How much data is 250 MB?

[MikeCheck]

I just received a new Samsung A8 phone as a Christmas gift. I've always only had a flip phone and have never owned a smartphone before. I was looking at the Public Mobile plans and liked the $15.00 month plan with 250 MB of data.

Since I have no idea how much 250 MB is, I was wondering how much or long(?) on average per day in a month it would last? 5 minutes? half an hour?   I guess it depends on the individual app, but I would be regularly using my local city bus transit app and the weather channel app the most, followed by the occasional Google web search (Google maps) for 5 minutes per day.

Thanks.

[mobileguy]

I just checked my data usage on my phone and my account and they are both about the same now.  Thanks to all.

[pmmobile]

@MikeCheck  In case someone has not mentioned it already, turn off your data connection when using WiFi to eliminate the possibility of using the data network (data usage) instead of the WiFi connection (no network data usage).

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@dabr wrote:

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@MikeCheck wrote:

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@LovesToPM wrote:

@MikeCheck 

You may find this post to be interesting: Does GPS use data?

Let's see if we can come up with a comparison of mobile data vs wifi.

Think of accessing the internet as a way of getting to work.

Your mobile data is like taking your car to work.
And public wifi is like taking public transportation.

Both will get you there, but they consume different resources.

Your car is always available to you but it's more expensive to use.
The bus isn't everywhere. You may have to look around to find it, but it's cheaper to use in the end.

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So, when using public Wi-Fi, would I just be using a lot less data, or not using any data that would count towards my monthly data cap?

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@MikeCheck   Public wifi or your home wifi does not use your plan data allotment, so you are not using any data from your data cap.

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[dabr]

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@mobileguy wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

@mobileguy  That 5mb (usually 5.29mb) is a normal buffering data occurance whenever data is enabled and it should get reset to zero (almost) if you turn on/off your data/airplane mode.  Sometimes it will even appear as negative data.  Be prepared to see that buffering/ghost data everytime your plan renews and data is enabled:)

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@dabr , that is strange.  My data mode is turned off on my phone, but there is still a 5mb discrepancy showing.  On my phone, it shows I used 21mb.  On my account, it shows I used 26mb.

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@mobileguy  The phone and PM data counter may not be showing data within the same timeframe.  You should be able to reset your phone dates to match your renewal, then it should be showing similar (although not the same) amounts of data being consumed.  I have read that PM data counter is very accurate and would give you the proper data consumption.

That discrepancy of 5mb is equivalent to what the buffer data appears to record?  I have also seen that amount appearing on one of our family accounts even though the data is turned off on the phone as it is mainly used for calling.  Sorry I don't why that happens, but we kind of have to just overlook some of these anomalies in PM's system because in the end it is still cheaper than the competition:)

[darlicious]

@mobileguy  Try toggling airplane mode on and off. Then check to see if your data has reset in your account.

[mobileguy]

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@dabr wrote:

@mobileguy  That 5mb (usually 5.29mb) is a normal buffering data occurance whenever data is enabled and it should get reset to zero (almost) if you turn on/off your data/airplane mode.  Sometimes it will even appear as negative data.  Be prepared to see that buffering/ghost data everytime your plan renews and data is enabled:)

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@dabr , that is strange.  My data mode is turned off on my phone, but there is still a 5mb discrepancy showing.  On my phone, it shows I used 21mb.  On my account, it shows I used 26mb.

[dabr]

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@MikeCheck wrote:

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@LovesToPM wrote:

@MikeCheck 

You may find this post to be interesting: Does GPS use data?

Let's see if we can come up with a comparison of mobile data vs wifi.

Think of accessing the internet as a way of getting to work.

Your mobile data is like taking your car to work.
And public wifi is like taking public transportation.

Both will get you there, but they consume different resources.

Your car is always available to you but it's more expensive to use.
The bus isn't everywhere. You may have to look around to find it, but it's cheaper to use in the end.

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So, when using public Wi-Fi, would I just be using a lot less data, or not using any data that would count towards my monthly data cap?

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@MikeCheck   Public wifi or your home wifi does not use your plan data allotment, so you are not using any data from your data cap.

