F@astlink dash shows higher traffic than windows network status window

[becausehe]

Hi,
I have a weird problem that's driving me dilly. I have a 1gig capped MTN 3G card which I use for surfing, so I'm reasonably conscious of the amount of data downloaded per session. Over the last few weeks I have noticed that my download volume per the F@stlink dash is sometimes several MB higher than the value displayed in the network status window, sometimes as much as 40, 50MB. What could be causing this? I use AVG and Comodo firewall, and I'm reasonably confident that no virus resides on my machine. I've also tried to track the usage through Netlimiter and other tools, but the errant "application" does not show up there. Netlimiter shows the same download value as the network status window. It's almost as if somebody unknown is intermittently using my account to surf the web, but that shouldn't be possible with a 3G card. Right now the dash shows 16,6MB downloaded and the status window 8,8MB. Modem is a Huawei E220. Does anyone else have this annoying problem?

 

[ginggs]

I encountered a similar problem some time ago, see here.
Does your connection also drop?

 

[becausehe]

Yes, I do indeed have the occasional dropped connection, so you may well have hit on the solution of the mystery. Unfortunately, I do seem to be in a bit of a fringe area, just behind Melville ridge in Auckland Park, and the coverage maps indicate less solid coverage there. The link you provide is most enlightening. I suppose the best is to go for an ADSL and be done with it. Thanks for your input.