# TiVo Data Usage per month



## knight76 (Jul 30, 2008)

With the internet in Australia being fairly restrictive regarding monthly download usage. I was wondering how much actual data will the TiVo use over any given month for firmware updates and EPG updates.

Can any people using one in America (HD Tivo) comment on data used per month?

Not including any streaming etc. Just the basics.


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## TiivoDog (Feb 14, 2007)

That's a great question as I believe both Telstra & Optus have lousy plans - basically don't have reasonably priced 'unlimited' plan..... I really don't know where to get such a number, but the units pull down guide data daily and Service Updates every few months. The guide data download is less than a minute (probably 30 seconds for me) and I don't belive the Service Updates take more than 5 minutes for me.

Hope it helps, mate!!


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## LoREvanescence (Jun 19, 2007)

Well, I don't know for sure how much data uses It uses up, but I know it does not effect my internet at all. Where I live I have to use satellite internet service, and it too is very restrictive. It only allows for 200 MB per consecutive 24 hour period, and once that is reached, the internet is turned off for the next 24 hours.

The 9.4 update did not phase the internet use at all. I still was able to brows the net all day and never went over the 200 MB limit. Software updates I would assume are probaly between 15 and 60 MB at tops and only come put a few times a year.

As for guide updates, they are not big at all. 

What I do know is, web video downloads, I can't do them at all. Amazon unbox or TiVo Cast videos will kill my internet before they finish, and any progress on the download is lost. I can get maybe one music choice video in a day if I don't use the net with any computer.

As for youtube videos, they seem to be between 8 and 16 mb for average videos, so I can stream a few and be safe=)


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## knight76 (Jul 30, 2008)

Since posting this I have read a statement by Tivo that it should not use more than 5mb on average per month. I dont have the link to it though.


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## kb7oeb (Jan 18, 2005)

Its designed to work over a dialup modem connection so it can't be that much


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

kb7oeb said:


> Its designed to work over a dialup modem connection so it can't be that much


It also acts differently when connected to broadband so it will use more bandwidth when connected this way. Since the Australian version has missing features, it will be hard to compare it to the US version. Normally, TiVos keep a constant connection to the TiVo servers with the current version of the software for things like TiVoCasts notification. Also, TiVo regularly checks for online requests when connected through broadband. Because of this, is probably going to require someone in Australia to meter it for a month. And even then, it may depend on how you use the TiVo.


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## knight76 (Jul 30, 2008)

Well at the moment the stuff we can access online through the Tivo is very limited. The vast majority of users are just going to be getting the updates and having the TiVo checking for programing changes etc hourly.

For now, I don't think it will use too much.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

rainwater said:


> It also acts differently when connected to broadband so it will use more bandwidth when connected this way.


Can you explain this? Unless you sign up for YouTube, Amazon Unbox, etc., I can't really think of how it uses more bandwidth. (Tivos don't actually get any of the guide data over the informercials anymore, right? I could imagine that being transferred over broadband instead..)


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## Da Goon (Oct 22, 2006)

mattack said:


> Can you explain this?


no...because it's not true.

the recent 9.4 update for US customers came in at 23,354,942 bytes or 22.2 MB. Guide data and showcase/ad slices come in differently depending on how often a connection is made, so it would be difficult to try and come up with any kind of an "average".


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

Da Goon said:


> no...because it's not true.


It is true. There is no active XMPP connection when using dialup. This feature was introduced several months ago. This connection alone causes it to use more traffic. Also, the VCM connection is only available when using broadband. These connections make broadband connections use different amounts of monthly data than dialup. Also, because the Austrialian version is different than the current TiVo software in the US, no one can say for sure just yet which of these connections are being used.


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## BruceShultes (Oct 2, 2006)

I live in the USA so I am not sure whether it would be true in the Australian version, but if I was worried about internet usage from my tivo, I would just leave it connected to the phone most of the time and only switch it to internet when I really needed it.

You can switch it back and forth using the menus without needing to unplug any cables.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

I run a software firewall, and I watch packets flowing in and out of my home network.

The TiVo HD I have connected to broadband on a 24/7 basis is very "chatty". It is passing messages back and forth to TiVo's servers every few seconds. Most of these packets appear fairly small in size, but over the course of a month the numbers would add up (sorry I don't keep track of cumulative transfer size so I don't know actual numbers).

If I were concerned about bandwidth usage (which, fortunately, I don't need to be), I would only allow the TiVo access to the outside world for limited periods of time. E.g. open a software firewall for 10 minutes every 4 hours (obviously adjust according to how expensive it is to move bits in your particular situation).

Unfortunately the TiVo HD seems fairly stupid in its awareness of when it is and isn't connected to the outside world. So you may need to "kick" it manually during open periods. This is easy to do thru the menus. I do this with my other TiVo HD and it easily downloads a week's worth of program guide in just a few minutes.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

What are XMPP & VCM?


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## RoyK (Oct 22, 2004)

mattack said:


> What are XMPP & VCM?


Umm why not try googling XMPP and VCM? You'll learn more than you want to know.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

mattack said:


> What are XMPP & VCM?


Based on reading here:

VCM is the connection your TiVo does to learn about online scheduling. It happens many times a day.

XMPP is an Instant Messaging Protocol. Your TiVo uses it to maintain a persistent connection with the service to learn when a video from Amazon or TiVoCast is ready for download.

Both may be used for more than that, but those are the ones I have seen posted here most often.


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