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Most broadband packages set an upper limit on how much information can be downloaded in a month and this is called download limit. This means, for the specfied price, you will be allowed to download certain number of gigabytes of information specified by your ISP and this upper limit of usage can vary between 1GB and 40GB.
What happens when your usage exceeds this limit? There is an option of buying top up usage or simply you may have to upgrade your package to upper level, however, both options involve additional cost. All these can be avoided when you wisely pick a package that will suit your download requirements. This is best done if you know what kind of use you will put your internet connection in and how long you will spend online.
Easy-to-install, higher download speeds and easy availability & various options and price packages have put ADSL broadband on top over other technologies.
How is download limit measured?
A gigabyte or GB is used to measure the download limit. One GB is roughly equal to 1000 Mega Bytes (or 1024MB precisely) and a standard DVD disc can contain nearly 5GB of data.
Most of the web pages with images and flash presentations do not exceed more than 1MB so you can download more than 5000 pages of 200KB using 1GB usage allowance
| Download Limit (GB per month) | Number of web pages (200KB per page) | Number of music tracks (5Mb per track) | Number of video clips (25MB per clip) |
| 1GB | 5240 | 205 | 40 |
| 2GB | 10500 | 510 | 80 |
| 5GB | 26240 | 1215 | 200 |
| 10GB | 52500 | 2430 | 1200 |
| 40GB | 201000 | 9750 | 1600 |
What is unlimited download limit?
Sometimes ISPs do not cap their packages allowing the users to download as much as they wish, provided they agree to the fair usage policy. This means, you can download freely only during non-peak hours while there is some limit when you download in peak times.
Unlimited broadband package is great option for regular downloaders who are looking for cheap deals.
When do I need large download limits?
You will need packages with large download limit, if you
- Regularly spend many hours online.
- Frequently download a lot of music albums, videos, movies and software.
- Access streaming audio or video from online video sites, radio stations and IPTV sites.
- Frequently access P2P sites for file sharing.
- Take part in video conferences quite frequently
- Play online games frequently and regularly.
Light users
If you are an occasional downloader but spend most of your time in browsing pages, sending or receiving emails, you can choose broadband packages that offer download limit between 2GB and 6 or 8GB. As the entry level packages with 2GB download limit offered by BT Total or Pipex Mini or Orange Home Starter, are cost-effective too. Along with a couple of hours for browsing, you can also download over 40 music albums.
6GB or 8GB download limit is suitable for you if you demand a bit more. Very cost-effective for those who plan their usage that includes occasional video downloads and regular music downloads (more than 120 albums).
Average Users
Nowadays, broadband needs have quite changed due to the popularity of the high bandwidth applications like on-demand video IPTV or online gaming. If you choose a package with download limit of 10 or 15GB, you get enough bandwidth to make a plenty of music & video downloads, play online games and watch streaming videos. If you run quite a big business organization and require a business broadband package, it is a good idea to choose 15GB or more that can best suit the requirements of your company. As you may download or upload large amount of information, it is important that you pick the right download limit
Heavy users
Do you download large files during peak hours? Do you regularly access IPTV or streaming videos or do you download movies and TV shows? Do you frequently play online games? Then, a package with 30GB or more could be the right package for you.
TalkTalk broadband offer 40GB download limit while Pipex recently introduced Pipex Pro which offers 100GB download limit.
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