Excessive iPad Data Useage

Question

Excessive iPad Data Useage

I bought a 3G iPad and signed up for the $15 / 250 MB plan based on the assumption that since I never go over 250 MB / month on my iPhone I'd be in reasonable shape for the iPad. Yet 3 days into the data plan I got an email from AT&T warning that I had "used" 220 MB of my plan! This is crazy since y iPad had been home all 3 days on my wireless network. 3G was turned on, just as it is on my iPhone, but that shouldn't have been an issue since I was on the local network, right?

Wrong, apparently. When I returned the 3G pad to the store, most of the genius bar guys were stumped, but one suggested this as an explanation. He stated that when the iPad (or iPhone) is in sleep mode the wireless connection is lost. If PUSH is turned on, the device then looks to the 3G network to continue updating things. While not an issue for an iPhone with unlimited data, perhaps it is a major issue for 250 MB / month data plan users. AT&T told me my iPad was using about 100 MB a day, incredible since I never even look at intensive things like YouTube video or email large image files. Surf the web, yes, but nothing unusual. Certainly not 100 MB of bandwidth a day.

Until the iPad gets smarter about using bandwidth and/or AT&T finds an answer (why would they, it's money in their pockets for unchecked data useage like this) that is reasonable, I'm over the need for a 3G iPad. WiFi is available enough places when I'm traveling that I can do without this additional recurring monthly cost.

iPad 3G

Posted on May 17, 2010 2:02 PM

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Answer 1

kramey74

Level 1

105 points

May 17, 2010 2:33 PM in response to Mark Alberhasky

It could be perhaps you are using the "normal" versions of websites, not the mobile ones like the phone uses in most cases.

I'm tethering my iPad as I type this and my session shows 177mb down, 12mb up. 220 doesn't seem that unusual.

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Answer 2

paulcb

Level 6

19,239 points

May 17, 2010 2:37 PM in response to Mark Alberhasky

Try enabling Airplane mode and then turning wifi back on. This will disable all cellular connections, allowing only wifi. You can then see what your usage is with only wifi.

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Answer 3

May 17, 2010 5:37 PM in response to Mark Alberhasky

I had exactly the same problem. Spent an hour with the Apple tech and found out that at 2:06AM starting on the fourth day of my plan the cellular data was accessed daily until my data plan was used up. This has nothing to do with sleep mode and losing wifi since upon waking up the iPad wifi was there instantly. You would have to have some enormous amount of mail to do that. The easiest way to stop that is to turn cellular data off in setup. Turn it on when needed only. I really think this was an ATT problem during the startup. I have not had the isse since. My iPad uses about 2mb data a day when I am on wifi. Perhaps the iPad checks the cellular connection daily hence the small amount of data usage.

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Answer 4

rkkeller

Level 1

137 points

May 18, 2010 11:26 AM in response to Mark Alberhasky

I don't know if this was part of anyones cause but browsing iTunes and the App store uses data. Downloading or updating apps uses data, listening to streaming music or video, YouTube, sending mail, push notifications and so does just about everything.

I hit a little over 300 megs in less than a week but I am on unlimited so I don't worry.

Yes, when wifi is off or not active, it does use 3G instead but I thought thats the purpose of buying a 3G version so you can use it when you dont have wifi. I WANT notifications and to receive IM's or emails when I am not home or near wifi, driving in the car and stuff like that. Thats why I paid the extra $130 for 3G so it works when there is no wifi.

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Answer 5

Monty1945

Level 3

694 points

May 18, 2010 11:43 AM in response to Mark Alberhasky

Greetings,

That $15.00, 250 Meg plan is a joke - everything you do over 3G is Data, but not so on a phone, so it won't take long to eat up 250 Meg, a couple of hours for me, with just email, and some light surfing.

If you shut off 3G, until you really need it, you might do better, but go to the $30.00 unlimited plan, and don't worry about it.

As I said, that $15.00 plan should not even be offered, unless the 15 bucks got you 3 Gigs, then it might be worth it. But even that would not be enough for me.

Cheers,
M.
***

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Answer 6

May 18, 2010 11:46 AM in response to rkkeller

rkkeller wrote:
I don't know if this was part of anyones cause but browsing iTunes and the App store uses data. Downloading or updating apps uses data, listening to streaming music or video, YouTube, sending mail, push notifications and so does just about everything.

I hit a little over 300 megs in less than a week but I am on unlimited so I don't worry.

Yes, when wifi is off or not active, it does use 3G instead but I thought thats the purpose of buying a 3G version so you can use it when you dont have wifi. I WANT notifications and to receive IM's or emails when I am not home or near wifi, driving in the car and stuff like that. Thats why I paid the extra $130 for 3G so it works when there is no wifi.

Yes, but the OP's point was that he had been at home for the 3 days and using wi-fi only except when in standby.

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Answer 7

kramey74

Level 1

105 points

May 18, 2010 1:33 PM in response to Mark Alberhasky

No offense, but is the OP living in 1995 when the web was all text?
He clearly states he "surfed the web". When I "surf the web" I use more than 250MB in a single sitting, much less over three days. The "iPad getting smarter" is not the issue here, understanding how much data you're consuming is.

