Simply put---Any traffic or activity sent to or from the Internet through your
room connection, counts against your weekly bandwidth limits

What doesn't count:

• Use of PSU email servers to send and receive your email (including attachments)
• Use of PSU sponsored legal music sharing www.legalmedia.psu.edu (Note: Napster is no longer supported by PSU and will count against your weekly limit)
• On campus network traffic - as long as all connections stay on campus. If a link is found on a PSU web site that takes you off campus to the Internet, that traffic through the Internet will count against your limits. Professors and TA's may not know they need to host assignments or requirements on PSU web servers so it doesn't count against your limits

What does count:

• All "Internet" Web surfing in general. On campus web surfing is excempt unless a link takes you off campus. The bandwidth limits focus on how much Internet traffic you generate or consume. If information from the Internet displays on your computer screen, it is downloading to your computer first, then it's displayed. Text uses very little bandwidth. Graphics uses more. Watching video clips or streaming video uses a lot more bandwidth. Listening to audio uses somewhat less bandwidth than video does. It all adds up throughout a week. 
• Watching TV shows or YouTube videos
• Listening to Internet radio or other audio sources.
• As of May 31st2007, use of Napster through your room connection counts against your weekly limits
• Downloading free software, music or video even if you purchase it
• Microsoft and other software updates. Leave room for these updates
• Internet gaming and updates
• Internet chatting (AOL, MSN etc.) and Internet email other than PSU email servers
• Use of music / video sharing programs. These often use bandwidth without your knowledge. Ask us for help to setup these programs. Sharing allows the world to take songs or videos off of your computer in the background. The best way to prevent this, is to uninstall the programs and use the PSU sponsored Music sharing system.
• Transferring files through IM or any other Internet programs

"If it touches the Internet, it counts"

Recommended alternatives

• Use Internet sources other than your room connection. If it isn't going through your room connection, it doesn't count against your limits
• Free Internet bandwidth is available in computer labs, wireless access areas, through mobility ports and departmental computers. Use your laptop in wireless areas Wireless locations. Mobility port locations
• If you have to download very large files, you may want to purchase an external hard drive to use in a computer lab or on a departmental computer
• Burn things to CD's or DVD's from a computer lab
• Order CD's or DVD's from sources instead of downloading them over the Internet
• Use a memory stick or your PSU provided web / disk space to access files from anywhere

More information about bandwidth can be found on the bandwidth FAQ's including a chart comparing file sizes and better control how much bandwidth you use.

For information about The Pennsylvania State University Ethernet Request Form,
please contact: rescom@psu.edu.