Get home internet data usage info

Why is there a data allowance for my AT&T internet plan?
We want to help keep internet service affordable for everyone. This is especially true as the volume of data-rich internet traffic grows every day.

What do you mean by data usage?
Usage is all the data you receive (download) or send (upload). This applies no matter how you get to the internet through your home network. It might be through a wired connection or via Wi-Fi, using any device, including smartphones using Wi-Fi to connect to your home network.

This includes activities like software updates, email notifications, and social media posts. Individual usage varies based on the applications you use and the content you access. For example, if your emails have large attachments, the usage for that application may exceed what's been estimated in the data calculator. 

If you have DSL, we may not be able to measure your data use because of to system limitations. In that case, you won’t be able to use the data tracker to see how much data you’re using. Don’t worry though, if this happens, AT&T won’t charge you for usage over your limit.

Learn how to check your internet data use.

Find out how to estimate future data usage with the Internet Data Calculator.

What is a gigabyte?
A gigabyte measures how much data you send and receive over the network – not the how long you’re connected to the internet. A gigabyte (GB) is 1,073,741,824 bytes, 1,048,576 kilobytes, or 1,024 megabytes.

Approximately 50,000 single-page emails without attachments, equals about 1GB. Watching an 80-minute movie in standard definition or about 20 minutes of a TV show or movie in high-definition each equals about 1GB.

What are the data allowances?
Home internet data allowances include:

• 150GB per month for DSL.¹
  
• 350GB per month for Fixed Wireless Internet.
• 1 terabyte (TB) per month if you have AT&T internet speed tiers up to and including 768 kilobits per second (Kbps) through 75 megabits per second (Mbps).
• Unlimited data if you have Internet 100 or higher, or any one of these:
  • A combined bill for AT&T Internet and DIRECTV^® or U-verse^® TV
  • DIRECTV STREAM^SM with an AT&T Internet plan
• The unlimited data usage add-on for $30 per month

How do I find my current internet speed tier or plan name?

1. Sign in to myAT&T
   
2. Find and select one of these to see your internet speed tier:
   • My Internet
   • My DSL Internet

Will I go over my data limit if I spend a lot of time on the internet?
The types of activities matter more than the time spent online. For example, data-rich activities like streaming video may use more data than sending emails.

What can I do within my data allowance each month?
First, find your data allowance. Then, read down the column to find out how that number translates into monthly activities.

Usage Comparisons for All Data Allowances or Internet Speed Plans
Activity	150GB	250GB	1TB
Web browsing	10,000+ pages	10,000+ pages	10,000+ pages
Email	10,000+ emails	10,000+ emails	10,000+ emails
Social media	10,000+ image downloads/uploads	10,000+ image downloads/uploads	10,000+ image downloads/uploads
Music	1,000+ MP3 song downloads	1,000+ MP3 song downloads	1,000+ MP3 song downloads
YouTube	1,000+ standard videos	1,000+ standard videos	1,000+ standard videos
TV & movies	75 hours SD TV and 90 SD or 25 HD movies	75 hours SD TV and 100 SD or 35 HD movies	400 hours SD TV and 720 SD or 200 HD movies

Will using Wi-Fi count as usage?
If you access your home internet over your Wi-Fi home network using any type of device (including smartphones and some home automation equipment), it counts as data usage. But, if you get to the internet using a public or commercial Wi-Fi hotspot, access doesn’t count as usage.

Can anyone who doesn’t live in my home affect my bandwidth usage?
It depends. Our Wi-Fi gateways are secured. If you have another gateway or router and it isn't secure, someone with a computer or other Wi-Fi-enabled device could access your home network, use your high-speed internet, and impact your usage. Common encryption protocols, such as Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), provides additional security.

Does using wireless TV receivers count against my monthly data allowance?
No – watching standard video through a wireless U-verse TV or DIRECTV receiver connected to your Wi-Fi gateway doesn’t count as data use. Pay-per-view video, software updates, and DVR schedule data count as data usage.

If you subscribe to both services and pay for them on one bill, you’ll get unlimited home internet data. Sign up for combined billing at no additional cost (unlimited internet data is not available to DSL or Fixed Wireless Internet customers).

Will using AT&T applications count against my data allowance?
Yes, using some TV, mobile, tablet, and wearable applications may use data.

