Viasat Satellite → [WildBlue] after 6.5 years, FAPPED for the first time, and it is

Value pack. I watch my data like a hawk. I go in and out several times a day, I work very hard, have bad feet and hands, so I stop from time to time. I often check usage every session. The 29th, they say I went over at around 5pm. I checked it several times that day, and watched it go up from 69something. The very next hour I checked it, 7050, around 5PM. I checked it the next hour, back to 6900, figured the usual nightly roll off was starting. The next time I checked it, it was 68 something. But up until this point it was working "normal". At that time it was not working at all, chalked it up to something going on, and shut down at that number without using it. Yesterday morning I thought I would run updates (free day on the 30th and 31st). Immediately, no web pages loading on the first try, many not loading at all. I waited until the afternoon to call when I found out. There is no sign of being FAPPED on the usage page, no way of checking their data logs like used to be possible (tech couldn't either for the previous day). My NRTC doesn't email notices, they snail mail them. I run Linux on my desktop and laptop, both monitor all interface traffic (with KNEMO). I can get hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly reports going back to at least the first of the year. On the 29th I used a total of around 150 megs (total of both download numbers). On the 28th I used around 140. They are all that are connected at this time (I unhooked my Directv a while back). Wireless is secure (didn't used to be, has been for some time now though), my driveway is about a 1/2 mile long through dense trees, nobody sits out there to hack my wireless, neighbors are a mile away. I have been hovering close to 7000 often, and above 6000 probably 95% of the time starting a couple days ofter they doubled the pings back in '06 (usage magically increased after that). So I assume I know how to watch it. I see no way that I used that much, not possible, but what can I do about it? I had the tech send a one time "pass" request, since I was a longtime customer, never over before, etc. I don't see it being anything but an artificial spike, that has happened before, but didn't put me over. Can't check since they took away my ability to see their logs of my data. I was going to rant about new subscribers that were able to get the pro pack for $50 in my area, but I figured what was the point. So here I am. I can get to this page if I refresh a couple times. I can't get into my regional bank page at all, and most other sites time out or don't load properly. This is with images turned off.

Frustrating after all these years. Exede5 installs are suspended, daytime usage would be no better anyway, basically same daytime cap only things come at your "faster" (so they say, not much the case for this area though). Nightly free would help, but relegated to updates only, which I do during freetime at the end of the month anyway. I don't think I would watch video anyway. Daytime usage would be the same things, so no upgrade from what I have now basically. I waited to see if their performance would improve, it didn't. Hughesnet looks worse with their pricing and caps, they aren't installing here yet anyway. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here looking at my Motorola fliphone on Pageplus that has 3 bars of 3G on it.... Population density is less than 3 per square mile, not many on that tower, maybe at most 100 at a time in active use, likely not that many. DSL works in that town, and literally every direction out of town is upgraded to fiber optic except my direction, so few would be using their phones for internet. Wish I could see it work first, nobody has smartphones yet, but I might just have to give Millenicom a try. I don't like paying more for internet, but I am very sick of paying for what I am getting, after all these years. I'd think 3G should be at least as fast or close ~much of the time, with ~double the cap. I think this area would be one of the last to get 4G, but might consider the hotspot anyway, just in case it gets here sooner. Phone company canceled plans of upgrading us to DSL "for several years" because they own the lines and need to run new ones to the Verizon tower. Meanwhile I'm watching my other neighbors outside of other, smaller towns (population about 150, as an example), being upgraded to fiber optic, 2 meg service, for less than $50, 10 miles from that town, 3 "crow" miles from me. DSL from "my" town in my direction reaches 8 miles out, 7 miles from me.

/frustrated rant

In all the years I've been with WB I've never gotten "free" usage on the 30th or 31st of the month...some customers on the WB forum say they get it on the 31st in any month with 31 days, but never on the 30th...your usage is always the sum of the last 30 days...

Don't know what NRTC's policy is..but WB has never given "free" usage on the 30th, and can't swear they do on the 31st..and I monitored my usage very closely for several years before upgrading to Exede12...I also had the Value Pak with WB..

You probably exceeded your limit on the 30th..

