OT- Do cellular data devices ever go nuts and show data usage waaaay beyond reality ?

Of course I should be asking this at Verizon troubleshooting but it's pretty much impossible to speak with a real person there...so here I am.

I ask as I have a Verison stand alone data device at the shop office which is racking up insane amounts of data usage that seems to get worse every month, when if anything, I am using the thing less than I used to.

For example, this is a 10GB plan and this month, according to the Verizon website I have racked up almost 6GB of data in only a week !! (i.e. still got 3 weeks to go before it starts over). Meanwhile, the iPad which shares the same plan has racked up .311 GB of data. That's right...less than 3/8 of 1 GB ! And if anything I have USED the iPad more than the office device.

And before you say it...no, I'm not watching movies at the shop...maybe the occasional YouTube video....but no more so than on the iPad. The icing on the cake is I don't even go to the shop more than maybe 3 times a week, with very little computer time when there. And the cherry on top is I always SHUT OFF the computer completely before I leave ! (in contrast the iPad is always "on" but usually in sleep mode)

All I can figure are three possibilities

1. Someone in the adjoining flex space has somehow hacked into my device (highly unlikely as they have their own Wi-Fi anyway)

2. The data device is defective (it is interesting that if accessing the menu on the device to see data usage it NEVER works....allways get an error....so the only way I know the supposed data usage is the Verizon website

3. Verizon purposely inflates the data usage (seems unlikely as they could so easily get caught in this practice)

So that leaves no.2 as the most likely culprit....anyone here ever heard of a stand alone data device going bonkers and reporting way more data used than it actually is using ?

Milacron said:

All I can figure are three possibilities

1. Someone in the adjoining flex space has somehow hacked into my device (highly unlikely as they have their own Wi-Fi anyway)

2. The data device is defective (it is interesting that if accessing the menu on the device to see data usage it NEVER works....allways get an error....so the only way I know the supposed data usage is the Verizon website

3. Verizon purposely inflates the data usage (seems unlikely as they could so easily get caught in this practice)

So that leaves no.2 as the most likely culprit....anyone here ever heard of a stand alone data device going bonkers and reporting way more data used than it actually is using ?

Click to expand...

I would actually go with #3 before anything else. Your reasoning completely ignores the monetary motivation for them and historically, it never stopped Sprint from doing it. And, I could be wrong, but I seem to recall AT&T AND Verizon both having their knuckles smacked over this very issue in the semi distant past.

After that, then #2.

What is the "data device" you speak of? Sounds like it's not an iPad or tablet - is it a full fledged computer laptop or desktop? If it is, when it's on it may be downloading application or OS updates in the background. Those can be big. Check your auto-update settings.

Maybe not what you want to hear but I would check the usage on the Verizon website (and document it), disconnect the device for a couple days, and then check the Verizon usage again. By disconnect I mean totally remove all power to the device.

Is it by any chance a shared WiFi hotspot for Verizon customers, even if you did not intend it to be? Many providers set this as default and the fact that you can not check usage on the device itself may be an indication of this.

Mobile Hotspot FAQs | Verizon Wireless

While Verizon may be charging falsely more likely that it actually is passing large amounts of data either as a shared hotspot or it is obsessively downloading updates.

PC OS updates and other software updates.

This has happened to me about once every 3-4 months. Normal months I use 6gigs, suddenly I will use 10 in a week inexplicably. Very frustrating.

THIS .. is why when the extended family are under roof I have to set my own routers to block one or more devices of theirs by MAC address. Every visit.

I have "unlimited" data, but only 25/25 max bandwidth.

The devices are infected. The 'bot software infecting their gadgetry is using the bandwidth for some purpose of its own.

So far, it has been a Windows laptop or two.

Android or Apple i<whatever> gadgets are not as routinely and commonly victimized as Windows, but neither are they immune. Their infected "Apps" just don't ordinarily use as MUCH bandwidth as WinBoxen are made to use.

Screw Verizon. No need to wait.

It is not the least bit difficult to monitor the traffic on your side of the network with one or more of your own devices.

That's how I know which MAC address is carrying the malware, and by lookup on the net, even WHICH malware it is infected with.

MattiJ said:

PC OS updates and other software updates.

Click to expand...

You read the part where I turn the PC off, right ? But are you saying when it is turned on, that Windows updates might take suck that much data ? I suppose that is possible but would be insane amount of data just for updates. And why in the past few months has it become an issue and not before then ?

