since RIM compresses data. I'm 9 days into my first billing cycle with this phone, and I've used 1673 MB worth of data.

 

[lillejord]

I was just going ask how you are using so much data, but then I figured if I should ask if you are using WiFi at all?