What Connections Can I Meter?
You can meter any wireless connection, whether it be UMTS, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, 3G, 3GPP or whatever. The sky’s the limit.
What Does Metering Do?
Metering your connection in Windows 8 will limit Windows Update to high-priority updates (if you have WU on at all), pause any downloads of any apps from the Windows Store, stop any automatic updating of Start screen app tiles, and stop any native syncing processes of offline files. This practically saves the biggest part of the bandwidth that Windows 8 consumes on a regular basis.
What Metering Won’t Do
One of my biggest pet peeves is that Microsoft called this feature “metering.” Technically, one would understand that a metered connection has an established limit to how much it can download before the connection is either interrupted or continues with a surcharge. In conclusion, one would think that by “metered,” Microsoft means that Windows 8 will stop all activity when the connection has reached a transfer limit. This isn’t the way it works. A metered connection simply means that Windows 8 will limit how much it downloads on its own.
How To Meter A Connection
This part’s so easy, you’ll be showing it off to your friends in no time! Just bring up the Charms bar, click “Settings,” then click “Network.” There, you’ll see a list of your network connections.
Right-click on the wireless network you’d like to meter, and then click “Set as metered connection.” This will conserve bandwidth and also give you access to other information.
Other Stuff That Metering A Connection Lets You Do
Go back to your network list and right-click (or tap, if you’re using a touchscreen) your wireless connection. Now you’ll see a box showing you how much bandwidth you’ve used. This is very useful if you’re paying a monthly data plan for your wireless network. If you’re stumped about why you’re still using so much bandwidth, there’s still one more trick up my sleeve that shows you how much each app uses. Go ahead and access your task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Now, when you click the “App History” tab, you’ll see a column labeled “Metered network” on the list. This will show you how much bandwidth each app is using. This comes in very handy when diagnosing bandwidth consumption issues!
Any Questions?
We’re happy to answer any questions you submit as a comment below. Don’t forget to re-read the article well before asking anything!