Please reread my post, I know it's boring and the grammar is poor. I said it was not working at all/usable on the night of the 29th when I shut down. He told me it happened on the 29th, right when I was checking it. And I said before I started downloading anything at all on the 30th it was not working. The 30th has been free, this has been discussed before, and other customers have reported it as well. SOME customers. I have downloaded "gigs" in updates, it does not count, period. Plus, I canceled my update plans because it does not work. I used a total of 10 megs yesterday. By not counting I mean not counting, period. I have also monitored my usage, their usage, and compared. The fact that it doesn't work for you does not disprove the fact that it DOES work for me and others, and has for a number of years. I am not ignorant on this subject, nor am I lying, thanks.

"has never given "free" usage on the 30th, and can't swear they do on the 31st"
If you say I don't know what I'm talking about, better say it to this guy too, because it has done this before this time, and since. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
»Re: FAP: is it 70 or 80?

I saw it going up to 7050, and down from 7050, within an hour both sides of that. Accounting for all of my usage on the 29th and 28th and even the 27th, allowing for 24 hours, there is no way I went over. Can I prove it, no. I just have logs on the only devices connected, plus I know what I did those days. There is no doubt in my mind the issue occurred on their end.

The end of month flat line continues. The format of the data is as follows:

Time zone: Mountain Standard Time
WB upload in millions of bytes read by Fapzilla
WB download in millions of bytes read by Fapzilla
Netstat received in bytes (Windows 7 makes the values 2 or 3 times higher than actual)
Netstat sent in bytes
Comments (if any)

10/29/2012 23:04:00,242,6799,274406156,13019572,WB modem loses lock
10/30/2012 02:34:00,242,6783,54117866,1214112
10/30/2012 03:04:00,242,6783,1451107182,29874272
10/30/2012 03:34:00,242,6783,2786445244,57462994
10/30/2012 04:04:00,242,6783,4119608176,85174548
10/30/2012 04:34:00,242,6783,1123528506,111853554
10/30/2012 05:04:00,242,6783,2457681212,141119026
10/30/2012 05:34:00,242,6783,3621609126,166011382
10/30/2012 06:04:00,242,6783,4071009486,178277026
10/30/2012 06:34:00,242,6783,226743764,188921998
10/30/2012 07:04:00,242,6783,513627082,196947498
10/30/2012 07:34:00,242,6783,990334742,208593576
10/30/2012 08:04:00,242,6783,1146339500,213899730
10/30/2012 08:34:00,242,6783,1272554674,218142098
10/30/2012 09:04:00,242,6783,1452906554,223859788
10/30/2012 09:34,,,1594151810,228608894
10/30/2012 10:04,,,1797513396,235752158
10/30/2012 10:34,,,1949221298,240944964
10/30/2012 11:04:00,242,6783,2312045390,250719642
10/30/2012 11:34:00,242,6783,3039875694,266765610
10/30/2012 12:04:00,242,6783,3321921314,274136512
10/30/2012 12:34:00,242,6783,3699054508,283554056
10/30/2012 13:04:00,242,6783,3908073924,288840258
10/30/2012 13:34:00,242,6783,3934251864,290982296
10/30/2012 14:04:00,242,6783,55680462,301446712
10/30/2012 14:34:00,242,6783,439842584,309228810
10/30/2012 15:04:00,242,6783,768618228,316257198
10/30/2012 15:34:00,242,6783,825255762,318285434
10/30/2012 16:04:00,242,6783,1420235048,330826002
10/30/2012 16:34:00,242,6783,1879087980,340504894
10/30/2012 17:04:00,242,6783,1906613720,341095702
10/30/2012 17:34:00,242,6783,1907580002,341101246
10/30/2012 18:04:00,242,6783,1911540576,341316300
10/30/2012 18:34:00,242,6783,1956463420,342473340
10/30/2012 19:04:00,242,6783,1966009010,343434414
10/30/2012 19:34:00,242,6783,2111244952,347226608
10/30/2012 20:04:00,242,6783,2293358626,352875358
10/30/2012 20:34:00,242,6783,2397721092,356178262
10/30/2012 21:04:00,242,6783,2424018296,357779170
10/30/2012 21:34:00,242,6783,2432641764,358367438
10/30/2012 22:04:00,242,6783,2433570160,358380196
10/30/2012 22:34:00,242,6783,2509744772,362158452
10/30/2012 23:04:00,242,6783,2626375714,366839930
10/30/2012 23:34:00,242,6783,2656933262,369274584
10/31/2012 00:04:00,242,6783,2664209156,370174920
10/31/2012 00:34:00,242,6783,2673650132,371473052
10/31/2012 01:04:00,242,6783,2684057914,372679584
10/31/2012 01:34:00,242,6783,2693292848,373707464
10/31/2012 02:00:19,242,6783,2697547482,374193852
10/31/2012 10:04:00,242,6783,1698296,143406
10/31/2012 10:34:00,242,6783,7019570,663450
10/31/2012 11:04:00,242,6783.42321034,2573670
10/31/2012 11:24:03,ERROR,ERROR,65777888,3517274,no data lost;
Download was slow; page loads timeout & power cycle modem
10/31/2012 12:04:00,242,6783,113031026,5076949

