Data is expensive and the cost of buying bundles so that you can catch up on your favourite shows can be a huge turnoff. Here are some hacks to help you save on data when using Video-on-Demand streaming services like Showmax.
1. Bandwidth capping
Bandwidth capping helps you control the data that you use on your connection by limiting the amount of data during streaming.
To use this:
- Go to the Showmax app on your tablet or smartphone.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Bandwidth Capping.
- Choose between Low Capping, which lets you use around 0.3GB per hour, or Medium Capping, which lets you use about 0.7GB per hour.
2. Stream or download in Wi-Fi hotspots
Lucky you, Nairobi, and most major towns in Kenya are crawling with them. There is a Wi-Fi hotspot in almost every mall or coffee shop you enter. So you can take advantage of these places and wind down with a cup of coffee or chill on the mall bench, plug in your earphones and watch whatever you want to watch.
If that isn’t your cup of tea, then you can use the free WI-Fi to download so that you can watch later when you’re offline. You can download up to 25 shows or episodes of a series at a time, and you’ll have 30 days in which to watch them. (Once you start watching a show, however, you need to finish it within 48 hours.)
Here is a map of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Kenya.
3. Download on mobile data at a lower quality
Showmax gives you the option to download on four different quality settings. The lower the quality you select, the less data you will use and the less space the file will take up on your device.
Download on Low Quality, Standard Quality or Good Quality as opposed to High Quality to save on data.
Standard or even Low Quality are sufficient for kids’ shows, especially on small screens, and Good Quality is perfect for your own series or movies downloads.
Don’t have a Showmax account? Go to showmax.com to sign up and get a three-month subscription for Ksh250 when you pay with Mpesa.