Fair Use Policy

Your Bandwidth is Real

When I advertise unlimited traffic on a 1Gbps port, I mean it. You have access to your full 1 gigabit per second of bandwidth. You can absolutely use it.

But here's the honest truth: networks don't work like unlimited water pipes. They work like shared highways—just because the speed limit is 65 mph doesn't mean everyone can drive at 65 mph simultaneously without congestion. That's why internet providers bill on 95th percentile usage instead of peak capacity. It's the most economically sane way to run networks at scale.

Why I Have a Fair Use Policy

I want to be transparent: if someone continuously maxes out their port 24/7, that directly impacts my infrastructure costs and potentially the experience of other members. It's not about restricting you from using what I promised — it's about protecting the shared network and ensuring I can keep costs sustainable with growth.

This policy protects both you and the community.

What I Monitor

I monitor infrastructure trends and usage patterns to understand how the network is being used and plan for growth accordingly.

I do not:

Inspect your traffic contents
Track what services you're using
Monitor your data in real-time
Throttle based on activity type

I do look at:

Aggregate bandwidth usage across the member base
Individual usage patterns that stand out as unusual
95th percentile metrics to spot sustained maximum-bandwidth scenarios

When I'll Reach Out

If I observe that your account's 95th percentile bandwidth usage consistently exceeds 900 Mbps over a billing period, I'll reach out. This suggests sustained near-maximum usage, and I want to understand what's happening.

This could mean:

You're running a legitimate ramp-up (increasing service, migration, etc.)
You have a runaway process consuming unexpected bandwidth
You're intentionally using high bandwidth for a specific project
Something unexpected is happening and you want to know about it

All of these are fine conversations to have. I just want to make sure everything's working as intended and to understand your needs so I can plan infrastructure accordingly.

My Process

Step 1: I'll notify you via email or support ticket with details about the observed usage.

Step 2: You have 72 hours to respond with either:

An explanation of what's happening
Steps you're taking to address it
Confirmation that this is expected and working as designed

If you're acting in good faith and engaging with me, that's the end of it. I'll monitor and plan accordingly.

Step 3: If I don't hear from you in 72 hours, or if the behavior continues without explanation, I may apply traffic shaping to bring sustained usage to more reasonable levels to prevent infrastructure impact.

Step 4: If the issue persists after throttling and additional notice, I may suspend or terminate the service.

The Human Part

You're not a number to me. I'm one person running this, which means I can provide real individual attention to each member. If you hit unusual usage levels, I'll treat it as a conversation, not an enforcement action. If something legitimate is happening — a ramp-up, a scheduled backup, a migration — I'll work with you. If something unexpected broke — a runaway daemon, misconfigured application — I get it, and I'll help you figure it out.

The only scenario where I move to throttling or suspension is if you're unresponsive or deliberately ignoring the issue after I've reached out.

Infrastructure & Growth

Current capacity: 10Gbps active/passive (1x10Gbps active + 1x10Gbps passive)
Scalable to: 50Gbps active/active (2x25Gbps) with current hardware
Future scaling: 200Gbps active/active (2x100Gbps) with additional hardware investment

I commit to scaling my infrastructure with demand. As the member base grows and usage trends become clearer, I'll invest in capacity accordingly. You're not funding surprises — you're funding growth that makes sense.

Questions?

If you have questions about this policy or your usage, reach out. I'm here to help.
support@needinput.host