What DIRECTV features count against my data allowance?

• Pay Per View
• OnDemand
• 4K programming

Will streaming DIRECTV on my devices over my home Wi-Fi count against my data allowance?
If you stream DIRECTV on your mobile device over your home internet Wi-Fi connection, usage will count against your home internet monthly data allowance.

Does using DIRECTV STREAM count against my data allowance?
DIRECTV STREAM is an over-the-top streaming service. All streaming over your home internet, wired or Wi-Fi, counts against your home internet monthly allowance.

Will using SamKnows count against my data allowance?
If you’re part of the SamKnows / FCC program, running speed tests may impact your usage.

Plus, other speed test sites may impact how much home internet data you use.

How do I measure data usage?
You can use a variety of free tools and communications to monitor and manage data use from our internet usage page. For example, you can find out which internet activities have the biggest impact on usage. Other aids include:

• Internet Data Calculator
• myAT&T app
• Instructional videos
• Proactive email notifications we send about your data usage
• Ongoing customer communications pieces

Sign in to myAT&T to check usage and historical usage with a usage meter. This meter tracks all data uploaded and downloaded with internet-connected devices on your home network.
 
What do I need to know before checking out my personal usage?
You’ll need a password to access your usage details. This protects your confidential customer info. The sign in is your AT&T primary account email address. For example, john smith@att.net. The password is the same password you use to access your myatt.com homepage and email account.

How often does AT&T update usage data?
We pull usage data from the network every 4 hours for most accounts and at 15-minute increments for those who routinely use more data.

You may not be able to view usage info for the first day of a new bill period until later on the first day. Usage display shows time in terms of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) time zone which is behind U.S. time zones. For example, if you are in the CT time zone (Central Standard Time), CT is 5 hours behind GMT. So when it's 10 a.m. CT, the time displays as 3 p.m.

Can I estimate my future usage?
Yes. We provide several tools to help. Quickly estimate how much data your favorite activities use with the Internet Data Calculator. You can also use it to estimate your monthly usage.

How do I know if I’ve gone over or am about to go over my limit?
If you don't get a notice from AT&T, you won’t have additional charges for going over your monthly data limit.

To keep you informed about your usage, we'll send you a total of seven notices before additional charges impact your bill. We send notices at 100% usage in the first month, and 65%, 90%, and 100% usage after that.   

How will I know I’m near or over my data limit?
You’ll get an email notice during the first bill period you go over your monthly data limit. However, we won’t charge you. In the next bill period, you’ll get notices any time usage reaches 65%, 90%, and 100% of your allowance, but you won’t be charged. In future bill periods, we’ll let you know when your usage reaches 65%, 90%, and 100% of your allowance. 

Where will you send notifications about my usage?
You’ll get email notices about your home internet usage at the primary email address you set up when you registered for service. AT&T sends a letter by U.S. mail if we can’t reach you by email or don’t have your email address.

How do I change my primary email address?

1. Sign in to myAT&T.
2. Find and select the My Internet or My DSL Internet section.
3. Select Manage my plan under My Plan.
4. Choose one of the following. If you have:
   • Internet service: Next to your plan name, select Plan details, then in My email address, find the address marked primary.
   • DSL service: In Email accounts, the email on file should be marked as primary.
5. Follow the prompts to update your primary email address.

What happens if I go over my limit?
If you use more data than your additional allowance in one bill period, you’ll get another 50GB of data. We’ll charge you $10 per 50GB up to a maximum monthly charge of $100 for AT&T Internet or $200 for DSL and Fixed Wireless Internet.

When will I see usage charges on my bill if I go over my monthly data limit?
We based your usage measurement on your billing date. If you incur usage charges, they’ll be outlined on AT&T bills after you use the data. Depending on your billing date and when you went over your data limit in your bill period. It can take one to two bill periods for charges to show up on your bill. If you go over your monthly data limit a third time, you’ll most likely see charges for the additional data on the next month’s bill.

How do you know your usage measurement is accurate?
A dedicated team of trained and specialized AT&T lab engineers thoroughly review and check the accuracy of our system on a regular basis.

Does AT&T have data limits to make customers pay more for the same service?
No. We’ve had monthly data limits in place for all AT&T Internet service since 2011. Going over your current monthly data limit should be a rare occurrence for most people.

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