[dabr]

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@mobileguy wrote:

@MikeCheck , it's hard to determine.  One time I opened my Chrome browser and it ate up 5mb.  The next time I opened my Chrome browser, it only ate up 1mb.  So I guess there's some level of caching involved in regards to what needs to be downloaded versus what is already cached.  I am on my first month and seldom use data so I don't think I'll go over.  I check the occasional odd email but that doesn't use alot of data to begin with.  I searched for a store in my city to see if it was still opened and it used up about 1mb.  I went to the Amazon site and searched for a product and it used up 2mb.  Keep in mind though that for some reason, the first month I got my account, I think PM levied 5mb of data usage onto my new account automatically.  I'm not sure what that was for but I hope they don't do that with my next month.

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@mobileguy  That 5mb (usually 5.29mb) is a normal buffering data occurance whenever data is enabled and it should get reset to zero (almost) if you turn on/off your data/airplane mode.  Sometimes it will even appear as negative data.  Be prepared to see that buffering/ghost data everytime your plan renews and data is enabled:)

[MikeCheck]

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@LovesToPM wrote:

@MikeCheck 

You may find this post to be interesting: Does GPS use data?

Let's see if we can come up with a comparison of mobile data vs wifi.

Think of accessing the internet as a way of getting to work.

Your mobile data is like taking your car to work.
And public wifi is like taking public transportation.

Both will get you there, but they consume different resources.

Your car is always available to you but it's more expensive to use.
The bus isn't everywhere. You may have to look around to find it, but it's cheaper to use in the end.

---

So, when using public Wi-Fi, would I just be using a lot less data, or not using any data that would count towards my monthly data cap?

[MikeCheck]

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@Triguy wrote:

Here is an article that will give you an idea about how much 250 MB represents.

https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/data-plans/250mb-data

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Awesome!  Thank you.

[kelvarnsen]

Another tip for saving data is if you are using say Google maps for GPS download the map of your local area to save on your phone. Then you can do a lot of map stuff with minimal data. When you do that you can even do some GPS stuff with your data turned off.

[mobileguy]

@MikeCheck , it's hard to determine.  One time I opened my Chrome browser and it ate up 5mb.  The next time I opened my Chrome browser, it only ate up 1mb.  So I guess there's some level of caching involved in regards to what needs to be downloaded versus what is already cached.  I am on my first month and seldom use data so I don't think I'll go over.  I check the occasional odd email but that doesn't use alot of data to begin with.  I searched for a store in my city to see if it was still opened and it used up about 1mb.  I went to the Amazon site and searched for a product and it used up 2mb.  Keep in mind though that for some reason, the first month I got my account, I think PM levied 5mb of data usage onto my new account automatically.  I'm not sure what that was for but I hope they don't do that with my next month.

[Triguy · Accepted solution]

Here is an article that will give you an idea about how much 250 MB represents.

https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/data-plans/250mb-data

[Nezgar]

GPS location is derived from satellite transmissions, and does not use data from your mobile network.

If your location aware app that makes use of GPS needs to download map data, or transit routes, etc, that will of course use data, but your location can be calculated even in airplane mode.

Navigation apps often have features to download maps and data for offline use while on an unmetered network such as Wi-Fi, so you can use them without using any mobile data.

[LovesToPM]

@MikeCheck 

You may find this post to be interesting: Does GPS use data?

Let's see if we can come up with a comparison of mobile data vs wifi.

Think of accessing the internet as a way of getting to work.

Your mobile data is like taking your car to work.
And public wifi is like taking public transportation.

Both will get you there, but they consume different resources.

Your car is always available to you but it's more expensive to use.
The bus isn't everywhere. You may have to look around to find it, but it's cheaper to use in the end.

You are correct that your need for mobile data will change over time.

With Public Mobile, the service is prepaid and there is no contract. So you are not tied to any specific plan. Going forward you will be able to change your plan to suit your needs.

[gordone27]

You can download the PhD route through wifi...but as soon as u leave connection.. if u change routes it wont re route u  or update traffic or anything .it will just keep the route if u dont turn on ur data

[MikeCheck]

Thanks to all.  Yes, my data needs are fairly low right now. Once I have a data plan, I think they will probably grow over time as I become more familiar with using my phone apps.

