5 Saving Tips to Maximise Your Broadband in Rural New Zealand

Rural New Zealand living is as good as it gets; it offers beautiful nature, unique wildlife, and countless adventures. Living in the ‘picture-perfect’ countryside is a rewarding lifestyle, and it seems to get even more beautiful as the days go by.

However, enjoying rural life does come with limitations - like a limited data cap in your broadband plan - and not all internet providers in NZ are able to service your area.

Even if you have a limited data cap, you can always maximise your internet to last through the entire month. Here are a few useful tips for getting the most out of your broadband connection in rural areas:

1. Determine how much broadband you need

When you use the internet, which websites do you usually spend most of your time on? What online tasks do you usually do? Do you like watching, gaming, or streaming or all of the above?

If you use it mostly for catching up on your favourite Netflix show, then make sure to watch in standard definition (SD). This is because high definition (HD) streaming uses as much as 3GB of data an hour. If you stream all of your videos in HD, you can easily consume a 300GB or even a 600GB data cap in no time.

If you spend most of your time browsing through social media pages or checking emails, then a low data capped broadband plan will likely last through the month. Just make sure to turn off autoplay features of the sites you surf, and you’re all set.

2. Browse using your mobile browser

Although using the mobile version for your most-used websites seems like a more hassle-free option, it actually consumes more data. Instead, utilise your mobile browser when surfing websites that have desktop counterparts.

It’s also best if you don’t delete your browser’s caches, even if it consumes a large amount from your phone’s local storage. The images, posts and videos which you’ve already loaded are saved as caches. By keeping these, you can save data as you won’t have to re-load the content that you’ve previously downloaded.

Another side tip is to always turn on your mobile browser’s data saver option. It automatically compresses data and warns you if your data will run out at any given time.

3. Turn off automatic uploads and backups

While this option is good as you can easily secure your local data, consuming your limited broadband data on it is not the best idea. Keep a close eye on which websites upload your information in the background.

Most websites and mobile applications usually have the option to disable automatic uploads and backups. Rather than backing up your data all at once, secure your most important files first. At some other time, if you spare data before it replenishes, back up your less important files.

For mobile apps that backup your photos, it is best to manually upload your photos or just choose the option for a lower resolution uploads.

4. Download rather than stream online

Downloading, rather than streaming online, can help preserve your precious data. This may be shocking to most, as downloading is considered one of the largest data consuming activities you can do on your phone.

Instead of always turning on your connection to listen, watch or play, you can easily access it offline using your local storage. From time to time, download the newest music, shows, or games that you want. By doing this, you avoid strain on your internet consumption and save data as a result.

Similarly, if you still have leftover data before the month finishes, then download all the things you want in their high-quality versions.

5. Regularly monitor your data usage

At times, no matter how much you adhere to these tips, you may still reach the limit of your data cap. Make sure to check which websites or applications consume the most bandwidth.

Knowing these websites or applications allows you to limit your access to these, which in return can save you internet data. You can also set alarms to notify you of your limits when browsing these sites. By doing this, you can become more aware of your usage and pause for a while if you’re consuming too much internet.

Factors such as the number of users in your area can also affect your data consumption. If there are many active users, your data bandwidth is compensated to give you a reliable connection. 

A good broadband speed in rural areas, especially at peak hours, is at around 7mbps depending on your location. If you checked the speed and reached it during peak hours, then that’s good; don’t strain your data usage further.

Living in rural New Zealand doesn’t have to disconnect you from the online world… maybe just limit it a little. Besides, why spend most of your time on the internet when you have a beautiful expanse of nature ahead of you?

New Zealand’s leading internet service providers have a diverse range of options just for you. Be sure to choose the best rural broadband plan available for your location. You may not have to worry about reaching the data cap limit if there is an available unlimited broadband data plan in your area.

You easily can find a broadband plan that best matches your needs with glimp. In just under four minutes, you can compare the best broadband plans from New Zealand’s top rural internet providers to find the best plan in your area.