BBC: WoW's patches may push some over the bandwidth limit
by Mike Schramm 
Oct 20th 2008 at 3:00PM
We've posted a few times already on the bandwidth limits recently introduced by some ISPs, and in general we've decided that WoW doesn't use nearly enough bandwidth to get you in trouble with your Internet Service Provider. That's likely still true, but as this columnist at the BBC found out, if you're close to the limit, this month's 2gb patch might have been enough to put you over the top. Generally, while the WoW connection does require a strong bandwidth hookup, it won't use too much bandwidth sending data back and forth. But patches and other downloads definitely add to the total, and on a patch like 3.0.2, you're looking at a lot of data flying back and forth.I'll still maintain it won't get you near the limit -- if this columnist really did have a 25gb limit, the 2gb download was still just a fraction (he's been downloading a lot of other stuff, seems to me). So it's not time to start worrying yet -- if your ISP does send you a letter, then you can look at your internet usage, and see, if like this columnist, it's time to switch ISPs.
But he's got another point, and that is that gaming is clearly having a large effect on computers and technology in general. Would we be fulfilling Moore's Law every two years if we didn't have 3D graphics that needed upgrading? Would high bandwidth connections be as prevalent today around the world if it wasn't for games like WoW that required a high bandwith hookup? Gaming is affecting the basic technologies and economies of the Internet these days, for better or worse.
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Making money
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JPN Oct 20th 2008 3:04PM
This kind of stuff is becoming more prevalent here, but Europe seems to have more limits on bandwidth usage and more caps than we do, hence the BBC source.
Muse Oct 20th 2008 3:52PM
It varies very widely within Europe. In Sweden, bandwidth limits are almost unheard of. UK is just really behind on the infrastructure.
jorelius Oct 20th 2008 3:17PM
The thing is that because they use Torrent style patch distribution you're always uploading as well as downloading.
If your ISP lumps them together into one limit (here in Quebec with Videotron(ISP) the basic is 30gb combined) a 2gb patch left to upload over a few days can start pushing you to your limit pretty quickly.
This is one of the reasons that I disable my blizzard updater and just find the patch manually on an ftp/http direct download.
Mixx Oct 20th 2008 4:04PM
You can also turn off the peer to peer function while downloading direct from Blizzard. This should ease your usage a bit :)
Tom R Oct 20th 2008 3:29PM
In New Zealand, it is the norm to pay $50 NZD a month (about $38 USD) for 5gb of data. That gives you about a 3mbit line down, 160kbps up.
NZ have almost the worst broadband in the developed world, according to the OECD.
Kastirin Oct 20th 2008 4:07PM
I live in NZ on a 20GB limit plan. This is shared by two WoW players, with 3 computers between us. I made the mistake of forgetting to turn off automatic downloading on two of the computers, meaning that the latest patch consumed 6GB of our plan.
Not happy :(
Kryptonls Oct 20th 2008 3:31PM
Honestly - how many people that have broadband access still have as low as a 2GB limit?
Tumleren Oct 20th 2008 3:40PM
They're not talking about a 2GB limit, but that the 2GB download might push you over the limit, if you're already well up there.
First of all, if you put it like that, everything can puash you over the limit. You might as well blame, I don't know, Youtube videos, graphic-heavy sites etc. If you're close enough to the limit, anything can push you over, including WoW.
Second.. I'm surprised about how you're talking about these limitations, because where I live (Denmark), only about 20% of the broadband offers is with a limit. And those limits are mostly not even limits, since you just have to pay extra for what you use beyond that.
Besides, most of the limited lines are poorer offers than ones without one.
Personally, I'm on a 6 mbit unlimited line, for roughly...28-29 GBP (£). That's $52 USD for you americans. Prices in Denmark are generally a bit steep, but it's getting better.
Nick S Oct 20th 2008 4:02PM
$52 US isn't bad at all. We are forced to buy television service along with our internet access, putting our total cable bill over $75/month.
I push about 20GB a month, since I'm big on streaming video. Luckily, the cap is much higher on my internet service.
Vidi Oct 20th 2008 6:55PM
Tumleren makes a good point.
Add the download to the fact that Blizzard torrents the patch and you have uploading to others to consider as well.
Those with Concast ( yes I spelled it correctly ) are always risking being turned off for no good reason. This would only give Concast yet another excuse.
PimpyMicPimp Oct 20th 2008 3:34PM
I don't understand why there needs to be a cap in the first place.
Cory Oct 20th 2008 3:45PM
The more data people use, the slower the world's networks become. The limit is to try to regulate connection speeds that's fair to everyeone.
Or so I'm told at least.
Kastirin Oct 20th 2008 4:10PM
Oceanic countries have to pay for all traffic both to AND from the United States.
Thus, the more data we go through, the more expensive it becomes to operate an ISP. ISPs impose data caps to hold their costs in check.
Aigarius Oct 20th 2008 3:40PM
Here in Latvia there is only a couple old ISPs that have a bandwidth cap for international traffic - the majority of ISP and all high speed ISP have no traffic caps. Most of them also provide 100 Mbit connections within the country. It is really sad that in some countries customers are so weak that ISP still feel that they can impose a bandwidth cap on people.
As an example - I went to a conference and took 4 Gb of photos, after that I contacted 3 other people from the conference and we synchronized our photos, did some editing and adjustments a few times, synchronized again and again - that week alone used around 80 Gb download and 100 Gb upload traffic (low priority bulk transfers). And imagine if we did video ...
Bandwidth caps are restrictions on creativity, especially upload caps.
Mephator Oct 20th 2008 3:56PM
Most ISPs won't send you a letter the second you go a few kilobytes over your limit. If you start exceeding the limit by several gigs then you might hear from somebody.
And like Mike said, the BBC reporter has a 25GB limit so 2GB isn't going to push him over. If it does, he's doing other heavy downloading at the same time.
AJAlkaline Oct 20th 2008 4:06PM
Actually, I'm living at UIC and am using their residence hall internet. We have a 3gb download/upload limit per day. I just recently reinstalled WoW and had to download all of the old patches along with 3.0.2, and it pushed me over the daily limit :P. I actually ended up getting my resnet account suspended for a week, and I'm currently posting this using my roommate's account. Next patch I'm waiting to download until I go home for the weekend, as the penalties get even more harsh with repeated offenses.
nuke Oct 20th 2008 4:20PM
Sounds like the columnist is downloading too much p0rn.
crazedgoalie Oct 20th 2008 4:21PM
When I was in my Residence at U of Toronto this past summer, we had a 4 Gig limit per week, after which our internet stopped working until the new week began. WoW really does a number on that if you dont' pay attention! ^^
Blackhorn Oct 20th 2008 4:22PM
I don't know if Rogers (one of the big ISPs in Canada) actually enforces their 30GB/mo limit, but it's there.
And with a download speed of 1.95 MegaBYTES per second (mmm) on their highest tier account, it's certainly easy to hit that if you're into the HD content. Especially in the fall when all the new TV starts up again.
gamergrl Oct 20th 2008 4:28PM
Comcast actually started limiting users to 200GB a month per household here in the US...and unfortunatly in many areas they are the only company available. 200GB on a 3 computer network with 1 of them a heavy downloader on top of games makes me worry a bit.