Internet Quota: What to do?

[Abstract]

Holy crap. I'm going to an Aussie university and they actually limit the amount of internet use. :mad: Basically, they're limiting the amount of internet surfing I can do by creating a download quota:

"A quota is set at 100 MB download per student per semester from overseas sites, or 550MB per student per semester from domestic sites or a pro rata combination of both."

So every time I visit MacRumours will probably cost me 10 MB or something, since all these pages have graphics/smilies, etc. This is madness!!! Is this the way it is outside of Canada, or North America?!? :( And yes, I have already thought about turning off images, but that will only save me so much space.

What can I do about this? I have to give a login + password to use their network, so that's how they track my internet use individually. Obviously I can't negotiate with the school (eg: I can't buy more internet.......or bribe them), but is there any way I can use the net without the amount of data being calculated? You're all knowledgeable folk.....is there a way to bypass this BS? Can I live like this for an entire year? This is like 1995 all over again.

Faculty and Postgraduate Research students have no maximum. Too bad I'm a Postgraduate Coursework student. I'll be doing a large amount of research, but I also have a few classes on Thursdays, so it won't be pure research. Darn. :rolleyes:

http://www.uow.edu.au/its/policies/internetaccess.pdf
Go to "5.0: Internet Quota System" if you want to read it.

[saabmp3]

holy crap, I use more than that a day on my cable modem (no, I don't use kazaa), this is 70% for school. My best bet for you would be to find an local proxy to use. At least that will bump you up to 650 megs total (if i read that correctly). All images are cached in your directories on your local computer (make sure you have it turned on to the max) so browsing macrumors.com and reading all the forums might take 3 to 4 meg's total, not near 10.

Besides that, complain. 100 out of the country is sick, I don't know how it's worth it like that.

BEN

[XnavxeMiyyep]

If you can afford it, try getting your own internet provider that isn't part of the school.

[Abstract]

Do you think I can do that if I live in residence? Also, I'll be using their computer labs, where they'll be counting my usage once I login.

I think separate internet access would be too expensive for me, but I don't really want to count the number of emails, and pictures that appear on a website. Thats just gay. Gay gay gay!

I didn't think there was a way to get onto the net without being watched. I just wanted to confirm it. I think I'll use 550MB and 100MB very quickly, especially that 100MB since all the sites I visit are from North America and the UK.

I can save webpages onto my harddrive, right? I know that such a feature exists, but I never thought I would ever have to use it. :(

[Abstract]

I meant that to mean "That's lame". Socio-linguistics or something....... not sure what else to call it.

I wonder if the head of my program will give me more usage? The link I first posted says that this may be possible. Maybe he'll give me an extra 50MB international usage. I have only communicated with him via email, and yet he already seems nice. He also has a nice, thick accent...

I'm posting alot today. I'm just trying to get as much time in here as I can before I go to "the Hell down under".

[themadchemist]

Yeah, I think complaining would be the best. I do student government, and if we endured crap like that, we'd frikin' protest, I dare say.

I'm sure as a grad student you won't want to get involved in some lame-o graduate student government, but the undergrads always like that sort of stuff...Plently of undergrads in student government, most of whom just like the resumé building.

So tell them (I'm sure they already know) and get them to go off about it. I'm sure they'll have a good time and maybe add something positive to university life for not just the undergrads, but the whole university population.

At the very least, I'm pretty confident (w/o knowing the nature of your university's administration) that with enough prodding, the student government could strike a deal and get the bandwidth limits increased. Maybe 150 or 200 megs rather than 100. I know that that's not the best solution, but for possibly a worst-case scenario, that' s not too bad.

[King Cobra]

Maybe your Univ. should get dial-up so you can use up 100MB in only about 10 (for me, 20) total hours.

Quite unfair, if you ask me. If research needs to be done, then why put a price tag on that? That's quite equivalent to limiting the time you spend at a library, even with a library card that expires in a year or two. :rolleyes:

[Durandal7]

100MB?! It only takes me about 5 days to burn through 100MB and that isn't counting file downloads.

[MrMacMan]

Yeah people are gonna have major problems with those restrictions, get all of your buddies and go a government meeting and demand a resolution.

Thats utter BS...

Last Chance would be as he said a Local Proxy to bounce you around from 'local' sites.