O Canada! > Canadian > Bell Canada > [Internet] Bandwidth Usage tracking is incorrect

[Internet] Bandwidth Usage tracking is incorrect

I am using the Sagemcom Connection Hub from Bell, although I do not have a Fibe TV.

Call bell and ask them to change your b1 user id password.

reply to annayya
That's a lot of browsing on the weekend.

reply to annayya
Some issues of which you need to be aware.

Issue 1 here:

»Router & Modem WPS Security Flaw

Issue 2 has to do with the wireless security that you have selected.

There are 3 wireless security protocols:

1. WEP, the oldest - DO NOT USE

2a. WPA, an interim security protocol using TKIP encryption - DO NOT USE.
2b. WPA, an interim security protocol using AES encryption - Use if you must.

3. WPA2, the latest protocol, AES encryption.

If you can't use WPA2 because the laptop or device is too old, you can buy a Wireless N USB adapter with speeds of 150, 300 & 450 Mbps, for between $15 and $70 (source Canada Computers).

Passwords; some information here:

»Re: [Internet] 2wire wireless modem configuration

If you buy an external USB wireless device, the internal wireless card can be removed to extend battery life.

Rick

reply to callbhell
Does that matter ?
I only use the b1 ID to log on to the website to check usage stats.

I was thinking of asking them to send me a report of the usage details for those two days such as where the data was downloaded from and what time and device.
The log is useless to me. I doubt if they would care about 1 customer having issues.

If the bandwidth was unlimited like it was about 8 yrs ago, I wouldn't worry about this at all.

reply to annayya
Next time they say the "tracking system is absolutely perfect", ask who certifies that.

reply to RickStep
Thanks rick for the info.

I have WPS turned off
I use WPA/WPA2 (TKIP/AES) ... will change it to WPA2-PSK(AES)
I also turned off the SSID broadcast

reply to tmpchaos
Yes, I will ask them a lot more than that .... because I am 100% sure no one downloaded that much in my house.

I told the agent I don't deny that I am heavy internet user and I don't deny the fact when I used over 50GB in one day in the past and I didn't call them back then to complain about anything.

I didn't even have friends at my house in these two days. There is no way for that Bandwidth to be consumed as shown in the tracker.

Does your router show usage?

No, the router does not show the usage.
We have to login on Bell website to see the details.

What you see in the picture above is bandwidth usage in this order - download, upload, and total

That's unfortunate. Then you can't really tell unless you put bandwidth monitors on each device.

reply to annayya
Can I request Bell to change my IP.
Is this a complicated process where they ask me 100 questions and would refuse to do it at the end anyway ?

reply to annayya
1. You need to get Bell to give you a new password. Like the SSID, the b1xxxxxx is less important than the password. Bell, in the past, never prevented a b1xxxxxx from being used on multiple modems and I thought they were going to fix it to tie the b1 to the phone number. It may have been fixed and maybe not.

In 2007 I lived in Hamilton and worked in Chalk River. I rented a couple of rooms, called Bell for service and before the transaction completed there was a power failure. I was told the first transaction was dead, and they issued a new phone number. Bell installed a line card but when the modem arrived, the b1 didn't work and the business office was closed until Monday. I loaded in my Hamilton B1 and password and it worked. I eventually sorted it out and Bell sent a new package; modem, b1 etc. HOWEVER, I apparently never went in and changed to the Chalk River b1.
In 2008 before I returned the Chalk River modem, I logged in and reset the modem and the Hamilton credentials were in the modem. It was used like that for about 15 months, 2 modems, one in area code 905 and one in area code 613 using the same b1 and password.

The point is this. If someone visited your house and found your Bell manual, they could get your login credentials. If they were Bell customers, they could probably login as you. They get the bandwidth, you get the invoice.

Get a new password from Bell and don't leave it lying near the computer, or any other passwords for that matter.

2. For security; the online Bell account should be a unique name and a different password than the one used to login through the modem. When you setup the online account, the online account lists your phone number, your b1xxxxxx, all assigned email addresses AND allows email passwords to be changed. Those login credentials should not be left near the computer.
3. If at all possible, don't let windows or your browser save passwords on your computer for automatic login.

If my grandkids show up here with their friends and they ask to use my wife's computer or mine; the answer is will be yes. While I may trust my grandkids, I don't have to trust their friends; or friends of my friends. Some kids and adults these days are too smart for their own good and I don't need to be victim.

