There’s a lot of controversy in web hosting circles – on how to compete with bandwidth offers, with some providers offering unlimited bandwidth on their plans, although most restrict this to shared hosting only.
Unlike most, I suppose, when I see the term UNLIMITED – I always look for the fine print, very much the same way I view the term FREE. I’m like, I know there’s a catch, but now where to find out what it is.
And I’m not saying all Unlimited offers are bad – just that it normally pays huge dividends long term to know what to expect when your website gets popular, and starts pushing a ton of traffic. Some providers handle Unlimited very well, while others will boot you in heart beat for violating their Terms of Service (buried somewhere in there is a clause that explains how their Unlimited offer really isn’t Unlimited).
I ran across an advertisement while checking for deals on dedicated servers – for Unlimited bandwidth on a dedicated server, which is very rare. I won’t say who the provider is, but here is a quote from their website:
Naturally with unlimited traffic for more cost transparency
(note that there is no asterisk on traffic)
Under benefits, they show
Traffic Unlimited*
(now comes an asterisk – uh oh, have to read the fine print)
At the bottom of the page, in small print
*There are no charges for overage. We will permanently restrict the connection speed to 10 MBit/s if more than 10,000 GB/month are used (the basis for calculation is for outgoing traffic only. Incoming and internal traffic is not calculated). 100 MBit/s speed can be optionally restored by committing to pay 6,90 € (incl. VAT) per additional TB used. Please see here for information on how to proceed.
So what can we glean from this clause? First, that their servers are on a 100Mbps uplink port, which is an outdated standard, but it also LIMITS your data transfer to that speed. And then there’s that opening sentence about no charges for overage – but wait, what overages? I thought this was unlimited.
On to 10,000GB/month or 10TB/month – that’s a lot of data transfer, but it isn’t “unlimited.” OK, so your site has pushed in excess of 10TB so far this month, and you got hit with a notice that your port speed is now “permanently” restricted to 10Mbps, or one tenth of what they could allow.
Option 1: If you expect a continuing excess of traffic limit, we offer for 6.90 € each additional GB of bandwidth to the permanent establishment to 100 Mbit / sec.
Notice the hyperlink in their clause on how to proceed. Seems that permanent really isn’t permanent if you start paying, but wait – the clause says 6.90 € per additional TB used, but when clicking through, Option 1 states 6.90 € for each additional GB of bandwidth – that’s a HUGE difference. I can’t help but think one of those is a typo.
Again, I’m not saying Unlimited is necessarily bad – just that you need to calculate the risks associated with these offers by reading the fine print first. Whether or not a provider offers limits on bandwidth or offers unlimited is not a reflection of the quality of their respective services.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY PROLIMEHOST
We’ve been in the web hosting industry for over a decade, helping hundreds of clients succeed in what they do best and that’s running their business. We specialize in Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and dedicated servers, with data centers in Los Angeles, Denver & Singapore.
VPS SERVICES: LIGHTNING FAST SSD VIRTUAL SERVERS
Our Virtual Private Servers all feature high performance Xeon processors and SSD storage in a RAID10 configuration to optimize your server’s performance, which dramatically enhances visitor experiences on your site.
That speed is backed by unparalleled 24/7 support, featuring both outstanding response AND resolution times to maximize your uptime.
Now is the time to join the ProlimeHost virtual private server revolution.
DEDICATED SERVERS: BACKED BY A 99.9% SLA NETWORK UPTIME GUARANTEE
We only use enterprise-class hardware in our dedicated servers and offer a four (4) hour hardware replacement. Throw in IPMI for remote management, support for public and private networks, free operating system (OS) re-installs, and SATA, SAS & SSD (including NVMe) storage. Call 1-877-477-9454 or contact us. For everything from gaming servers to cheap dedicated servers, we’re here to help.
ASIA OPTIMIZED SERVERS: IMPROVING CONNECTION SPEED AND QUALITY
Procuring an Asia optimized server improves the connection speed and quality between the server and the users in Asia or China. This can reduce latency, packet loss, jitter, and bandwidth issues that can affect the performance and reliability of the server and the applications hosted on it. For more information, please call 1-877-477-9454 or contact us
ProlimeHost specializes in dedicated servers, with data centers in Los Angeles, Utah and Denver. Call +1 877 477 9454 or email us at Sales@ProlimeHost.com. We’re here to help.
- Lock down your dedicated servers - December 16, 2024
- Value-add Content and SEO - December 13, 2024
- System Monitoring Services Explored - December 12, 2024
