Our “digital responsibility”
The lockdown has led to peaks in Internet use, which is putting pressure on POST’s infrastructure. Everyone has a “digital responsibility”.
While European providers claim to be ready to manage the crisis, they are all calling for everyone to assume their “digital responsibility”. So it is better, for example, not to stream videos during the day to leave bandwidth for teleworkers.
In the face of the current unprecedented health crisis, peaks in activity –which providers are able to manage– are no longer at certain times of the day. Networks are saturated. And the threat of a potential blackout is a reality. Although our networks are currently stable and have not reached their maximum capacity, we must reconsider how we are using them.
1/ Opt for Wi-Fi and optimise it
Connecting to Wi-Fi as often as possible continues to be the best way to reduce your data usage. To optimise your connection, place your Fritz!Box in the middle of your home or near the devices that use Wi-Fi the most. Ideally you should put it on top of a small piece of furniture, approximately one metre above the ground in an open space.
2/ Choose downloading rather than streaming
It is better to download videos using Wi-Fi to watch offline at a later time. Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and other streaming platforms usually offer various sound and image quality options. There is no point viewing 4K content on a smartphone or tablet as they do not support this image resolution.
3/ Disable automatic transfers as well as automatic downloads and updates
It is possible to sync your e-mails and messages less frequently. Same thing applies for many applications. For example, syncing every two hours rather than every 15 minutes makes a notable difference.
4/ Turn off the Autoplay feature on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
The Autoplay feature plays unsolicited videos automatically when they are scrolled over, but this uses considerable data. Disable the feature. To do this, go to Settings, then Videos and Photos. It is also possible to enable the Autoplay feature only when your smartphone is connected to Wi-Fi.
5/ Reduce the sound quality of your music streaming app
The higher the streaming quality, the more data is used. And when downloading, the higher the quality, the more storage space is used. This is the case for all platforms. If you listen to the same album several times, you might as well download it.
6/ When working remotely, only connect to the company's VPN when necessary
Once connected to the VPN (Virtual Private Network), you don’t have to think about it anymore. It is active all day. So it is better to turn it off when you don’t need to be connected. However, if you use a VPN primarily for online security reasons, make sure it is activated at all times as it encrypts traffic.
7/ Limit video-conferences
Whether it is with your grandparents or for work, phones work fine, and you can make three-way calls by selecting "add a call" from your mobile. Or use your landline again. With BAMBOO (Home TV, Internet, landline Package), you have everything! As well as fibre.
8/ Monitor your usage
To avoid any unpleasant surprises, we monitor your usage. With most smartphones, it is possible to monitor how much each app uses. With an iPhone, go to Settings, then "Mobile Data". With an Android, it will be Settings, then Wi-Fi and networks and Data usage.
It is also possible to monitor how much of your plan you have used in real time, and for example your data usage with the MyPost Telecom app.
9/ It’s okay to share your phone’s Internet connection, but...
Though using your smartphone 4G connection, included in your phone plan, may seem like a good idea to connect other devices, it can use up a lot of mobile data. This should be avoided given the current situation. Or limit this use to places where Wi-Fi is not good.
