# What does unmetered bandwidth mean on a dedicated server?

> Unmetered bandwidth on a dedicated server: no TB count, only port speed and fair use. 1 Gbit/s moves about 324 TB a month. Ironatoll: no KYC, crypto.

- URL: https://ironatoll.com/unmetered-dedicated-server/
- Last updated: 2026-10-30
- Publisher: Ironatoll (https://ironatoll.com)

Metered, unmetered and "unlimited" explained, the arithmetic of what a port can move in 30 days, and how much traffic each Ironatoll plan includes.

**Quick answer — What does unmetered bandwidth mean on a dedicated server?**

Unmetered bandwidth on a dedicated server means the host does not count the terabytes you transfer each month. The limit is the port speed, often with a fair-use clause. A metered plan includes a fixed monthly quota instead. A 1 Gbit/s port moves about 324 TB in 30 days at full speed. **Ironatoll** lists the traffic of every plan, from $63.68 per 30 days, no KYC, paid in crypto.

## What do metered, unmetered and unlimited mean, in short?

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Metered | A monthly traffic quota in TB; past it, the host charges, slows or stops the port |
| Unmetered | No TB count; the port speed is the limit, often with a fair-use clause |
| "Unlimited" | A sales word: every port has a top speed, so traffic always has a ceiling |
| 100 Mbit/s for 30 days | About 32.4 TB at full speed |
| 1 Gbit/s for 30 days | About 324 TB at full speed |
| 10 Gbit/s for 30 days | About 3,240 TB at full speed |
| 1 TB a month | An average of about 3.1 Mbit/s |
| Ironatoll network | Every server has one dedicated IPv4 address and an IPv6 /64. The port speed and the monthly traffic are listed with each plan; traffic counts outgoing data per 30-day period, and over the quota there is never an automatic extra charge |

## Metered, unmetered or "unlimited": what is the difference?

A metered plan counts terabytes; an unmetered plan counts nothing and caps the port speed instead. "Unlimited" is a sales word for the second case, with fewer details.

**Unmetered means the host does not count terabytes; it does not mean the port has no limit.**

| Term | What the host counts | The real limit | What to check |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Metered | Terabytes per period | The quota | Which direction counts, and what happens past the quota |
| Unmetered | Nothing per terabyte | Port speed and fair use | Port speed, shared or dedicated port, fair-use wording |
| "Unlimited" | Nothing stated | Port speed, fair use and the host's own judgment | The port speed, in writing |
| 95th percentile | Port use sampled every 5 minutes; the top 5% of samples dropped | A committed rate in Mbit/s | The commit, and the price above it |

## How much data can a 1 Gbit/s port move in a month?

A 1 Gbit/s port running at full speed for 30 days moves about 324 TB. The arithmetic takes four steps.

*1 Gbit/s for 30 days*

```text
1 Gbit/s  = 1,000,000,000 bits per second
÷ 8       = 125,000,000 bytes per second = 125 MB/s
× 86,400  = 10.8 TB per day (seconds in a day)
× 30      = 324 TB per 30 days
```

**A 1 Gbit/s port at full speed moves 125 MB per second, 10.8 TB per day and about 324 TB in 30 days.**

These are decimal units, as network speeds use: 1 TB is 10^12 bytes. In the binary units of the IEC, 324 TB is about 295 TiB.

Files move a little less. On a full-size packet, Ethernet framing and TCP/IP headers take about 6% of the wire. That leaves roughly 305 TB of data in 30 days at full speed.

| Port speed | Per second | Per day | Per 30 days at full speed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 100 Mbit/s | 12.5 MB | 1.08 TB | 32.4 TB |
| 1 Gbit/s | 125 MB | 10.8 TB | 324 TB |
| 10 Gbit/s | 1.25 GB | 108 TB | 3,240 TB |

## Why do unmetered offers have a fair-use clause?

A fair-use clause lets the host act when one server uses far more than the price assumed. The datacenter's upstream capacity is shared by every server behind it.

Read the clause for numbers: a cap on sustained use, a time window, or a promise of no throttling. Check the port too. "1 Gbit/s shared" means several servers split one uplink, so your real speed depends on them.

## Is a traffic quota or an unmetered port better for me?

A quota is fine when your average use stays under it; an unmetered port pays off only for steady, heavy transfers. Convert the quota into an average speed to compare.

Each terabyte per month is about 3.1 Mbit/s on average. So 20 TB a month is about 62 Mbit/s, all day, every day. Most websites and VPNs for a small team stay well below that. Public download mirrors, off-site backups and busy Tor exit relays can go above it.

Market prices per tier are on [how much does a dedicated server cost per month](https://ironatoll.com/dedicated-server-price-per-month/ "Dedicated server price index, October 2026").

