FAQ: Index
We’ve prepared answers to some of the most common questions people ask about our services. If you are an existing customer, visit our help and support section in Bulldog Lounge.
» General questions about Bulldog services
» Broadband (all services): General questions
» Broadband: Pay-As-You-Go
» Broadband: Anytime
» Broadband: Unlimited
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: General questions
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: Speed
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: Equipment
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: Existing customers
» Bulldog Line
» Bulldog second phone line
» Billing
» Technical requirements
» Installation and Equipment
Broadband: Anytime
- What is Bulldog Anytime?
- What does monthly data usage, ie. your 1 gig allowance, mean?
- Who can benefit from Anytime, Bulldog’s data usage broadband service?
- What is the contract length of these services?
- Can I purchase the Anytime broadband package or the phone package separately?
- What is the difference between Bulldog Anytime and Bulldog Pay-As-You-Go?
- What does a 1 gig monthly data usage allowance mean?
- How do I get more data ie. increase my data allowance?
- What are the costs if I exceed my 1 gig monthly data allowance?
- What’s the most I could spend with Anytime?
- How do I know when I am approaching my data limit (or ‘cap’)?
- How can I monitor my data usage?
- Is there a limit on how long I can use the service within one month?
- How can I make sure I’m not using more data than I have to?
- What will my 1 gig allowance let me to do?
- Can I carry over unused data to the next month?
- Where can I see the charge for my Anytime internet usage?
Bulldog’s Anytime service
What is Bulldog Anytime?
- Anytime is an up to 8 meg superfast broadband spervice with a very low price tag. It comes with a 1 gig monthly data allowance – sometimes known as a ‘cap’. For light internet users this can be more than enough, which means you get the twin benefits of superfast broadband with a low monthly subscription. What’s more, you get the flexibility to increase your data usage beyond your 1 gig if necessary – and for a competitive price too. Like all our up to 8 meg services, Anytime includes access to Bulldog Lounge for your email, webspace and other member extras.
- Like all Bulldog combined broadband and phone services, Anytime is provided with a Bulldog Line that replaces your BT line. This comes complete with all the features you’re used to with your BT service – as well as many advanced options.
What does monthly data usage, ie. your 1 gig allowance, mean?
- “Usage” means your total data consumption including uploads and downloads – that’s any time you are transferring data from your computer to the internet (and vice versa) in a given month. This data is measured in Kilobytes (KB), Megabytes (MB) and Gigabytes (GB), where just over 1000 KB = 1 MB (it’s actually 1024 KB) and 1024 MB = 1 GB.
- Colloquially, people refer to 1 MB as 1 meg and 1 GB as 1 gig. That’s why we use these terms.
- Typical internet data usage includes:
- Surfing - which typically takes very little of your 1 gig allowance
- Emailing - which again takes little of your allowance, unless you’re sending or downloading a large attachment and you’re not in the BulldogHome area
- Downloading/streaming videos and downloading music and movies – these will take more of your 1 gig allowance
- Listening to radio online
- When accessing the Bulldog Lounge website your use of email is included and does not count against your allowance. However, it’s worth noting that outside of this area sending and receiving emails will count towards your 1 gig allowance.
Who can benefit from Anytime, Bulldog’s data usage broadband service?
- Anytime is ideal for dial-up users looking to take their first step into broadband as well as seasoned broadband users who aren’t heavy downloaders or peer-to-peer file sharers. In fact any light internet user who wants the benefits of super-fast broadband without the associated price tag will benefit.
- Anytime gives you 1 gig a month of data usage. Beyond that point you’ll be charged – very competitively - for additional data usage. The additional charge will appear in your monthly bill. Charging is as per the usage bands below.
What is the contract length of these services?
- The contract term is just twelve months
Can I purchase the Anytime broadband package or the phone package separately?
- No. The services are available only as a total package that includes the broadband service with a Bulldog Line.
What is the difference between Bulldog Anytime and Bulldog Pay-As-You-Go?
- The key difference is in how your internet access is monitored. Your internet usage with Anytime is based on your data usage every month. As you get a 1 gig monthly allowance, you may not need to pay for additional for data usage. Furthermore, Anytime does not require you to enable access to the internet when connected to the service via your modem or router.
- Your internet usage with Pay-As-You-Go is based on the time you are connected to the internet every month, and each minute you are online is charged to your bill.
How does Anytime’s data usage allowance work?
What does a 1 gig monthly data usage allowance mean?
- With Anytime you get 1 gig (that’s 1 GB) each month included. This is the amount of data you can use ie. download and upload between your computer and the internet in any month. It is sometimes called a ‘cap’ or download/upload limit. As there’s a data limit, you’re able to benefit from an attractive, low subscription charge.
- For your convenience, you’re also able to continue enjoying your broadband connection beyond your 1 gig limit. You will simply be charged an additional amount for the increased data usage. For peace of mind, we’ll let you know when you’re approaching your limit too.
