I have just completed a couple of hours of network data testing, using MSFS v.1.37.19.0, Little Nav Map v.3.0.9, and Kinetic Assistant v.0.17.3.0.
I installed MSFS in Sept. 2020, and have logged about 657 hours flight time. Not a lot compared to some of you, but enough that I have established what game settings I like. My system has an AMD Ryzen 5-3600 6 core CPU, the GPU is an AMD  Radeon RX-6800-XT, and I have 64 gB of DRAM installed. The GPU was 1 step below top-of-the-line when I bought it 2 years ago, but it can't quite run Ultra quality graphics mode, even in 1920x1080, and still maintain 30 fps, so I have the game graphics mostly set to "high", with some of the less important things like grass and bushes disabled. I'm not complaining - MSFS graphics are still light-years better than FSX even at "high" instead of "ultra-high".
I have always been a little concerned about network data overage charges from Comcast, especially since home entertainment is shifting ever further away from movies on DVD and BluRay disc, to Streaming. So I loaded my NetWorx speed meter/recorder. started a flight, and made some recordings of the network traffic consumption to share with the community here.

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Flight Test 1: DG-808s Glider (from Alex Marko at TouchingCloud). Region, Central Nebraska, average IAS 80 kts, average altitude 14,000 ft AGL.
Big World Graphics and Photogrammetry disabled. Little Nav Map set to use Open Topo Map. Kinetic Assistant active with 2085 Hotspots enabled for thermal updrafts (CONUS and Southern Canada coverage).

Elapsed time of recording: 00:36:57

Received    21.0 MB
Sent    2.93 MB
Total Data Transferred    23.9 MB
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Flight Test 2: DG-808s Glider: Region, Central Nebraska, average IAS 80 kts, average altitude 18,000 ft AGL.
Big World Graphics Enabled, Photogrammetry Disabled. Little Nav Map set to use Open Topo Map. Kinetic Assistant active with 2085 Hotspots enabled for thermal updrafts

Elapsed time of recording: 00:36:57

Received    202.0 MB
Sent    10.4 MB
Total Data Transferred    212.0 MB
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Flight Test 3: DG-808s Glider: Region, Central Nebraska, average IAS 80 kts, average altitude 16,000 ft AGL.
ALL on-line functionality Disabled, and Little Nav Map set to use Off-line background Map. Kinetic Assistant active with 2085 Hotspots enabled for thermal updrafts

Elapsed time of recording: 00:36:57

Sent: 1.38 mb

Received    21.8 MB

Total Data Transferred    23.2 MB

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Flight Test 4: DG-808s Glider: Region, Chicago, IL., average IAS 75 kts, average altitude 3,600 ft AGL.
Low-Altitude overflight of Downtown Chicago and suburbs (dense, Urban scenery), landing and re-launch at Chicago-Midway, and final landing at Chicago Executive Airport.
Bing World Data Active, Photogrammetry disabled. Kinetic Assistant active with 2085 Hotspots enabled for thermal updrafts, LNM active and using Open Topo map.

Elapsed time of recording: 00:36:57

Sent: 17.2 mb

Received    395.0 MB

Total Data Transferred    412.0 MB

Conclusions that can be drawn:
1. During the 37 minutes of each of these four tests, comparing the results against each other, it can be inferred that Windows itself, and various background apps unrelated to MSFS and Little Nav Map, were drawing about 627kB/minute.
2. Subtracting the 627kB/min background app usage from the totals, Test #1 implies that Little Nav Map was drawing about 19kB/minute worth of Open Topo Map tiles from the OSM server. 19kB/min is insignificant and I can quit sweating about LNM's data usage.
3. Test #2 and #4, with Bing World Graphics turned on, is the data usage of most concern: Subtracting the 627kB/min for background apps, and the 19kB/min for LNM's use of Topo map tiles, the data indicates that on flight #2, at high altitude over rural terrain, MSFS was downloading 5.084 MB/min worth of aerial photo tiles from the Bing server. On Flight #4, at low altitude, in a large Urban area with very dense and detailed scenery, MSFS was downloading 10.49 MB/minute from the Bing server; this is 629.4 MB per hour of flight time, so 158 hours of flight time in an urban area, would add up to about 100 GB of scenery data. That's 39 hours a week of flying MSFS, and I doubt that anyone has that much spare time - I sure don't. So I guess I can quit worrying about going over my Comcast monthly data cap.

 

Edited August 31, 20241 yr by lgcharlot
corrected "three tests" to "four tests"

I'm not sure what we are supposed to do with this information. 

Not a great test for everyone.  I never fly without Photogrammetry. Try the tests with PG enabled.  It will eat that bandwidth quick. I had to go to a higher plan.  Cox was only giving me 1.2TB/mo. 

I was using between 300-500GB a month just for MSFS. 39 hours is a lot but if you used PG you'd find just 10-15 hours a week would eat even more. 

 

9 minutes ago, St Mawgan said:

I'm not sure what we are supposed to do with this information. 

I guess we are just supposed to say "thank you" and "congrats on being able to quit worrying about going over your Comcast monthly data cap in your specific scenarios and way of playing?"

Ah ok. Thanks then. 

I fly about 15 hours a week. I had to get unlimited data from Comcast ( $30 a month) , because I was going over my data cap. This month I used 1.6 TB. The cap kicked in at 1.2 TB.

 

Edited August 31, 20241 yr by Bobsk8

I signed up for Bell Fibe Unlimited Data, specifically so I wouldn’t be bothered by my MSFS data usage.

 

Lozza....

45 minutes ago, jcomm said:

Lozza....

Yes, us Europeans do get a much better deal when it comes to all things telecoms compared to North America. Because we’re small….but perfectly formed 🙃