Mail.app Heavy network (download) useage

[woodynet]

Hi everyone, my internet is about to be shaped (capped at 64k) due to over usage... I'm unsure why because I haven't been downloading much this month. yesterday I turned off the automatic downloading of critical updates and also my podcasts, after discovering I had used 700mb, and got nothing for it, today I switched my computer on after checking my usage from the provider had only used 6mb ?? anyway I then started mail.app and safari and then watched Network under activity monitor, it was going crazy for a while and then a while longer, between 15:00 15:59 the computer downloaded 96mb between 16:00 - 16:59 305mb , I did not receive one new e-mail although the bottom left hand corner of Mail.app read something like downloading 223 of 1534 messages, yet all my mail was there I thought it was just doing a sync as I use mobile me. but when checking my usage I received the above figures totally around 405mb.. for nothing ! I really need to conserve my remaining 2.gb for the next 18 days, Primarily for my Voip phone, anyone got any ideas about tracking where the traffic is coming from or setting I might need to change in Mail.app, I'm using the web frontend for now as I think mail.app is broken ???

PS I use a closed network with wpa2 password, I'm confident no one is leaching off me and am pretty satisfied I have switched off all the automatic updates etc.

thanks for your help in advance !


Darren

 

[miles01110]

Mail is downloading your messages from MobileMe to your local disk.

 

[RedTomato]

I'm stumbling in the dark here, but it could be that Mail.app is accessing mail via IMAP, and not keeping a local cache. That could mean every time you open the app or go into some mailboxes, it downloads all 1500 emails all over again.

Some things about IMAP are rather puzzling to say the least. If you only access your mail on your home computer, then changing to POP3 access would help, but it's a big change.

If you need to access your mail on several computers, then I think it's time to upgrade your home connection.

 

[woodynet]

Still wants to download.

Yeah... I already have a 35gb plan, 20 off peak and 15 peak, I often thought what was I doing to get so close to my limit every month ! again I'm now looking at mail.app, when ever that thing is running it's a constant stream of data downloading... with the network icon bouncing all over the place! the minute I close mail.app the network usage returns to what I would expect , a minimal bit of network traffic

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrensmac/3448993244/

Thanks for the heads up on the imap issue... as I use mobile me when out and about I don't think pop is an option ! might just have to use the web frontend when I'm getting close to my limit !! if anyone has any further suggestions that might be helpful pass them on otherwise thanks guys !

 

[RedTomato]

I'm just starting to use IMAP properly myself, as I'm looking into how to sync my macbook mail with mail on my iphone. I remember this kind of annoying behaviour from my first tentative encounter with IMAP at university a few years ago.

It does looks like you have your local cache settings wrong. Mail.app shouldn't be ****ting your network pipes like that.