Most of us have many devices at home that connect to the internet - computers, smartphones, smart devices and game consoles. If you think about it, there’s a lot of data being sent and received from a typical home broadband connection.
The good news is that all the deals listed on Broadband Genie are unlimited. You won’t have to worry about going over a data allowance. But if you're using a mobile broadband dongle, or relying on tethering your phone, this could pose a problem if you have a strict monthly usage cap.
So how do you know how much data you need without paying too much, or leaving you stuck without any data left over at all? Let's explore!
How much internet data do I need? (quick answer)
| User Type | Typical Activities | Recommended Data Allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Light User | Browsing, emails, occasional social media, light streaming | 10-20GB per month |
| Moderate User | Frequent social media, HD video calls, regular streaming | 20-50GB per month |
| Heavy User | Daily HD streaming, online gaming, large downloads | 100GB+ per month |
| Very Heavy User | 4K streaming, cloud backups, multiple users sharing data | Unlimited plan recommended |
How is data measured?
In the world of broadband and mobile broadband, ‘data’ (the information used to access the internet) is usually measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB).
MBs are smaller units of data and GBs are larger.
If you’re confused between the difference, you can find out more in our guide to bits and bytes.
How much data do I use per day?
| Activity | Average Data Use Per Hour |
|---|---|
| Streaming video in 4K | 8GB |
| Streaming video in HD | 2GB |
| Streaming video in SD | 0.5GB |
| Streaming music on Spotify | 55MB |
| Playing a multiplayer game on Steam | 200MB |
| Scrolling on Instagram | 90MB |
| Video call in HD | 2GB |
| Web browsing | 185MB |
| Smart Home video transmission | 2GB |
Source: Omni Calculator Data Usage Calculator
How much data do I use per month?
| 10 hours of movie streaming (HD) | 20GB |
| 14 hours of music streaming | 770MB |
| 4 hours of multiplayer gaming | 800MB |
| 3 hours of video calling (SD) | 1.02GB |
| 15 hours of web browsing | 2.75GB |
| Sending 5 emails per day | 2MB |
| 4 hours of social media browsing | 360MB |
| Total monthly usage | 771GB |
Source: Omni Calculator Data Usage Calculator
Just remember, these figures are based on the use of one person. The more devices and users you have sharing a connection, the greater the data usage.
Anything connected to your broadband (wired or wireless) will consume data, so each smartphone, tablet, or games console will need to be accounted for.
What activities use a lot of data?
Online backup services such as Dropbox can use a large amount of data, so if you store files online, you need to take this into consideration.
More people are leaving their computers on for long periods, whether for remote access, file sharing, or running apps like Spotify in the background. This can significantly increase data usage.
If you do anything else a little out of the ordinary, such as hosting online games or running your own media server, then your usage could be higher than some.
How to check your data usage
If your mobile broadband service has a data usage limit, your provider should give you a way to monitor your usage. This feature is usually found if you sign in to your online account.
If you’re tethering your phone, both iOS and Android systems have bandwidth monitors built into the operating system. You can set a data limit and receive a warning when you get close to your data allowance.
But you can also monitor data yourself using your Wi-Fi router or software application.
These are usually free and easy to use, but will only monitor traffic on the device it is installed on, not your entire network. But if you only have one computer, these will work fine. Some recommended tools include:
These and other similar tools are available for all major operating systems, including Windows 10, Windows 11, and Apple macOS.
For more help, you can read our guide to monitoring data usage.
How much data does TV streaming use?
Streaming films and TV can use up a lot of data in a short amount of time. If you’re regularly running low on data, this is a likely culprit.
Here are some rough estimates for data usage on popular streaming sites:
| Streaming Service | Good Quality | Medium Quality | High Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Prime Video | 0.72GB | 1.82GB | 6.84GB |
| BBC iPlayer |
|
||
| Netflix | 0.3GB | 0.7GB | 7GB |
| Disney+ | 0.6GB | 2GB | 2.5GB |
Here are some other guides you may find useful:
How to reduce data usage and avoid extra fees
If you’ve used up a lot of your monthly data allowance, but you still have a while before the next month kicks in, there are a few ways you can use less data.
Quick tips for saving data:
- Use a Wi-Fi connection whenever possible
- Download content for offline use
- Reduce video quality to low or standard definition in streaming apps
- Use data-saving modes on mobile
FAQs about data usage
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How much data does BBC iPlayer use?
The data you use will vary depending on the length of your programme and the streaming quality. However, expect to use around 700MB of mobile data. If you’re worried about using data when on the move, try downloading via Wi-Fi in advance.
Most streaming services use around the same amount of data, but it does depend on your video quality settings. Settings can change based on how you're connected. For example, Disney+ streams 1080p Full HD on a mobile device, but only if it’s recognised as streaming over Wi-Fi. If the system is using cellular data, the highest quality you can achieve on a mobile device is HD (using 2GB of data per hour).
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Is 5GB of data enough for a day?
5GB of data will be enough for the average person and will cover common tasks such as browsing, emailing and streaming music. However, if you’re watching a lot of high-quality video or gaming, you may find that your allowance is quickly used up.
For peace of mind, if you’re a regular gamer or enjoy watching streams in high definition, you may want to opt for an unlimited data plan. This could save you a lot of worry and potentially expensive out of package data costs.
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How much mobile data do you use sending emails?
Emails are one of the least data intensive online tasks. A standard email should only use up less than half a megabyte (0.5MB). Of course, sending or downloading large files will use up more.
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What’s the average mobile data usage per month?
According to Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2024, the average monthly mobile data usage is 9.9GB per month per user.
Conclusion
Most home broadband plans will come with unlimited data, but may still enforce traffic management for customers carrying out intensive tasks.
4G or 5G Home Broadband deals usually also come with unlimited data usage. However, if you have a mobile broadband plan, or you use your mobile phone for tethering, you may have an allocated data allowance every month.
You can use a data usage calculator to estimate how much data you might need in the early days of a contract. By estimating your usage based on common tasks, you can choose a plan that fits your needs and avoid overspending or paying for unnecessary data.
But you may find that some months you use more data than others, or your behaviours change over time. For this reason, we recommend monitoring your data usage regularly using your provider’s dedicated monitoring tool, your device’s bandwidth monitoring settings or by downloading third-party traffic monitoring software.
Want hassle-free browsing with unlimited data? Find the best broadband deal today!