Blog Home

If you are using a Windows computer with an Inmarsat BGAN or IsatHub, you should attempt to reduce internet usage that is not necessary.   This helps keep your operational cost low and increases the performance of your primarily application.  Keeping internet traffic to a minimum is not typically even a consideration for Windows users.   Most Windows machines use internet access almost continuously for background processes such as updating anti-virus definitions or applying the latest Windows or Java update.  The list of background applications is almost endless.   Now, imagine that you are using an Inmarsat BGAN Class 2 terminal to transmit email or even video conference.   The BGAN terminal provides a data speed 350- 400 kbps (typically) but up to 464 kbps (best case).  This is a relatively limited speed compared to the megabit per second speeds available from terrestrial internet providers available in a typical home or office environment.  Because the data speed is so limited on Inmarsat BGAN, it needs to be completely focused on the primary application and not shared with competing background applications such as downloading the latest Windows update.   Fortunately, simple changes to your Windows configuration can substantially reduce unnecessary internet traffic.  This blog article explains some basic steps that you can take to resolve this problem.

A recent survey of American smart phone users found that the average smart phone uses 1.8 GB of mobile data monthly.   In addition to that, the average smart phone uses between 6.8 and 8.9 GB of Wi-Fi data each month.   That means we are consuming about 20 MB during every hour that we are awake.    Wasteful data usage on your Android smartphone may not be of much concern for cellular users with unlimited data plans.   The same cannot be said of users of Inmarsat IsatHub or Inmarsat BGAN satellite terminals which pay by the megabyte for their data traffic.  Fortunately, simple changes to the configuration of your Android smart phone or tablet can reduce its data consumption dramatically.  This blog article provides some practical advice.

Do you have an unlimited cellular data plan?  Many cellular users have unlimited or practically unlimited data plans.  This explains why wasteful use of data on smartphones and tablets may not be much of a concern.   Most Inmarsat BGAN users pay by the megabyte of internet access.  For this reason, keeping data costs to a minimum is critically important for BGAN users.  Simple changes to your smartphone's configuration can reduce data usage by unnecessary background programs.  The cost savings can be dramatic.