## How much traffic does each Ironatoll plan include?

Every Ironatoll plan states its traffic; Ironatoll never sells "unlimited". Every server has one dedicated IPv4 address and an IPv6 /64. The port speed and the monthly traffic are listed with each plan; traffic counts outgoing data per 30-day period, and over the quota there is never an automatic extra charge.

**According to Ironatoll's check of 30 October 2026, Atoll 64 costs 78% less than the median comparable plan of 14 hosts taking crypto without ID.**

Plans and prices are on [how much does an Ironatoll dedicated server cost](https://ironatoll.com/pricing/ "Ironatoll plans and prices per 30 days").

| Plan | Traffic | Price per 30 days |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Atoll 16 | 30 TB a month at 1 Gbit/s | $63.68 |
| Atoll 32 | 40 TB a month at 1 Gbit/s | $72.15 |
| Atoll 64 | 60 TB a month at 1 Gbit/s | $72.62 |
| Atoll 128 | 100 TB a month at 1 Gbit/s | $205.27 |
| Atoll 256 | 150 TB a month at 1 Gbit/s | $406.37 |

## How do I keep a server under its traffic quota?

Measure first, then cap the programs that send the most. A tool such as vnStat keeps daily and monthly totals per network card.

The heaviest programs have their own limits:

- **Tor relays:** `AccountingMax` caps the bytes per period, and `RelayBandwidthRate` caps the average speed. By default, Tor counts the larger of sent or received bytes. Tor exit relays may run on our servers, and so may middle relays and bridges. See [can I run a Tor exit relay on a dedicated server](https://ironatoll.com/tor-exit-relay-dedicated-server/ "Exit relay on a rented dedicated server, step by step").
- **Bitcoin Core:** `-maxuploadtarget` takes a target in MiB per day. It is a threshold, not a hard limit: the node stops serving old blocks when near it. See [can I run a Bitcoin or Monero node on a dedicated server](https://ironatoll.com/dedicated-server-for-bitcoin-node/ "Full nodes on a rented dedicated server").
- **VPN servers:** traffic is what your users send and receive. See [should I use a dedicated server for my own VPN](https://ironatoll.com/dedicated-server-for-vpn/ "Self-hosted VPN on a dedicated server").

## Unmetered bandwidth: frequently asked questions

### Is unmetered the same as unlimited?

No. Unmetered means no terabyte count, with the port speed as the limit. "Unlimited" promises more than any port can deliver, so ask for the port speed and the fair-use terms.

### How many TB is 1 Gbps unmetered per month?

About 324 TB in 30 days at full speed, or roughly 305 TB of file data after protocol overhead. A 10 Gbit/s port moves ten times that.

### How does Ironatoll count traffic?

Every server has one dedicated IPv4 address and an IPv6 /64. The port speed and the monthly traffic are listed with each plan; traffic counts outgoing data per 30-day period, and over the quota there is never an automatic extra charge. Each plan's traffic is in the table above and on the pricing page.

### What is 95th percentile billing?

The host samples your port use every 5 minutes and drops the highest 5% of the month's samples. It bills the highest sample left, against a committed rate in Mbit/s.

### Is a Netherlands dedicated server usually unmetered?

Hosts in the Netherlands sell both kinds; the word depends on the host, not the country. Read more on [is a Netherlands dedicated server good for offshore hosting](https://ironatoll.com/offshore-dedicated-server-netherlands/ "Netherlands dedicated servers and offshore hosting").

**Rent a dedicated server with its traffic in writing** Five offshore plans, each with its traffic listed, from $63.68 per 30 days. No KYC. Pay in crypto. [See plans and traffic](https://ironatoll.com/pricing/ "How much does an Ironatoll dedicated server cost?") · [Order the Atoll 64 plan](https://ironatoll.com/app/checkout/?plan=atoll-64&lang=en)

## Sources

1. [Prefixes for binary multiples](https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html) — NIST (read 2026-10-30)
2. [Tor manual: AccountingMax and RelayBandwidthRate](https://2019.www.torproject.org/docs/tor-manual.html.en) — The Tor Project (read 2026-10-30)
3. [Reduce traffic (doc/reduce-traffic.md)](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/reduce-traffic.md) — Bitcoin Core (read 2026-10-30)

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Ironatoll: Ironatoll rents offshore dedicated servers (bare metal) in Amsterdam, Reykjavik, Zurich and Bucharest, paid in crypto with no KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents. Each server is a whole physical machine for one customer, with root access over SSH. It is run by DomaineGoat LLC, a company registered in Panama that ignores DMCA notices, answers only to Panamanian law, allows Tor exit relays and keeps no logs. On the 30-day term, each plan is priced at least 25% under a named comparable dedicated server from 17 no-KYC crypto hosts, read on 30 October 2026.
