[erindiv]

Question on behalf of DBF, who bought a Telstra 4G modem to use with his XBox in December.

I think it came with about 5GB of data included. That was gone within a couple of weeks, but he put it down to using the xbox so much. Topped it up with about 6GB. Two weeks later that was gone, and he'd barely used the internet. Figuring he was using more than he thought, he put 16GB on it (which cost $180). Two weeks later he brought the xbox over so we could watch a movie, but the internet wasn't working. I said to leave it until the next day and try again. It still wasn't working. I put the card in my USB modem and it said there was no data left! 16GB in two weeks! DBF was working for those two weeks and only used the internet a few times.

He rang Telstra and they gave him a big spiel which sounds like a heap of BS to me. They said that these modems 'use' data while left idle. Apparently if you leave it on all day and don't use it, it will use HEAPS of data, even if no device is connected. So basically they said "You've used 30GB in two months."

When he got off the phone and told me, I was furious. He works 12 hours a day for ten days at a time and spends most of his time off with me, so I know he can't have used that much data. I couldn't use that much if I tried! I reckon the whole "uses data while idle" just sounds like rubbish, like the idea a powerpoint could leak electricity. The data has to GO somewhere, it has to be used somewhere, it can't just disappear. If you're not using the data then you shouldn't be paying for it!

Telstra gave him 6GB as a consolation but I said that's nothing compared to the $180 worth of 16GB you should still have 14-15GB of!

I googled the situation and found some forums where people have horror stories of laptops sitting idle for 2 hours and using 8GB, and so on.

He has left it here so I can use it, so far the 6GB they gave him has lasted suspiciously longer than the mystical disappearing 16GB.

Has anyone heard of or experienced this?

[qak]

Does he have security enabled on it?

[erindiv]

Yes, of course.

[Sassy Dingo]

Automatic updates?

[qak]

Can he turn it off when not using it?

[Genabee]

We have a Telstra wireless thingo too and we seem to go through it much quicker than we used to, since we set it up so that we could both use it wirelessly...

Hubby did tell me something along similar lines to what Telstra told you...

[Apageintime]

I'd check his security settings just to be sure!

[erindiv]

The security is fine.

They say it is being used even when anything that uses it is turned off. So if the modem is on but all phones/laptops/ipads are disconnected, apparently they say it still uses data. I don't see how that's possible!

Wizzlet that's interesting. My parents have the older modem and they don't have any trouble. It seems to be the 4G ones.

Have been googling and found many similar cases online. Grrr. What a pain.

[greypink]

Automatic updates?

This is what I was going to suggest

[InsertAwesomeHer...]

Id changed the password on it just in case someone is using his data.

What they said is true depending on what's connected. If his phone or computer are connected there are automatic updates and things that use data in the background.

He should be able to switch the device off when he's not using it. He should also be able to ask Telstra for a data usage breakdown so he can see where the data is being used.