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Answer 8

May 18, 2010 1:58 PM in response to Mark Alberhasky

I HEAR YOU!! I got the most expensive iPad on May 7, signed up for 250MB, knowing I wouldn't use more. After a bit of web surfing, I got an onscreen warning about how much "data" I was using, so I though "What the heck?" and went ahead with the unlimited plan. THEY HAVE NOW BILLED ME FOR BOTH PLANS AND WON'T REFUND IT UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH! This fits right in with my previous experience with AT&T as a cellular provider. I just spent 45 maddening minutes on the phone with some poor woman in Oklahoma, who told me it was company policy that I needed to inform AT&T of the billing error by 4pm on the day I signed up. I was almost screaming, "HOW WOULD I KNOW YOU WOULD BILL ME FOR BOTH PLANS UNTIL I ACTUALLY RECEIVED A CREDIT CARD BILL?" by the 10th time she repeated this absurd and immoral "policy."

I feel absolutely sure, based on considerable previous experience with AT&T, that I will most likely be double billed EVERY month in the future and will have to go through this awful procedure again & again, while they hold onto money that they know is not rightfully theirs. How did a company as good as Apple ever enter this unholy alliance with AT&T?

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Answer 9

May 18, 2010 2:09 PM in response to Sick of Lies

AND, p.s. I called Apple to complain about the fact that I have no option other than AT&T, and one of those super condescending techie types said, "Oh, you are quite wrong, sir. You can sign up for service with any carrier that makes a compatible SIMM card for the iPad!" But, after asking who those carriers are, and getting a bit more runaround, he finally admitted that "no other company makes a compatible card!"

So here we are, victims.

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Answer 10

celliott147

Level 6

11,877 points

May 18, 2010 2:19 PM in response to Sick of Lies

take your iPad back and get a MacBook Air...and get a USB modem from the carrier of your choice...Problem solved...or you could get a MiFi from verizon or sprint...problem solved...The iPad does not just upgrade from $15 250MB plan to the $30 Unlimited plan for $15...you pay the $30 and the month starts from that date...read the FAQs on AT&T's website...

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Answer 11

kramey74

Level 1

105 points

May 18, 2010 2:37 PM in response to Sick of Lies

Let's see. So you bought 250mb data and ran thru it, then purchased unlimited.

People seem to not understand a few things. First, 250mb of data is nothing. If you are not a "techie type" perhaps you should have researched exactly what you can do with 250mb. Ten images from my Nikon are OVER 250mb. Second, you paid 15 bucks for 250mb data and as I said, ran thru it. You got your 15$ worth of data. What do you want refunded??
Third, then instead of waiting until your month was up and you got another allotment of 250mb you didn't want to wait and chose to go on the unlimited plan. That plan started that day and will last for 30 days. What exactly do you feel should be refunded? The 250 you used, or the unlimited which you plan to use?

So to recap:
1. You have no idea how much data you can stream for 250mb.
2. You paid for 250mb data and used 250mb data.
3. You then paid for unlimited data, which is your current situation.
4. You then called Apple (which has nothing to do with AT&T billing) and are now mad because no other cell phone provider has the micro sim AND come here to trash the "techie type" who honestly answered your question.

Message was edited by: kramey74

<Edited by Host>

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Answer 12

May 18, 2010 2:33 PM in response to kramey74

I can only assume you work for the company! I DID NOT "run through" it. I was warned after only 20MB of usage that I might want to upgrade, and was admittedly too ignorant to know the difference. This was after about an hour of simply web-surfing. And, anyway, the point is that they're trying to charge me for BOTH plan.

<Edited by Host>

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Answer 13

celliott147

Level 6

11,877 points

May 18, 2010 2:47 PM in response to Sick of Lies

kramey doesn't work for the company, (s)he just knows how to research and how the AT&T FAQs READ! did you READ them?

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Answer 14

May 18, 2010 2:53 PM in response to celliott147

And just how do you know that Kramy doesn't work for the company? Are you friends? Co-workers?And, speaking of FAQs, it says right on this website, on the page where they're selling the iPad, under "FAQs" that you can sign up "or change plans" right on the device. And, again, the level of nastiness that one encounters from some Texans and Floridians is a little mind-boggling.

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Answer 15

celliott147

Level 6

11,877 points

May 18, 2010 3:01 PM in response to Sick of Lies

i'm a CIO of a construction technology company...what reason does AT&T have to come here and defend themselves from you? you're not that important. I don't know Kramey74, but I can tell a bit about you...you can change "plans" but $15 doesn't really count as a plan...it's a pre-paid amount of data...$30 is a plan because it can renew monthly, and you can't go over.

Take one of my solutions if you're bothered that much by AT&T...go get a MiFi from Sprint or Verizon...then you don't have to deal with AT&T...

The idiocy and self-entitlement that one encounters from some New Yorkers is a little mind-boggling. You get "nastiness" (more like terseness) from Texans and Floridians because in the south, self-entitlement is not accepted.

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