Get home internet data usage info

Why do I have a data allowance for my internet plan from AT&T?
This program is designed to help keep internet service affordable for most of the people who use our internet service, given the rapidly increasing volume of data-rich internet traffic.

We want to help keep internet service affordable for our broad base of users. This is especially true as the volume of data-rich internet traffic grows every day.

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

This includes activities like software updates, email notifications, and social media posts. Individual usage results may vary 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 we have estimated in the data calculator. 

If you have DSL, we may not always be able to measure your data use due 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 data you use over your limit.

Learn how to check your internet data use.

Find out how to estimate how much data you’ll use in the future 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 1024 megabytes.

Approximately 50,000 single-page emails without attachments, for example, would equal 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, Internet 300, Internet 500,² or the Internet 1000 speed tier plan or any one of these:
  • A combined bill for AT&T Internet and DIRECTV^® or U-verse^® TV
  • AT&T TV^SM with an AT&T Internet plan
  • The unlimited data usage add-on for $30 per month

How can I find my current internet speed tier or plan name?
Your internet speed tier and plan name can be found by signing into myAT&T from your computer or mobile device.

1. Sign in to myAT&T.
2. Find and select one of the following 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 performed 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 in the following table. 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	1000+ MP3 song downloads	1000+ MP3 song downloads	1000+ MP3 song downloads
YouTube	1000+ standard videos	1000+ standard videos	1000+ 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

Does 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), that counts as AT&T Internet data usage. However, if you access the internet via a public or commercial Wi-Fi hotspot, that access doesn’t count as usage.

Can anyone who doesn’t live in my home affect my bandwidth usage?
That depends. Our Wi-Fi gateways are secured. If you have some other gateway or router and haven’t secured it, someone nearby with a computer or other Wi-Fi-enabled device could access your home network, use your high-speed internet, and increase your usage. Common encryption protocols, such as Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), can provide additional security. Learn how to secure your AT&T-provided devices. Others can check their manufacturer's support website for help in securing their Wi-Fi gateway.

Will AT&T MicroCell wireless use count against my monthly data allowance?
No, your AT&T Internet data usage allowance doesn’t include AT&T MicroCell wireless traffic. To ensure accurate billing, be sure to register your AT&T MicroCell account and residential AT&T Internet account. If you have Fixed Wireless Internet or internet service with another provider, you don’t have to register your account. MicroCell usage will count against your monthly usage allowance.

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 a small amount of data. Here’s a partial list of U-verse TV and AT&T applications that use the internet and can impact usage when connected to your AT&T home network:

U-verse TV and AT&T applications that use the internet
U-verse TV apps	iHeart Radio, U-verse Social, Food Network, Home Shopping Network, Interactive Workout, Karaoke TV app, Masters, Olympics, Santa Tracker, Stingray Music, Tumblebooks, TV Everywhere, U-verse Games, U-verse app for iOS, Android, or Amazon devices, Weather on Demand, What’s Trending.
U-verse TV mobile, tablet, and wearable app	U-verse app for iOS, Android or Amazon devices.
AT&T apps and facilities	myAT&T, Smart Home Manager, Digital Life, U-verse TV Poster Art.

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 service Wi-Fi connection, usage will count against your home internet monthly data allowance.

Does using AT&T TV NOW count against my data allowance?
AT&T TV NOW 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 how much data I’m using?
You can choose from a variety of free tools and communications to monitor and manage your data use at our internet usage page.

For example, you can find out which internet activities have the biggest impact on usage. Other aids include the Internet Data Calculator, the myAT&T app, instructional videos, the proactive email notifications we’ll send about your data usage, and ongoing customer communications pieces.

Sign in to myAT&T via the website or myAT&T app 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 looking over my personal usage?
You’ll need a password to access your information. This protects your confidential customer information. 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 currently.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 people and at 15-minute increments for people who use routinely use more data.

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

How do I quickly check my data usage?
You can view and manage your home internet usage through myAT&T. You can also download your most recent AT&T bill, which shows even more usage details.

Can I estimate my future usage? ?
Yes. We’re providing several tools to help. You can quickly estimate how much data your favorite activities use with the Internet Data Calculator. You can also use it to estimate approximate 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 incur additional charges for going over your monthly data limit.

To keep you informed about your usage, we'll send you a total of 7 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 the My email address section, find the address marked primary.
   • DSL service. In the Email accounts section, 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 1 to 2 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.

Is AT&T implementing 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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