Excess Data Usage Help

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zerofunds

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#236117 18-May-2018 17:01

Hey guys, need some help please. Head office has sent us a bill for excess data usage of nearly $400, we have a 200gig spark business plan and pay per meg over the 200. We only have 4 people in this office and there is no way we have used over 400 gig. It happened just before xmas and they sent us a please explain email and we couldn't explain it but didn't think about it too much, but now this time they have just sent us the bill and asked us to pay with our own money as they suspect we are using it for personal use.

We all have unlimited ultra fiber at homes so internet is not an issue for us to be downloading movies or something of that nature at work, this is a copper connection at work.

Head office won't send us or help us with any logs of when the heavy traffic occurred, by how much and on what days etc.

Two of our PCs are windows 10 and I can see in the data log they have both used about 10gig each, the other 2 PCs are windows 7 and I don't think they have that feature? We also have our mobiles connected to the wifi but they are saying about 10 gigs each also and that's with home use included etc.

The router here is a Huawei HG659b with very little logs I can pull off it, (well that I can find in the settings)

Can someone help with some ideas on how we can track this data leakage, I just did virus checks on all PCs and they're all clean, I have changed the wifi password but we aren't really close enough to anyone else to use our wifi.

Is there some software that is recommended I could download to monitor the network traffic?

Is their some logs I can pull off the router and send somewhere? I called spark but because I'm not the account owner they cant help me at all.

If you have any suggestions or need any more background info please ask. I am the branch manager so now have to come up with $400 that I don't have.

Thanks

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Uber Geek

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#2018470 18-May-2018 17:32

i use networx on my home PC's it gives real time usage along with keeping a tally of all network traffic. i believe you can set it up to ignore traffic on your local network as i havent used that function.

Kiwifruta

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#2018516 18-May-2018 18:59

Is there a DNS log? Windows updates? One Drive uploading data?

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#2018522 18-May-2018 19:10

Tell head office that unless they are willing to provide the evidence so that you investigate appropriately, to go take a short leap off a tall pier. They can 'suspect' all they like but until they provide evidence I wouldn't be handing over a cent.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

bagheera

539 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2018572 18-May-2018 20:03

first off - it head office line, so their bill to pay - where does it say in your contract you need to pay their bill?

2nd - looking at https://www.spark.co.nz/business/shop/internet/plans-and-pricing/ tell them that the current plan is crap, please change it, all but wireless you can get unlimited for less then $400 and if it a Huawei HG659b then it not wireless connection

Scott3

3970 posts

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#2018684 18-May-2018 23:12

You state you have a copper connection. The price difference between 200GB and Unlimited plans is $17 + GST per month.

It will not be worth your time to resolve this issue (unless you are concerned it is a symptom of a security breach).

If you are really serious about data monitoring gpforums has a guide (from 2012 when data usage was a bigger deal):

https://www.gpforums.co.nz/threads/447906-HOWTO-Monitoring-Data-Usage-on-your-Network

hio77

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Lizard Networks

#2018688 18-May-2018 23:29

this bill would be months old at this stage... It's a little late to even be asking questions.

If this was a data issue on our end, it would have been corrected.

At this stage, It's probably likely this would require effort past the front line to retrieve daily chunked data usage...

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

zerofunds

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2018890 19-May-2018 12:25

Thanks for the replies guys, this is a small company that is small minded and stuck in the 80s unfortunately. To be fair we only need 40gig a month but how spark can charge per MB is beyond crazy to me when its like you say an extra $20 for unlimited.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

zerofunds

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2018891 19-May-2018 12:27

Kiwifruta: Is there a DNS log? Windows updates? One Drive uploading data?

No one drive, I doubt windows updates would be that much over 4 pcs. Where do I grab the DNS log from and what do I do with it? I'm a service technician but not too knowledgeable with networks etc

zerofunds

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2018892 19-May-2018 12:28

hio77:

this bill would be months old at this stage... It's a little late to even be asking questions.

If this was a data issue on our end, it would have been corrected.

At this stage, It's probably likely this would require effort past the front line to retrieve daily chunked data usage...

This is our latest bill, it has just been sent to us

yitz

2080 posts

Uber Geek

#2018902 19-May-2018 12:36

Could be worth negotiating with them, I think they have a $50 excess usage charge cap on their residential plans perhaps ask them if they would cut you some slack in exchange for an upgrade to unlimited data in the future for $17+GST/month or whatever it is more.

If you remain on an excess usage charge plan perhaps ask head office for access to your connection's usage meter so you can track usage. Or at least ask them to setup and send 80% 100% usage alerts to your email or text.

hio77

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Lizard Networks

#2018905 19-May-2018 12:40

zerofunds:

hio77:

this bill would be months old at this stage... It's a little late to even be asking questions.

If this was a data issue on our end, it would have been corrected.

At this stage, It's probably likely this would require effort past the front line to retrieve daily chunked data usage...

This is our latest bill, it has just been sent to us

if the usage is from before christmas, there is no way this is the latest bill.

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

bagheera

539 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2018910 19-May-2018 12:49

if you getting a big bill just before xmas and now, that sounds like windows 10 feature updates to me - what the setting for Windows 10 and sharing patches - if it set to share with the internet that could go a long way to why you going over 200g

bagheera

539 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2018912 19-May-2018 12:51

that said, it should not be your issues - it up to the IT to sort - they have the tools and know how to look into this, but at $17 month, just get unlimited, alot easier to manage then

zerofunds

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2018927 19-May-2018 13:14

bagheera:

if you getting a big bill just before xmas and now, that sounds like windows 10 feature updates to me - what the setting for Windows 10 and sharing patches - if it set to share with the internet that could go a long way to why you going over 200g

We have been going over every month but before xmas was was the last time we were close to 200 gig over. I think spark charge $2 per gig

zerofunds

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2018936 19-May-2018 13:22

bagheera:

that said, it should not be your issues - it up to the IT to sort - they have the tools and know how to look into this, but at $17 month, just get unlimited, alot easier to manage then

At the end of last year, most of us got into hobby mining, bitcoin/erc20 etc and work knows about it. Somehow they have put two and two together and assume we are doing something deviant. Pretty much guilty until proven innocent scenario. A 2-minute google will tell you that mining uses no internet at all but I digress. Love my job, hate the company.

PS we don't have an IT department, the company website looks like it was made with microsoft paint.....

I think some people would be blown away with how some small businesses in NZ still run, im talking fax machines, yellow page adverts, cheque books, zip zap eftpos machines, pagers, telephone conference calls, actual postage mail correspondence, paper invoicing and record keeping.

Its hard changing people stuck in their ways

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