Due to my old antivirus being discontinued, I just installed the avast! Internet Security trial to test it out, and I was going to purchase it if I am happy with it. However, while browsing through it’s features, I noticed some things that implied it’s constantly sending and receiving information.
To clarify, I live in the middle of nowhere, and my only high speed internet option is satellite (I use WildBlue). One of the biggest downfalls of satellite internet is their “Fair Access Policy.” I’m sure other satellite users will be familiar with what this is, but for those who aren’t, it’s basically a cap on internet usage. With my current service, I’m allowed a total of 12,500 MB of received information and 3,000 MB of sent information monthly; but this resets every 30 days rather than at the beginning of the month. As is, I already use almost all of my download threshold (or received information - the 12,500 MB) through web browsing, flash games, and instant messaging. My thresholds (Fair Access Policy) forbid me from having programs which are constantly sending and receiving information; the technician I spoke to pretty much told me this.
So my question is this: does avast! constantly send and receive information through the firewall, antispam, or anything else? If so, how much? If it’s more than 10-15 MB sent or received daily, then it’s too much for me to use. I downloaded the free version temporarily, and it didn’t seem to have anything that was constantly sending and receiving information; however, since my family does most of our shopping online and a lot of online banking, I didn’t feel the free version was secure enough for our needs.
Thanks in advance for the help.
Also, I apologize if this is the wrong section. I didn’t notice any other sections that related to the Internet Security package.