4. Your PC, or I suppose ipad, has been infected with an entity that is spitting out spam, distributing malware, or otherwise burning a lot of bandwidth (and compute cycles) on things you have no desire to support.

Check your hotspot data usage at some clear date/time, then turn off all of the devices you think are attached. Anything still show as attached? Data still being racked up after 24 hours?

(This happens way more than you think. A smallish ISP will tell you, Verizon isn't that organized)

5. Another variant is what Monarchist talks about - some machine somewhere (maybe not on purpose) is using your hotspot and spewing as in #4 above.

At least the latest round of hotspots I have will list MAC addresses of connected devices - turn all of your off and there should be zero - if not, problem 1 to fix found.

Any computational device can in principal harbor malware (don't believe claims that macs or linux or whatever are immune.)

And of course, various answers above, including random behavoir by verizon, are all credible.

Scottl said:

Is it by any chance a shared WiFi hotspot for Verizon customers, even if you did not intend it to be? Many providers set this as default and the fact that you can not check usage on the device itself may be an indication of this.

Click to expand...

No it has a definitive password before access is granted. The data device is a little "tower" that sits on the windowsill. Funny part is that even disconnecting it doesn't stop it for quite a while as it has a built in battery. I don't know how often Verizon updates the data usage on their website but I've been checking it today (and not turning on that computer) and so far it is still at the same usage. I was just astounded to see I was already 60% thru the 10GB in one week.... it has never been any where close to that bad....the past scenarios have been 90 percent to max with 3 days to go in the cycle. Definitely a WTF ?

Milacron said:

But are you saying when it is turned on, that Windows updates might take suck that much data ?

Click to expand...

VERY possible if it is Win10...

Milacron said:

You read the part where I turn the PC off, right ? But are you saying when it is turned on, that Windows updates might take suck that much data ? I suppose that is possible but would be insane amount of data just for updates. And why in the past few months has it become an issue and not before then ?

Click to expand...

Windows 10 by any change?
Windows 1 churning through data, blowing up usage caps | ZDNet

Other windows versions can be also quite data hogs, I haven't really paid much attention(4G router shows 4TB traffic ) but it seems that sometimes my Win7 computer is downloading updates for ages.

Virus/Adware infection is also one possibility like others already stated.

Milacron said:

You read the part where I turn the PC off, right ? But are you saying when it is turned on, that Windows updates might take suck that much data ? I suppose that is possible but would be insane amount of data just for updates. And why in the past few months has it become an issue and not before then ?

Click to expand...

I've been with Verizon only for about 10 months now, and between my wife and I we only have a 4gb plan. For about the first 6 or 7 months we're basically using about 2 to 3gb between us. I found that we were using only that much with ease, didn't need to restrict our own personal access when WiFi wasn't handy or anything like that.

Now all of a sudden in the last few months we're using between 4 and 5 gigs, and we're using it easily. I've noticed where I'll pick up my phone outside of WiFi to browse the web, typically news pages or ESPN, and if I'm on for 8 or 10 minutes that's a long time, I'm using between .15 and .25 gigs in that sort of time frame.

I don't know if Verizon is to blame or if certain websites have been built to suck up as much data as possible all the sudden. One thing I try to keep an eye on is whether or not certain mobile sites have videos that are going to autoplay. I don't know if the pope has a mobile network, but I imagine that autoplay shit would be enough to even piss him off.

In addition to Windows, where updates are all in a contest to see which ones can mix the most useless crap in with the bug fixes you actually want/need [1]....

Office has a similar issue....

Various other apps have a deep and burning desire to "phone home" and download a lot of crap - ranging from ultraedit to firefox....

[1] Yes, I worked on windows. For 2 decades. No, I won't use win10 because I won't have all that crap stuffed down my throat. Make of this what you will.

bryan_machine said:

4. Your PC, or I suppose ipad, has been infected with an entity that is spitting out spam, distributing malware, or otherwise burning a lot of bandwidth (and compute cycles) on things you have no desire to support.

Check your hotspot data usage at some clear date/time, then turn off all of the devices you think are attached. Anything still show as attached? Data still being racked up after 24 hours?

(This happens way more than you think. A smallish ISP will tell you, Verizon isn't that organized)

5. Another variant is what Monarchist talks about - some machine somewhere (maybe not on purpose) is using your hotspot and spewing as in #4 above.

Click to expand...

