There are many factors that can lead to a device on your WiFi network consuming a high amount data.
- Someone joining your WiFi network: If you have an open WiFi network (with no password) or an easily guessable WiFi password, people may join your WiFi network and consume a lot of data. To address this, make sure your set a strong WiFi password.
- Background updates: Some devices (such as mobile phones or game consoles) may download large software updates or may update apps automatically over WiFi. Check your device's settings for a "Low Data" mode to limit background data usage over WiFi.
- Other updates or large downloads: Movie downloads and updates to video games can be very large, sometimes over 100 GB.
- Speed tests: Depending on network speeds, each speed test may consume up to ~1 GB or more. Data downloaded and uploaded during speed tests will be counted towards data usage totals.
- Devices using excessive data: There are some cases where certain devices (e.g. smart TV's or security cameras) quietly send diagnostic data to servers in the background.
- Devices with malware: In some rare cases, a device on your network may be infected with malware. This can lead to extended periods of very high data consumption for a compromised device.
Use the Starlink app to identify suspicious devices on your network. Open the "Network" screen and look for any unrecognized devices. You can tap on a device to see how much data it has used in the last 15 minutes.
If you have an open WiFi network or your password can be easily guessed, consider setting a new WiFi password in "Settings."