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Unlimited Data Plan + Netflix Question

jpbeck76

jpbeck76

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 15, 2009
81
2
Hello,

Lately, I've been watching an a$$load of netflix programming on my 3G connection. I'm grandfathered in with the unlimited data plan but my question is the following:

I heard that there was some sort of 5GB cap. If I were to surpass that, what would happen? I've read that the cap is some sort of backend system thing that if you go over, you still wouldn't get charged anything but I just wanted to make sure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

- J
 
I have gone over 5gb a few times myself and so far I haven't heard a peep from at&t
 
My wife is a voracious Netflix-on-iPhone user. We have the Unlimited Plan, and for the past probably 3-4 months in a row she's gone far, far over 5GB. (I think the highest was 15GB.) Haven't heard anything from AT&T. We're thankful for the unlimited plan. ;)
 
I have been averaging about 9 GB a month since the netflix app came out, and I haven't heard a word from at&t.
 
jpbeck76 said:
Hello,

Lately, I've been watching an a$$load of netflix programming on my 3G connection. I'm grandfathered in with the unlimited data plan but my question is the following:

I heard that there was some sort of 5GB cap. If I were to surpass that, what would happen? I've read that the cap is some sort of backend system thing that if you go over, you still wouldn't get charged anything but I just wanted to make sure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

- J
Click to expand...

I think you should be fine, they're not going to cut you off without warning you first. I'm amazed that my ISP hasn't said something to me, I'm averaging about 300-500 GB per month, and that's before Netflix and gaming. Seriously don't understand how people are replacing their broadband with tethering their phone.
 
You're okay...This is my usage from this billing cycle.

photo2c.png


Because I know how some of the people on this forum are: this is 13 GB not 130 GB...


Don't judge me....it was a long long holiday week at the in-laws...
 
Looon said:
how many times is this going to get asked seriously
Click to expand...
Agreed.
Someone needs to make a sticky.
There is no 5GB cap on the iPhone Unlimited data plan.
It is unlimited.

The 5GB soft cap is on tethering plans. (DataConnect and Laptop Connect plans)
 
rjohnstone said:
Agreed.
Someone needs to make a sticky.
There is no 5GB cap on the iPhone Unlimited data plan.
It is unlimited.

The 5GB soft cap is on tethering plans. (DataConnect and Laptop Connect plans)
Click to expand...

yet at some point I fully expect AT&T to crack down on it. Personally I wish they would do what T-Mobile does. Crack 5 gigs you are kick off 3G and limited to edge speeds only. You still have unlimited but a very reduced rate.

They did not break their contract with you. Just removing your abuse and if you leave to go to another network it means AT&T makes more profit. Basically it means do not let the door hit you on the way out.
I expect AT&T to start cracking down on the abusers soon.
 
Interstella5555 said:
So many topics that need stickied...
Click to expand...

People never read them
there needs to be an addon for vbulletin that forces new users to review the sticky before they can actually post new topics.

Rodimus Prime said:
yet at some point I fully expect AT&T to crack down on it. Personally I wish they would do what T-Mobile does. Crack 5 gigs you are kick off 3G and limited to edge speeds only. You still have unlimited but a very reduced rate.

They did not break their contract with you. Just removing your abuse and if you leave to go to another network it means AT&T makes more profit. Basically it means do not let the door hit you on the way out.
I expect AT&T to start cracking down on the abusers soon.
Click to expand...


Why?
 
Looon said:
Why?
Click to expand...

The abusers are what killed unlimited and I have watch them crash the network in more limited area making everyone suffer.
Also 5 gigs is about the break even point for the $30 per month for wireless data. It is a very limited space so I would love to see AT&T crack down on the 1-2% of abusers that ruined it for the rest of us.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
The abusers are what killed unlimited and I have watch them crash the network in more limited area making everyone suffer.
Also 5 gigs is about the break even point for the $30 per month for wireless data. It is a very limited space so I would love to see AT&T crack down on the 1-2% of abusers that ruined it for the rest of us.
Click to expand...

lol have you physically watched someone crash all of AT&Ts network because they felt like streaming a netflix movie? Oh no 5.00001gbs of data this month the towers are gonna buuurnnnn
do people really believe this lol
It's at&ts fault for advertising services they can't provide
 
People are STILL going on about the idiotic, rumored 5GB soft cap? I thought people were aware of this when it was proven in 2009 that there is no goddamn soft cap.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
The abusers are what killed unlimited and I have watch them crash the network in more limited area making everyone suffer.
Also 5 gigs is about the break even point for the $30 per month for wireless data. It is a very limited space so I would love to see AT&T crack down on the 1-2% of abusers that ruined it for the rest of us.
Click to expand...

Abusers didn't kill unlimited. Unlimited was dead the minute more sophisticated phones came along and more data was used...period. Companies knew they could get more money the minute they saw that data was rising significantly.

There is another thread where a guy tethered 20gb and was told he used more than 99.9% of other users. I find it extremely hard to believe that the .01% are what really "killed" these companies.

If AT&T and others would just tell the truth, they would admit to putting 2gb caps to SCREW customers.

Seriously, 2gb? That is what we are supposed to believe "stops" abusers?

If AT&T was serious about simply stopping abusers, the cap would be significantly high so normal users like me aren't hitting it MONTHLY without even streaming a thing.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
yet at some point I fully expect AT&T to crack down on it. Personally I wish they would do what T-Mobile does. Crack 5 gigs you are kick off 3G and limited to edge speeds only. You still have unlimited but a very reduced rate.

They did not break their contract with you. Just removing your abuse and if you leave to go to another network it means AT&T makes more profit. Basically it means do not let the door hit you on the way out.
I expect AT&T to start cracking down on the abusers soon.
Click to expand...

+ 1. Hell, make the limit about 10 GB/month.

If you're using more than that on 3G:

1. You are tethering without paying and abusing the hell out of it
2. You need to try to use WiFi more.

10 GB is a lot of use on a phone. Hell, maybe even make the limit 15 GB.

Looon said:
lol have you physically watched someone crash all of AT&Ts network because they felt like streaming a netflix movie? Oh no 5.00001gbs of data this month the towers are gonna buuurnnnn
do people really believe this lol
It's at&ts fault for advertising services they can't provide
Click to expand...



You're the same guy on the letter thread who has no idea what he's talking about.
 
No problems here; I use my phone with the TV adapter all the time. Where I live we have only one option for high speed internet, and as such they take every opportunity to overcharge. With their fastest plan, we get 50 GB of bandwidth each month. That can get eaten up pretty quickly with only Netflix watching, let alone with everything else on top of it. Typically my usage is under 20 GB, but there have been times where I've hit 20-30GB on a particularly heavy month with no complaint.
 
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