Unusually high data usage megathread

Here's something to keep in mind.  Typically, unless you're downloading massive amounts of data, streaming is the culprit.  Now, here's what you have to stream to use 1TB of data in a month.

Most, is not all, sreaming services are using MP4 H.264 encoding/compression.  This is a very effective format and can stream an HD asset to a large TV at 4Mb/s or less.  I monitor through my router and it's typically about 3.8Mb/s, but lets go with 4Mb/s.

Now, 4Mb/s is 500KB/s or .5MB/s, becasue there are 8 bits per byte.  That equates to 30MB per minute and 1.8GB per hour.  There are 1000GB in a TB, so you need to stream 555 hours of HD video to reach 1TB.  This means you need to stream 18.5 hours of HD video each and every day of the month to reach the 1TB limit.  Lets say you cut the cord and have 3 people in your household streaming video at the same time....  Each person would need to watch 6 hours and 15 minutes of HD streaming each and every day for 30 days straight to hit the 1TB limit.  Does that sound like whats happening in your home?  

After 50min conversation with a rep I found out how much was my internet daily usage. Why I'm not able to access my own daily usage information you may ask, well the answer was I do not own their modem so in spite of they, on their side, being able to see it I am not. Why I'm not being offer that information through my account and I have to settle with a "monthly usage" or trust in their word to know how I am spending my internet usage? 

In Dec. and Jan. I am suddenly exceeding my data usage by hundreds of GB's each month. What is going on? I've never exceeded the 1,024 GB's before and suddenly I'm going 100's over the limit? I've seen a LOT of people complaining about errors. Is this happening again to new locations?

Spent an hour on the phone the other day trying to sort this and all the reps would say is they cannot see itemized usage only the grand total and only three months of use even though I can see the past  8 on my account. So basiclly if there system is glitching the data feed count they have no clue or way to check verify least at teh costumer service level anyway. So we have to trust them at there word ( laughting so much laughting).

I'm now self metering my internet cause xfi is a just so much burning garbadge of an app, worth less. Info that helps nothing ooh I can disconect a device so what you get better info on my account on xfinity website and check internet usage that atleast gives you a number, accurate or not. Just so much failure.

customer service on there end is just foreight script readers with minimal awareness of what they are even doing of the three people I was transfered to non at all were helpful except to say in polite terms I can only offer you run around solution of saying moniter your data usage. I then re went through with the final rep data usage I show I've used aross my devices and he could only say you havec aceeded your limit but you have one more remaining overage pass month before you will start being charged for overages. 10$ per 50gig capping at 200$ just insanity.

I have also notices my net speed is almost 15 faster then what I'm paying for its actualy like 12 but perhapse there system is messed up reading the changes in speed. Further more till they got hit by government investigation back in 2017 comcast refused to own up to any error on there part they did have errors and had to admit it and pay back some costumers but is was slap on the wrist nothing ness. Plus they have Zero accountability  via goverment monitering once again so of there practices are what ever they feel like doing once more.

Data cap in the first place just seems like it should by un constational. If your already paying for the service modify the "deal" with data caps is just so many ways of wrong as data usage  only goes up as the yrs go by hello 1k then 2k now 4k, get real . Comcast has so much monopoly witch shouldn't be legal either. ALL there "plans" should revert to unlimited again cause they all were orginaly and end the scaming.

As it stand comcast will not resolve anyones issues with there blind data numbers cause transparancy is not there way. Good luck with the over seas costumer service as well half of them barely speek english and most have no idea what they are even doing or saying besides reverting to script reptive reading.

Comcast is a monopoly in my area but I am trualy considering just going dish.

No

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@Annapolismike wrote:
Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. I use the Xfinity Gateway (yes I know, but it does work well). This advice seemed to solve the problem. I believe my Gateway was being attacked at night using up gobs of data. That did not happen last night and I am seeing percentages again on usage. I'll report back about data drain.

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Not so fast I guess.  worked for about 36 hours and suddenly this morning when no one was home, my network use spiked to very high until I remotely reset my modem.   None of my devices showed any use during this period.  I am using the Xfinity Gateway.  I called customer service and they told me to factory reset the modem which I did.   We will see what happens but my data counter will go up by 20-35 GB's of data each day at a time when we are being very cautious about using data at all.   We had been using under 500GB of data per month.  In October it was up over 500gb, Nov 717 GB, Dec 800 GB and already at 758 GB this month.   In my case the Home Network Activity in the Xfi app will spike for hours when no one is using the network in the middle of the night or this morning.   At the same time it will show that NONE of my devices are using the network and all the profiles will read zero%.   My guess would be that someone/something is draining my data externally.  We will see if doing a complete factory reset will help the situation.  

Hacked?  Bad Gateway?  Data loss at the street or in connections?  If you are going to put a limit on data...fine and 1TB is alot of data.  But have the tools available to help customers gauge usage more accurately.  

Annapolismike,

I believe (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that the xfi meter has the same limitation as the main meter in the Xfinity account - ie: that it doesn't run in real time and that data may show up on the meter up to 24 hours later. So, data going up on the meter didn't necessarily get used when it looks like it got used.

Us too has been experiencing this spike since December bill!! We normall don't even get near 800GB/month and December and January we are capping out at 1TB!! It's crazy. I called and Comcast doesn't seem to be helping 

Extremely Unusual Data Usage

January 27, 2020

Modem/Gateway upgrade November 2019

X1 Television box uprade December 2019

My peak (November) usage 781, avg. 493 over 5 months

December Data Usage above 1200/ January usage ablove 1000

No current change to usage habits (besides 12 days vacation/holiday December)

No Stream services

Hardwire Ethernet

Usage reported by devices does not coincide

Contact with Customer Security Assurance Team (phone # provided): both Level 1 and 2 confirm an issue as of September (ref. message 10/09/2019), but seem unaware or the 12/04/2019 statement. Team was unable to "identify any unusual discrepencies,' and was issued Level 3 ticket with reference # as well as Call Back service.

Seems there is an issue with number/dates of complaints filed

Shannon68,

I can answer the 8AM-11AM question.  According to Comcast, the meter may not show data used in the last 24 hours.  Ie: Data counting is delayed and shows up after it occurred – by as much as 24 hours.  So, any data that appears to have been used in that ~3 hour window could have also been used at any time within the previous 24 hours. 

To do a serious test of whether data stops while the modem is off you have to do it more like:  Turn off the modem for at least 24 hours.  Now check the meter (preferably with the modem still off – such as via a phone).  This is your base number.  Now continue to leave the modem off for at least 24 more hours and get a second reading.  If the second reading went up, then you have evidence of data being used without the modem being on.  (Either that or get/build a router with faster traffic counting.)

Also, just in case you have Xfinity TV, some of their cable boxes can use the internet too and have their own modems.  So, if you have one of those – turn it off too during this test.

32 hr update (point of automated courtesy call)

No Call Back/Level 3 ticket

48 gigabytes additional data

13 hours at work (devices off)

12 hours awake

7 hours asleep (devices off)