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Home→Technical→Large increase in internet usage: blame Norton pulse updates

Large increase in internet usage: blame Norton pulse updates

Computer Aid Posted on by

Customer suddenly got a huge increase in internet usage.

Usually, its because the “kids” discover something like limewire.

In this case its 2 elderly ladies, who only use the internet twice a week for emails, internet banking, and minimal web surfing.

They only have a 200Mb download limit (which they never exceeded for 2 years), so they increase it to 400Mb… quite small by todays standards, but it suits them.

But now they are using about 900Mb a month (with Bigpond charging for excess usage).

At first I thought an infection of some kind, but after some detective work, I find its much worse: Norton Internet Security 2009 is downloading a huge amount of data over the month.

How do I know?

Well, there are a few hints:

  • The excessive download only started the month after NIS2009 was renewed (and new version is downloaded and installed).
  • Nothing else was changed on the PC.
  • I manually get NIS to update, then restart the PC, and soon after windows XP restarts, I see network traffic from norton… using the full ADSL bandwidth for a solid 2 minutes.
  • I discover NIS2009 has a new “feature”: pulse updates. Basically, NIS checks for new updates every 5 – 15  minutes

I find the pulse updates particularly disturbing:

  1. You cannot configure how often NIS checks for updates (for your own good!)
  2. You have little control over how much bandwidth NIS uses
  3. You have no simple way of disabling pulse updates (eg if you want to play games).

Given that the customer usually leaves the PC running 24/7, then I suggest that they look at a better internet plan.

Also, switching off the modem unless they really need to use the internet (and keeping a log of when they use the internet), shows that some large download happen when the modem is on (but overall, less bandwidth is used).

So, like the Vista and AVG site scanner, pulse updates sound good on paper, but the implementation is either inefficient, or makes some bad assumptions about peoples standard internet connection (ie assume people have powerful PCs, high internet speeds and bandwidth)

Am I the only one that sees many problems with every new version of Norton Internet Security? Or is there a seething mass of unhappy Norton users out there?

Comments

Large increase in internet usage: blame Norton pulse updates — 14 Comments

  1. thanks for this…. I suspect you have just provided me with the answer to why my kids have inexplicably been getting hit with charges for using more than their internet plan provides… will have to check that out.

  4. yep, the bigger the company, the greater the arrogance (just look at Microsoft and Vista).

    But then I never liked Norton… and Trend is also right up there, together with zonealarm, CA, Telstra Internet Security, etc etc.

  5. now I know, this might be one of the reason why there is an increase in internet. thanks for the info.. yet, nowadays it’s really a daily routine to a lot of people to use and surf the internet. from the internet you access information fast and easy..

  6. you are definitely right about this. I have Norton 2009 andif I forget to unplug my modem then when I come back I get a message stated that Norton has either updated or is done running their idle time scan.

    So I shut down now every night and I unplug my modem during the day when I take a break.

  8. Hi Justin.

    Maybe in USA its different, but here in OZ, internet costs depend on what speed you want, and how much data you download.

    If you download too much, you either get charged extra, or your connection gets throttled down to dial-up speeds.

    Maybe its because Australia is an island and so isolated from the rest of the world… getting internet usually involves a telco spending lots of $$$ to lay a high-speed undersea cable to the USA…

  9. ATT is the company that owns most of the Pacific transcontinental lines I don’t see why it would be so much for you all to get Internet. I guess it is the way it is LOL. I’m just very glad I don’t have metered Internet. I would have 500+ dollar bills every month.

  10. Hmm … I found an option to disable Pulse Updates in Norton. What’s your eyeglass prescription? If you disable Pulse Updates, Norton will download the updates that are released every 2 to 8 hours.

  11. Hi Colin,

    Whats your bank balance like?

    It wouldn’t be fair on the customer, if I spent (and charged for) an extra hour, while navigating nortons vast, confusing, and ever-changing control panel, searching for an option that might, or might not, be there.

  12. Well there is a “Settings” option on the main interface. In that look around for ~5 minutes max and you find the option. Found it the first time I opened the “Settings” menu.

  13. Have none of you guys considered unlimited broadband. You should all get unlimited broadband.

  14. Hi Stephen.

    You have failed to realise that there are many countries around the world that don’t have ISPs that offer unlimited broadband.

    Typically, Merry Can ISPs offer unlimited bandwidth. Australians don’t. Particularly Telstra and Optus (the 2 major ISPs).

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