Most people need a home internet plan to play online games, stream movies, or attend video calls or meetings on Zoom. An average household takes up to 600 GB of data per month to carry out various online activities.
Many internet providers have unlimited data offers for users; however, some providers impose data caps of around 1,000 GB (1 TB) per month. Most users don’t need that much data, but if you use data beyond its cap, you’ll likely have speed issues. Apart from that, you will have to pay overage charges.
Choose unlimited data over data caps
If you want to ensure that you do not run out of data every month, choose an internet plan that offers unlimited data. With unlimited data, you don’t have to worry about exceeding your limit. In addition, you’ll have the freedom to use as little or as much data as you want without any consequences. Most fiber internet providers offer unlimited data, whereas some DSL and cable providers may also offer unlimited data packages depending on your area.
Best unlimited data plans
Here is a list of internet providers that offer unlimited data:
Most internet users don’t need unlimited data for basic online activities tasks. However, it’s better to have unlimited data if you spend a lot of time on the internet to download large files, stream videos in HD or 4K, or play video games online. It also allows you to share Wi-Fi with your family members or roommates without any restrictions.
How much data is consumed per month by an average internet user?
According to Broadband Insights Report (OVBI) by OpenVault, an average internet user consumes 536.3 GB per month through their home internet connection. With every passing year, the number of users consuming more than 500 GB is rapidly growing. In addition, the ubiquity of online videos and the use of smart home devices has led to a higher demand for data. Therefore, internet users with access to unlimited data at faster speeds will consume more data per month.
Is 1 TB of data enough for a month?
Most internet users consume less than 1 TB of data per month, which is the data cap for many home internet providers. Within 1 TB, you can carry out many online activities that use a large amount of data, such as streaming videos on YouTube or Netflix, online gaming, and post videos on social media. Moreover, you can download heavy files, run smart-home security cameras, and even share your Wi-Fi with other users. Some of the online activities that use a small amount of data include browsing the web, online shopping, checking email, and streaming music on Spotify.
How much data do you need per month?
| Online Activity | Minimum data required |
| Online gaming | 30 GB |
| Streaming videos in HD | 300 GB |
| Running home security cameras | 30-300 GB |
| Making video calls on Zoom | 60 GB |
| Streaming music or podcasts | 13 GB |
| Checking email and web browsing | 40 GB |
If you are not sure about how much data you need per month, get in touch with your provider to know how many GBs of data are included in your monthly internet plan. Even if you opt for 1 TB of data with a provider, know that it doesn’t guarantee high speeds and may easily burn through after a few weeks. With AT&T Internet, you will get up to 1 Gbps of upload and download speeds. So, if your family or friends need internet to run a home office, binge stream, share large files, do virtual learning, or do serious online gaming, BuyTVInternetPhone has the best internet plans for your speed needs.
Before choosing an internet plan, you need to figure out a data cap according to your data needs. Some online activities may consume more data than usual, for example, the number of times you stream videos on Netflix and video resolution may influence your data consumption every month.
All About Internet Data Consumption
| Online activity | Minimum data requirement | How long does 1 GB of data last? |
| Streaming video in 4K | 8 GB per hour | 7.5 minutes |
| Streaming video in HD | 2 GB per hour | 30 minutes |
| Streaming video in SD | 500 MB per hour | 2 hours |
Streaming video in 4K can take up to 8 GB per hour. So, if you are skeptical about your data usage according to your data cap, avoid watching in 4K. Instead, you can switch to HD or SD for a good video resolution that won’t make a dent in your monthly data.
Here is how you can figure out your data usage for video calls and smart home security cameras:
| Online activity | Minimum data requirement | How long does 1 GB of data last? |
| Running a smart home security camera | 2 GB per hour | 30 minutes |
| Making a video call / conferencing in SD | 340 MB per hour | 3 hours |
| Making a video call / conferencing in HD | 2 GB per hour | 30 minutes |
Video calls or conferencing on Zoom can gobble up your monthly data. So, it’s better to switch off the HD setting on Zoom if you have daily meetings with your remote team at work.
All in All…
Now that you know how much data you need for different online activities, it will be a whole lot easier to choose the right internet plan for yourself.
