What’s the Difference between Peak and Off-Peak?
Chances are, you would have encountered the terms ‘peak’ and ‘off-peak’ when reading about your monthly download quotas – but what exactly do they mean and why do we need to differentiate between the two?
You can think of an Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) network as a freeway. During certain times of the day it flows easily and without incident, but once you hit ‘peak’ hour, it crawls along at a snail’s pace. The cause? Too many people trying to do the same thing at once.
ISPs define peak and off-peak times by working out how busy their internet traffic is at certain times of the day. You’ll notice that peak periods usually come into play during the afternoon and evening hours, when more people are online. It’s usually smart to do your general web browsing during these times, saving large file downloads for the later hours when the network’s not so congested.
Off-peak periods usually kick in when there’s less demand on the network – usually late at night or very early in the morning, when most users are sound asleep.
If you’re not exactly a night-owl, you can use a download manager to schedule your downloads (and sometimes uploads) for when you’re asleep or aren’t going to be at home.
It’s pretty important that you pick the right plan to suit your usage habits, so you don’t get hit with excess charges or become shaped. To make the most out of the plan you do have, try heading to the Freezone for loads of quota-free downloads. You should also make sure you use your off-peak quota when you can, keep tabs on your volume usage and are aware of when your monthly reset date occurs.
Posted by natalie.king