I didn't realize that using public wifi reduces data usage fees. I thought data pulled off of wifi still counted as data being downloaded and used by the apps and therfore metered in some way. I admit I don't quite understand how it all works technically, or how it is calculated by the plans.

The tips for tweaking the phone settings to reduce background app activity are helpful. 

Edit: I read through the Tips on Managing Your Data Usage, and it says GPS uses data. Interesting because when I received the phone, the person who gave it to me as a gift had already put the city transit app on it for me. When I open the app, it can pinpoint my location and even gives me the next bus times for my location, but doesn't do much else. I haven't put a SIM card in the phone yet, however. So the phone itself must already have GPS in it. Maybe the GPS won't be using data after all?

[darlicious]

@MikeCheck  It seems to me that if you had a flip phone that your on the go data needs are pretty low and that you have access to WiFi at home. Enabling your data saver and restricting your background data on all apps unless needed should allow you be sufficient with 250mb. You can keep your mobile data off unless needing to use a particular app or send or recieve a MMS message. Toggling airplane mode on and off will reset any apparent use of data by MMS. Take advantage of free WiFi available or any hotspots offered by your home internet provider while you are out and about.

[Bubba]

If your transit system has Bus stop time text you can also use that insted to help cut down on your usage. 

I use that on my phone because my phone is slow. Also the text is faster than the app in getting the times when you are in a extreme hurry. I use it to check times when the train pulls into subway stations that are able to pick up a signal.

Did that tonight. Texted the stop upstairs when the train pulled into the station. It said it would be there in 3 minutes. raced out the door  and ran stairs.

If I didnt do that I would of had to go to the end of the line where my bus route starts, but would of had to wait 30 minutes to take a 5 minute bus ride from the station near my house to home. So I saved 30 minutes of waiting.

The app would not of been able to get the info that fast.

[pmmobile]

@MikeCheck  To maximize your usage, regularly connect to your home WiFi to get updates for apps. Since your A8 is new, it will likely need some system updates which can easily exceed 250mb. Once updated, try to update weather, messages etc while on home WiFi before heading out since connecting to data will use up your 250mb.

For reference, 1 Google search without clicking the links is about 1mb (eg searching for store address, phone etc), while a Google Map search could be 10mb. Keep in mind, this is without any background data usage from your apps. 

[yanzhiqiang]

because you cannot control others send you pictures and vedios through email, chat apps, best set up some apps wifi only to reduce data use.

[will13am]

250 MB is enough for running chat apps without posting lots of pictures and videos.  For web browsing, I would say at least 1GB, possibly 2GB.  This is over one plan cycle of course, not daily.  

[cavemantoronto]

@MikeCheck 250MB isn't a lot. It could be used by accident very quickly. It's not enough for everyday use. You should turn off background data.

[geopublic]

@MikeCheck  Good read on how to monitor and manage your data usage.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/managing-your-data-usage

[hairbag1]

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@MikeCheck wrote:

I just received a new Samsung A8 phone as a Christmas gift. I've always only had a flip phone and have never owned a smartphone before. I was looking at the Public Mobile plans and liked the $15.00 month plan with 250 MB of data.

Since I have no idea how much 250 MB is, I was wondering how much or long(?) on average per day in a month it would last? 5 minutes? half an hour?   I guess it depends on the individual app, but I would be regularly using my local city bus transit app and the weather channel app the most, followed by the occasional Google web search (Google maps) for 5 minutes per day.

Thanks.

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The $15 plan is an excellent plan to "test drive" Public Mobile. With that plan, you only have 100 minutes of Canada wide calling. If you use wifi whenever you can, you'll maximize the 250MB's of data with that plan. Also you can send / recieve texts to anywhere while you're in Canada.

If you find you're light on talk time...PM offers an add-on to your regular plan that includes 500 minutes of Canada wide calling, for $5. Any unused add-on minutes will roll over each renewal until you use them up...even if that takes several months or longer. It's a great augement to a plan with limited calling minutes.

Welcome to PM.

[LovesToPM]

@MikeCheck 

250 MB should be sufficent to cover your regular usage of "my local city bus transit app and the weather channel app the most, followed by the occasional Google web search (Google maps) for 5 minutes per day."

Also make sure to adjust your phone settings to limit your mobile data usage. Otherwise some app updates or background data usage will chew up the 250 MB.