Be safe not sorry.

Rick.

wow ... I had the default password with my b1 ID until today. Changed it now.
I am in Nuclear Engineering, so I heard about Chalk River a lot because of the nuclear research facility there which produces radioisotopes used by hospitals.

Anyway, the agent told me that they can refund the money since I usually don't exceed my bandwidth limit but I have to wait till the bill is generated.
I am glad I can get the refund but I want to know how this happened
I dont want them to feel like they are doing me a favour by removing a charge that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.
I asked for the detailed bandwidth usage details for those two days. I want to see the sources where data was downloaded from, from what device, and what time but they said they said it is not possible (or cannot) give this info to me

----

I see a lot of people read this forum and I don't want people to get a bad impression on Bell Canada due to this issue.
Despite this issue, I like Bell Internet. I have Fibe 25 for a few years now and its amazing.
I almost always get close to 25Mbps speed and the upload of 7Mbps makes it even better. (I rarely lose connection, less than once a week for a few minutes)

I had so many issues with Rogers 3 years ago that I can NEVER go back to Rogers. Bell was bad before the fibe, but now its the best internet service provider in my opinion (your opinion may vary depending on your location)

reply to annayya
my bandwidth meter is off by about 2GB at the moment.

I am tracking in my router in tomato and the difference is about 2GB.

I'm thinking its rounding up MBs to GB. I'm at the end of my billing cycle and I haven't been downloading anything to make sure I stay below my limit. I've used about 900MB in the past 3 days, and bell is measuring a bit more then 2GB usage in the past 3 days.

I never tracked it manually. I blindly trusted the tracking as shown on the ISP website for several years.

Now that you brought this up. I am wondering why should we all believe the bandwidth usage tracking done by the ISPs.
If the router is recording or can record the usage details why should we login onto a website to see our bandwidth usage.
How can I trust a number I see online on the website. For all I know, the ISP can enter whatever number they feel like anywhere and we would never know. The only reason I noticed it this time is because the difference is way too high. But according to what you say, if they randomly add a GB now and then, how can we figure that out. We will never know and just assume we actually used what ever bandwidth usage is shown on their website. This is fraud.

We should all have access to being able to track our bandwidth through our router settings page.

Things we should be able to see directly on the router settings page:
Usage details shown by the hour or any time frame we select for any day (I don't want to wait 12 hours for their website to update data which could be fake for all I know and they only give usage details by the day)
Usage details by each device in the house should also be seen (This should be easy to do as all devices have a unique ID, and the router already shows a list of devices it is connected to)

The ISPs want to track usage and limit us, so why not make the bandwidth usage tracker perfect so we will have accurate details of our usage. I don't want to login onto an external website to check my usage details because the data can be manipulated and is probably not accurate.
How can the CRTC approve this form of tracking method when there is a possibility for each individual user to see his/her usage directly on their router information page.

I am not just referring to Bell here, this goes to any ISP that tracks usage and expects the user to login onto their website to check the details.
How can the ISP prove that the usage information shown on their website is PERFECT (as the agent claimed). If they can prove it, they should also give us access to additional details such as usage by any time frame we select for any day, usage by each device within that time frame and if possible even the source where the data was downloaded from. Right now it just tells me usage by the day and nothing else which is just not enough.

reply to annayya
I am using teksavvy, for the same speeds.

I get 200g's a month for Bandwith. No overage. They also offer a new late night free consumption side.

The tech support is local, so you can understand them.

My bill is 75$ a month.

My phone is 30.

werd.
--
UBB - Universal Butt Banged. Thank-you Bell My I have another.

^^ You mean 300 GB a month? Just to be clear for the others, you don't have to pay $75 per month for that 300 GB limit. It's speed related.
--
Everything Apple

reply to annayya
hey the same thing happed to me 2 days in a row to cap my internet out
now i new there was something wrong i new it bell was messing with me
here is what i got

January 22, 2012
Total Internet usage
10.810 GB
January 23, 2012
3.320 GB
January 24, 201
1.751 GB
anuary 25, 2012
7.660
January 26, 2012
9.6
January 27, 2012
8.795 GB
January 28, 201
6.526 GB
January 29, 2012
25.593 GB
january 30, 2012
7.7
and that is just after i called to complain about overage fees last month and they said i wont recieve any this month but now for the comming buillin period i will get hit again and i made sure not to go over