Notice that I would have greatly exceeded my limit if Wildblue's FAP meter was counting. Most of that data was downloaded yesterday at a speed of around 3 Mb/s on Value Pack with a maximum download speed of 512 kb/s. Netstat's counter is only 32-bit which caused it to rollover several times.

As noted in the comments Wildblue has had some technical problems the last few days.

Well, still slow, still can't get into my bank, and many other pages load wrong. Glad I got the bills set to autopay, because I can't get into at least one that I tried, yet anyway. Like I said, starting at around 6900 the morning of the 29th, allowing for 24 hours to have not been counted from the previous day, 140 (which, the meter was moving that day). What I used that day, 150. Not counting for what should have rolled off, still wouldn't have been over. I really wish they could tell me what it spiked to, but I guess, because I saw usage at a peak of 7050, and it was lower before and after that within about an hour both ways, and several other points in the day and night were lower. So I just didn't see what it supposedly did.

I pictured it being slow, but I never thought I would go over, so never looked into it. Flat out not functional on basic webpages, or taking a handful of refreshes to get it to come in, was not expected. Odd that some, like this, work ok.

Anyway, I could call in again, might. But in the meantime I ordered a Millenicom hotspot, so I don't care much. I could have gotten the 3G and a cradlepoint or similar setup, but I figured 4G will be here sometime. Hopefully it works a little. 0.5 meg at least part of the time and I'll be satisfied. Had they taken care of whatever it was on their own after I called in (and asked for the number of what it got to that they couldn't provide), I would have stuck with it a bit longer at least.

So I got a notice the Millenicom shipped, barely could check on that. Waited an hour, tried again, internet working. Usage at 6700something, and ...40% of 17000 down. Top of the page now says "Wildblue Pro Pak". I'm getting a lot of page timeouts (rebooted equip. too), but speedtests confirm 1.6meg down. I sent an email today before this asking about the status of my ticket number/request for reset. I mentioned on that email that I would not upgrade packages. I have had no communication so far, so I don't know what they are doing. They have messed with the meter page before (it looked like Exede, combined, like I mentioned). I don't know if PRO will stick or if they upped me, price, whatever. If it's still $50 and they upped me to pro, then I may have a wrench in my Millenicom plans, although it might be worth it for the latency. Guess I'll wait and see, experience tells me this is an error of some sort....

It's a temporary, free package increase they say. Still have to keep usage below 7.5 for when they shut it back down, don't know how long. They said they didn't know what was going on.

Head over to wildblueworld forum. There are like 6-7 threads open right now with people ranting and raving over unexplained usage spikes. I'm one of them -- usage date reset on 11/1, got a 70% usage warning on 11/3, by the time I called on 11/4 I was at 98%. Usage exceeded today. Called, complained, they reluctantly added 5gb today, and now 2hrs later, 0.6 of it's already GONE.

Something is SERIOUSLY WRONG with Exede's usage meter right now, but thus far, they're pretty tight lipped. I have a feeling they know there's a problem, but nobody's saying. LOTS of people are really, really mad right now.

Seriously -- go share your story over there. We need more people who know what they're talking about so that we can at least try to build a case for them 'unfapping' us.

My Wildblue FAP meter is not doing anything beyond its normal quirks. The problems might be limited to the Exede DAP meter. I am getting several slow page loads and page timeouts today.