I am trying to understand how much data will be used by a permanent base set up with the Emlid NTRIP caster. When a base is set up with emlid caster, is it only actively broadcasting corrections over the internet when a rover is connected to the same server asking for corrections, or is the base broadcasting corrections over the internet all the time? If the second thing is the case, sounds like it could use a lot of data! I’m trying to figure this out because I would prefer to set up the base to use cellular data because it is easier, but if it is going to use a huge amount of data, I may need to find a way to give it a wired internet connection.
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You would be looking at about 500-600MB/month if you are broadcasting RTK on all channels and constellations.
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You’ve only used a little over 400MB in a month? Right now I use double that! How often are you out using it? I use mine 4-5 days/week.
That’s just static , I haven’t used in a while as winter months are for inside work
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Taking these answers together, the answer seems to be that the base communicates corrections to the server on an as needed basis, since people have reported vastly different amounts of data usage, ranging from 200 to 300MB/day, all the way down to 400MB/month. Does that understanding sound accurate?
Honestly you’ll just need to give it a run for a couple of weeks because there are too many variables to nail down a hard number, as you see here. I have probably about 16-20 hours of use with full RTK corrections, but still I am not hitting 1GB/month so I wouldn’t think it would be too much of a hit on cellular.
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Hi Derek,
The base continuously streams corrections regardless of whether a rover is connected to the same MP. We conducted an 8-hour test using Emlid Caster and two RS2 devices as a base and rover. It consumed 15.5 MB during that time. You might also find this discussion helpful for more insights.
If you’re considering a wired Internet setup, here’s a useful example from another user.
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So my screenshot is pretty close then.
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I don’t know how you all are using such little amounts of data. My testing reports much higher values.
Low-End (Single Constellation GPS Only, 1Hz)
200 bytes/sec × 3600 seconds/hour ≈ 720 kB/hour
720 kB/hour × 24 hours ≈ 17 MB/day
High-End (Multi-Constellation, RTK, 1Hz)
2.5 kB/sec × 3600 seconds/hour ≈ 9 MB/hour
9 MB/hour × 24 hours ≈ 216 MB/day
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I’ve had an RS2+ streaming corrections ( 4 constellations 1hz ) for 8 hours a day 6 days a week since January, have used about a gig.
Thanks for sharing, Michael! Data usage can vary based on receiver settings, message types, and the total number of messages. In our test, we used the default RTCM3 settings.