Simple old "tcpdump" can find those. Plenty of better tools, if only because they need no real expertise to utilize.

Helps - a LOT - if you have only a 'few' device and can take turns de-activating all but one suspect at a time. I have over a dozen active at those tough times. Milacron probably has but four. WiFi printers and such need powered-off. Routers themselves can be compromised as well. So, too security camera servers.

Many modern household appliances ask for connectivity. Or JF take it, if WiFi is unprotected. Some can be compromised. Weak-brained as they may be, they can still be used to do a great deal of harm.

Verizon? BAD joke.

Even Comcast TRIES to switch-on my NTE's WiFi (I don't use it.. CAT5S, rather) to add to their Xfinity WiFi coverage of the neigbourhood near the house.

As my one sits inside a grounded Faraday Cage? Signal only get about six inches and dies. But they do keep trying to bring it into their pool.

Any computational device can in principal harbor malware (don't believe claims that macs or linux or whatever are immune.)

Click to expand...

Correct. The OpenBSD devel snapshots I run are just better at preventing damage and more helpful as to finding and killing the miscreant faster.

Applications, such as browsers, running ON a *BSD Unix can still get cooties in their underpants same as any other platform. Difference? Win-Luser gets abused, never even knows it. Mostly I just get another browser core-dump off a "noexec" mount point. BFD.

Apple is far worse than they would have folks believe, only looks good because Windows looks so very, very, bad!

Linux varies, not often enough to its best side for a casual user to risk.

The most wizard of Penguinistas are every bit as good as the best Beasties. Often they are even the same people. There are also more of them, headcount-wise. Linux "can be" rather good.

But if you, PERSONALLY are not one of .. those exalted upper-tier Linux Wizards? Linux isn't much help. Too big a project. Too rapidly changing. Too many low-grade contributors. Impossible to QC well. Not enough of the best work is taken up by the masses, nor fast enough to keep up with the rate of change.

Windows? Lot of money, Microsoft has. Slightly better organized than some others.
They DO try. The are even trying hard.

But.. if the richest and/or most desperately motivated of National Governments, the wealthiest of Global Corporations and Banks cannot secure Windows after a score of years, billions of dollars spent on the most clever of helpers?

Just what is it that YOU know that that they do NOT know?

"MY Windows PC is secure!" No, Pilgrim. It is not.

Zahnrad Kopf said:

VERY possible if it is Win10...

Click to expand...

it is

its just that the contrast is astounding.....in the same time period, with the iPad being used slightly more if anything, somehow the PC uses 6GB while the iPad uses 1/3 of 1GB

Search around, there's a setting in Win10 to tell you are on a metered connection, and to stop trying to download all of that crap.

For deep economic reasons (and some technical) they (MSFT) have a powerful desire to push a lot of stuff down - new apis that they can "sell" to developers, things like skype clients to force skype to have a broad potential user base, and so forth. The size of the actual bug fixes is pretty large too, windows has a lot of code so there are a lot of holes to patch.

Don, go to 'settings' - 'data usage' then click on usage details. There you'll likely find a huge quantity under 'system'. For the last 30 days, mine shows 'system' using 27.5 gigs out of 32.8 total.

Like someone said above, this crap is shoved down your throat unless you use the 'enterprise edition' which gives you more control over updates.

.311 GB is actualy less than 5/16 GB - 3/8 GB doesn't even figure into the equation (ducking!)

Milacron said:

it is

its just that the contrast is astounding.....in the same time period, with the iPad being used slightly more if anything, somehow the PC uses 6GB while the iPad uses 1/3 of 1GB

Click to expand...

Your are fortunate, actually. Before I wearied of Verizon FioS constantly doing "shovel fade" outages by cutting their own fibre out of carelessness, I had a 100/100 service, no data metering.

The ONLY reason those visiting infected WinBoxen could not saturate it was that they hit the wall on the WiFi router then in use, first.

I was on 10 GigE copper into the 10/100 port, still had the rest of the ration, didn't have to care. Do the math. 6 GB ration wouldn't last a single day. All used up.

Nowadays, mere 25/25, and pleased to use a bit of WiFi meself, I do have to care.

You have a Mac. It can support the same diagnostic tools as any other Unix.

Or just power-down the WinBox. If you "must" have it for some Line-of-Business software application? Run it isolated entirely from the internet.

Not hard. We did that all over Hong Kong's Finance industry. Former partners are STILL doing it there. Went back to truly "LOCAL" Area Networks is all.