The Google Home Speaker Has Been Secretly Eating My Wi-Fi Data
My Google Home Speaker had been burning through more data than all the rest of my devices combined. As I looked into it further, I found other smart home devices that had the same problem.
Many people may not realize their Wi-Fi data is being consumed by their smart devices. The issue arose when a Google Home Speaker used 487 GB of data in just ten days, nearly as much as the rest of the home's usage from August to September. Google confirmed this was due to a server misconfiguration causing the device to repeatedly download software updates. This issue has been resolved.
Surprisingly, other devices like Amazon's Ring smoke detector and an unknown device labeled "WATCH" also consumed significant data. To check data usage, users can access their router settings, such as through an Asus router's Traffic Analyzer tab, a TP-Link router's Deco or Tether app, or a Netgear router's Traffic Meter. Alternatively, users can check their internet provider's app or login to view data activity.
Checking data usage can help identify devices that may be hogging bandwidth, especially for those on limited data plans.
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
