Is unlimited hosting really unlimited?

Discussion in 'Web Hosting' started by stangparts, Jan 21, 2009.

  1. #1
    Just a question,

    I see alot of these companies offering unlimited space unlimited bandwidth. I read the TOS and it seems that anything that will consume any amount of space and bandwidth are not allowed on those accounts. Some of them go on to say that you are actually limited to the amount of files you are allowed to posses on the server.

    So, my question is if they call it unlimited then why do the TOS actually state that it is not only limited but very limited?

    Feedback would be great!

    Thanks
     
    stangparts, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  2. diligenthost

    diligenthost Peon

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    #2
    It's only a marketing ploy my friend, there is no such thing as unlimited. Unmetered is a different story, but any shared host offering this should be avoided as well, in my opinion. Their TOS protects them from the very thing they say they can provide. If you're trying to host a small site, sure it might work out well, but I wouldn't put anything mission critical on it :)
     
    diligenthost, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  3. wozzym

    wozzym Guest

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    #3
    For a webhosting company, stating that the client can have unlimited bandwidth + storage is simply just them trying to get some business in. Offering unlimited anything is impossible, and they are just really overselling. They think since most people don't read the tos and most people actually won't use that much bandwidth, they can get away with offering it.

    Never buy "unlimited" hosting ;)
     
    wozzym, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  4. mooseweb

    mooseweb Banned

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    #4
    So you would much rather buy hosting from a company like mine that only offers a specific amount of hosting.
    Not adverting, just asking a question.
     
    mooseweb, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  5. diligenthost

    diligenthost Peon

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    #5
    Sure, I believe you haha :rolleyes: nicely done
     
    diligenthost, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  6. Master_web

    Master_web Banned

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    #6
    There is much competition in the web hosting business so its only marketing tricks to get some deals, there is nothing like unlimited
     
    Master_web, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  7. web_hunk

    web_hunk Peon

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    #7
    Its just a marketing gimmick. They can never offer unlimited hosting. Most of them just oversell shared hosting but a small to medium size website should work without much problem.
     
    web_hunk, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  8. bestbeach

    bestbeach Banned

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    #8
    I always choose host that not provide unlimited I think that is not unlimited in this world because are limited
     
    bestbeach, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  9. ActiveFrost

    ActiveFrost Notable Member

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    #9
    Have you ever heard about Unlimited size HDD ? I'm sure that you haven't .. No one can offer non-existing things :p
     
    ActiveFrost, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  10. dtzy

    dtzy Peon

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    #10
    after your site got too much traffic, they will ask you to upgrade to dedicated hosting or suspend your account.
     
    dtzy, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  11. c0ldMax

    c0ldMax Banned

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    #11
    Look at it this way.

    Hosting is never unlimited, there is always a catch in that it may be to a certain extent.
    For example, if your site was killing the server than even if it was unlimited they would probably shut down your site.

    Honestly, never trust unlimited hosting as they are quite often there to get people interested.
    I would rather pay money for a good hosting with so much space, rather than a OK host with unlimited space.
     
    c0ldMax, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  12. Canadian_Writer

    Canadian_Writer Banned

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    #12
    I've had sites temporarily shut down because my hosting company said the sites were consuming too much CPU. This was due to Wordpress plugins that were automated. Haven't had any problems due to lots of traffic. I have close to 20 sites on a shared host, and sometimes one or more will get massive traffic spikes without problem.
     
    Canadian_Writer, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  13. MrHarper

    MrHarper Guest

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    #13
    Unlimited is impossible, Unmetered is possible. Though depending on the host you are with, 'Unmetered' may or may not be a scam. It basically means don't use silly amounts. Some hosts TOS's have rules on website growth - for example, you can grow so many megabytes per month, but go over that limit and you might be suspended.

    Really it all depends on who you go with, so you should ask before you buy.
    But never go with 'Unlimited'.
     
    MrHarper, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  14. dc0ded

    dc0ded Well-Known Member

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    #14
    Thanks for so much information guys.. Cleared all my confusions :)
    I always got attracted by these web hosts selling unlimited bandwidth and space.. Its good that I never bought any package from them.
     
    dc0ded, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  15. dusty_laperriere

    dusty_laperriere Peon

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    #15
    If it were, what would become of everyone else?
     
    dusty_laperriere, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  16. bryan_tong

    bryan_tong Peon

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    #16
    Its true,

    I always put it like this. They say unlimited just like unlimited soda refills are your local restaraunt. Sure you can drink as many as you want. But they can only afford to do this by counting on the fact that most people drink either 1 refill or just the 1 cup of soda they bought. These people help pay for the person who drinks 10. Its much the same with hosting.

    The problem is, when you really need the space or bandwidth or cpu it might not be there with unlimited hosting.

    Now unlimited things such as mysql databases, email accounts, domains, ftp accounts. These are not physical limits they are purely bound by software. So offering things of that nature unlimited is okay. (Though some of you may argue that the small amount of data taken up by each ftp account or email forwarder could fill the hard drive) so really those arent unlimited either. But I say this. if you host puts a limit on your bandwidth or space then you shouldnt be able to create enough of either of those to create a problem.
     
    bryan_tong, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  17. godinu

    godinu Peon

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    #17
    also the hosts that sell unlimited packages are selling you a portion of shared hosting. This means that, let's say one other site on your shared server (not necessarily your site) is using boatloads of bandwidth. It could potentially bog things down for you.

    An unlimited plan is great for blogs or things that don't need a whole lot of bandwidth, but if you plan on hosting massive streamed files, it probably won't be the best solution.
     
    godinu, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  18. MrHarper

    MrHarper Guest

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    #18
    Unlimited Refils? :eek: z0mg you Americans are so spolit :p
    @ The FTP/MySQL etc being unlimited, yes but the FTP account data takes up mere bytes so it would take millions or even billions to fill up the HDD ;).. although with MySQL databases, they can get pretty big.
     
    MrHarper, Jan 21, 2009 IP
  19. musichangout.com

    musichangout.com Well-Known Member

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    #19
    I think its 550Gb bandwith per month , but not unlimited
     
    musichangout.com, Jan 22, 2009 IP
  20. MrHarper

    MrHarper Guest

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    #20
    Huh? The amount would depend on the host.
     
    MrHarper, Jan 22, 2009 IP