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Monday November 30, 2009 1:30 AM AEST
Skip Navigation LinksPC Authority > News > How to Get a Good Broadband Deal, Part 6: Stop paying for uploads
How to Get a Good Broadband Deal, Part 6: Stop paying for uploads
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How to Get a Good Broadband Deal, Part 6: Stop paying for uploads

by Staff writers  on Aug 17, 2009
This is one of the big traps for unwary broadband users, and avoiding services that meter uploads is a good idea, especially if you're a user of peer-to-peer (P2P) services like BitTorrent.

Upload metered services includes pretty much all Telstra services, most Optus services as well as iiNet's Naked DSL plans.

Nearly all wireless broadband services also count uploads towards the quota (that includes both Unwired and 3G-based services).

ADAM Internet has an unusual model in that it doesn't combine upload and download volumes, but if either your uploads or your downloads exceed the monthly quota, you will be shaped.

AAPT used to meter uploads, but no longer does so. With some ISPs, upload metering depends on the individual plan. Read the fine print before you buy.

As mentioned, upload metering is a particularly poor option for P2P users, since P2P by its very nature requires that you upload as well as download. Most P2P programs have tools that let you throttle your upload speed, which can save some of your quota, but even then the reality is that uploading to a P2P network will likely consume a large chunk of your monthly download quota, especially if you're inclined to be a good P2P citizen and leave your uploads running for a long time.

You may well find that your monthly quota is effectively halved on an upload-metered service.
In addition, throttling your uploads to save your quota has other side effects. Most P2P services, including BitTorrent and eMule, reward uploaders by giving them faster downloads. The faster you upload, the faster your downloads will come. If you throttle uploads, you may find your P2P speeds limited.

P2P is not the only thing to suffer from metered uploads, of course. Online gaming and VoIP services, for example, require you to upload as well as download, so you're basically getting hit twice for using these services. Even IM and regular web browsing requires a certain amount of uploading, although these amounts tend to be quite small.

Also in this series, How to Get a Good Broadband Deal
Part 5: Avoiding outrageous excess charges
Part 4: Bundling deals
Part 3: beware pre-paid wireless metering
Part 2: Get a "reserve tank"
Part 1: Naked, bundled, pre-paid

You can read more about wireless plans in our Broadband Buyer's Guide: Fixed vs Mobile

 

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