What the heck is this 95th Percentile number?

The 95th percentile is a widely used mathematical calculation to evaluate the regular and sustained utilization of a network pipe. HCST*Net monitors all our dedicated Internet connections, and gathers usage statistics every 5 minutes.

Basically the 95th percentile says that 95% of the time, your  usage is below this amount. Conversely of course, 5% of the time, usage is above that amount. That means the shorter spikes (accounting for less than 5% of the month) are eliminated. The 95th percentile is a good number to use for planning so you can ensure you have the needed bandwidth at least 95% of the time.

HCST*Net Burstable T1 services are charged based on the 95th percentile maximum utilization statistics gathered.

Please note, HCST*Net monitors connections 24x7 and accumulates actual usage statistics. HCST*Net is NOT responsible for misuse of your Internet circuit.