- Data usage is your total data consumption including both uploads and downloads - effectively that’s any time data is being transferred between your computer and the internet.
How do I get more data ie. increase my data allowance?
- Unlike some providers, Bulldog will not interrupt your service, slow down your broadband speed or automatically move you to a higher cost service. We will simply notify you when you are approaching your 1 gig data limit. You can of course ignore this notification and carry on transferring/using data online. You will simply be billed according to your usage beyond the included 1 gig. You’ll find more helpful information below.
- If you find that you’re frequently paying extra for additional data usage, you’re likely to find that our Unlimited broadband service offers the ideal solution.
What are the costs if I exceed my 1 gig monthly data allowance?
- If you use up to 3 gig in any given month, you'll pay an extra £4
- If you use up to 6 gig in any given month, you'll pay an extra £8
- If you use up to 9 gig in any given month, you'll pay an extra £12
- If you use over 9 gig in any given month, you'll pay an extra £16 (in this case we'd recommend you switch to our Unlimited service, offering unlimited download and uploads for just £19.50/month)
What’s the most I could spend with Anytime?
- Once you use up over 9 gig in any month, the total cost is capped at an additional £16 on top of the standard Anytime monthly charge (so your maximum monthly cost for Anytime will be £25.75).
- If you find that you’re frequently paying extra for additional data usage, you’re likely to find that our Unlimited broadband service offers the ideal solution.
How do I know when I am approaching my data limit (or ‘cap’)?
- Simple! You can either check your usage portal by logging in to my account (located on the right of our website home page). Otherwise you can rely on two notification emails we’ll send as you approach your limit. These are sent when you have used 75%, then 100%, of your monthly 1 gig allowance. If you do receive the second ‘100%’ usage email, it means you have exceeded your monthly allowance and will incur an additional usage charge.
Making the most of your time online
How can I monitor my data usage?
- Monitoring your usage is a sensible way to avoid excess usage charges as you approach your 1 gig limit. As you reach your limit, you can reduce the time you spend online or reduce data-intense applications (such as peer-to-peer file sharing), or consider changing to an our Unlimited service.
- Bulldog offers two ways to help you control your data usage:
- The Broadband Usage Meter - Bulldog provides up-to-date usage information on your broadband usage for the current month through the area on the Bulldog Lounge website called My Bulldog Account. (You’ll see it on the left-hand side or the Bulldog Lounge). In this password-protected area you can keep an eye on how much data you’ve used out of your 1 gig allocation. We’ll provide details of how to access this area in your order confirmation email and letter.
- Usage Warning Emails - Bulldog will send a warning email to your email address as you pass 75% and 100% of your monthly usage allowance.
- In the unlikely even that you notice a sudden, inexplicable surge in your data consumption, you can physically disconnect from the internet and check your PC for viruses, etc, before the problem gets out of hand.
Is there a limit on how long I can use the service within one month?
- No. There are no limits in terms of how long you can stay connected – irrelevant of your usage. For peace of mind, however, once you use over 9 gig of data in a given month, you will pay no more than an additional £16 on top of your standard package.
How can I make sure I’m not using more data than I have to?
- When accessing the BulldogHome.com website your use of email is included and does not count against your allowance no matter what size of attachments you receive or send. If you use email outside of this area, then it will count towards your 1 gig allowance. You’ll be sent details on how to access BulldogHome when you sign up.
What will my 1 gig allowance let me to do?
- If you’re not a heavy user – a lot! Take a look at the below table, which serves as an approximate guide for 1 gig, 3 gig and 6 gig usage.
 |
||||
| Monthly Data Usage Examples | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB | 3GB | 6GB | 9GB | |
| Surfing | 4 hours a day | 12 hours a day | 24 hours a day | 24 hours a day |
| + | + | + | + | |
| Email with attachments via Bulldog email) |
15 a week | 45 a week | 90 a week | 135 a week |
| + | + | + | + | |
| Email (via Bulldog email) | 100 a week | 300 a week | 600 a week | 900 a week |
| + | + | + | + | |
| Downloading songs and short video | 10 songs or clips a week |
30 songs or clips a week |
60 songs or clips a week |
90 songs or clips a week |
| + | + | + | + | |
| Listen to online radio | 2 hours a week | 6 hours a week | 12 hours a week | 18 hours a week |
 |
||||
Can I carry over unused data to the next month?
- Unused data from your allowance cannot be carried over to the next month, even if you do not use the service in a given month.
Where can I see the charge for my Anytime internet usage?
- Your monthly bill will detail all charges relating to payable data usage beyond your 1 gig allowance. You will be emailed your summarised bill at the end of every month (in PDF format). By logging in to my account (located on the left-hand side of the Bulldog Lounge) with your username and password, you will also be able to view your bills online at any time.
