Things you can pre-download and best times to do them

No doubt that video game companies and video streaming services have stepped up their game and released some pretty cool content while we were in iso. With all the buzz around this happening online, we’re using more data than ever.

Have you found yourself starring at a lagging screen for minutes wondering why it’s happening? This is most likely from bandwidth traffic, which impacts the strain on the internet around the world. So, now’s the time to dig your heels in and learn what you can do to avoid getting stuck in the internet’s peak hour traffic jam. Some would call it life hacks, but we’re going to call it tips to get your speeds back in the game by pre-downloading.

How much data do I use?

Let’s break it down, pre-downloading is a #LifeHack. But first, you should understand how much data you’re downloading and using daily.

To get an estimate about how much data you’re using, calculate your data usage here — this will help you understand where your data is going.

To give you a better idea — if you’re checking social media regularly, Snapchat and Facebook can use about 2.5 MB (Megabyte) per minute. While watching movies or TV shows on Netflix uses about 1 GB (gigabyte) of data per hour for each stream in Standard Definition (SD). If you’re streaming a Netflix video in High Definition (HD) it can use up to 3 GB per hour.

These resolutions are variable depending on the device you’re viewing it on and your current speed for download/uploads.

The Internet rush hour

Your speed issues are likely occurring during the peak hours of the web. ‘Peak’ periods are from 6 pm to 11 pm, when most people are streaming their fav shows online or using the Internet to connect with loved ones.

‘Off-peak’ are the hours when users decrease their consumption and decide to throw in the towel for the night. It usually occurs from 12 am to 8 am.

Put an end to buffering

During the pandemic, YouTube and Netflix announced they lowered the quality of the videos to Standard Definition (SD) around the world. This helps reduce the strain that higher quality videos can place on the Internet’s infrastructure. Here’s how to download your favourite shows or movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Stan for offline viewing.

If you’re going through a podcast phase or falling in love with a new album every week, lowering the resolution for Spotify can also decrease the bandwidth and data usage. If you’ve got a premium account, you can also download your favourite tunes for whenever you’re on the move.

Watching that cat video your friend tagged you in load can sometimes feel like a practical joke. You’re likely to be sharing this experience with 50,000 others. So try and watch videos during off-peak hours. The sky is clear, so is the traffic, so your videos will run smoothly. The speed might be so seamless that you won’t even notice you’re in a Tik-Tok rabbit hole — so beware!

Be the master of games

A lot of people may be misguided by gamers and how much internet they may use up. But just like streaming videos, there are smart ways to play and download games while being conscious of your data, here’s how:

New game days: Organise and dedicate a day to download games while no one’s using the Internet. Given that this might not be happening for a while, you could also schedule these downloads to happen at the end of your internet billing cycle. Or, you could sign up for an unlimited data plan with us if you haven’t already😉

Device matters: The amount of data consumed depends on whether you’re playing on a console, PC, or mobile.

Multiplayer games: Playing with or against others usually eats up a bit more because the game is continuously exchanging data to the server to respond to the live game actively.

Reduce browser-based games: Web browser-based games (From Dust or Candy Crush Saga) are downloading the textures, images and music as you play which can use a lot of bandwidth.

Cloud-based applications & system updates

Everything we own digitally seems to be up “in the cloud”, and that’s because the sky is the limit — that’s not even a metaphor.

The cloud systems save us from having to carry around a kilo of photo albums from our latest trip or carry a USB hardware drive in our pockets. It gives us access to these files from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. Here’s how you can sync your files during off-peak hours from our favourite cloud-based applications:

· Dropbox is a popular “workspace” for sharing files between mates, colleagues or personal storage. Learn how to sync to multiple devices, select what to sync, and how to manually customise the bandwidth usage to improve your sync speeds.

· iCloud Drive allows you to share all your files on all Apple devices and sync your files on Windows in the easiest manner

· If you’re an android user, or just prefer Google Drive, here’s how to sync your files from any device.

Many of us love a good system update when it happens. But let me tell you this, system updates are hungry for bandwidth.

You’ll find that most devices offer you a time to schedule updates, encouraging late night or early mornings. If you don’t have the luxury of your device politely asking you, look into getting a download manager to sort this one out.

Download managers

A handy tool to prevent you from losing your cool from lagging Wi-Fi is to install a download manager.

These in-built browser downloaders will be your knight in shining armour if you’re transferring or downloading on a day to day basis. The software saves the link you want to download or pencils in a system update. It schedules the magic to happen during off-peak periods for your convenience.

You can also schedule your cloud applications to sync your uploads or downloads during off-peak periods. Depending on your device, you can choose when to do it. This manual application will ensure it won’t happen sporadically, and you can be in control of the updates.

Watching your Internet painfully lag as you buckle in for some action is mighty irritating, we know. So having your downloads in order will be something you’ll be grateful for if you run into these issues. If you still need some help, we have a couple of options you can try out, like ‘How to optimise your home Wi-Fi’, or ‘Getting the most out of your internet while everyone’s at home’.

These tips may not fix speed degradation or dropouts entirely, for additional information on troubleshooting and other enquires you can find out more here, or further support.

All information published in this article is provided for general education and information only. These tools are not endorsed or provided by Belong. So please use them at your own risk — we encourage you to take sensible precautions if you do so.

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Find out your estimated CO2 impact from your mobile data usage by downloading the Carbon Thumbprint app.