A few years ago I wrote about a then-new application, Trip Mode, that allows you to turn off the Internet pipes for particular apps on your MacBook. It’s a great idea, particularly if you tether your MacBook to your iPhone or iPad. Using Trip Mode, you can turn off data hogs, like Dropbox and iCloud, so you don’t unknowingly burn through all your mobile data the next time you tether to check email. It’s been a few years since I first covered Trip Mode and thought I’d take a moment to say this app really sticks. I’m still using it … often. I’ve also started using Trip Mode on my iMac when podcasting to keep apps like Backblaze from using up bandwidth while I’m on mic. (I learned that trick from my podcast partner Jason Snell.) Anyway, if you ever tether your Mac, get Trip Mode.
Posts Tagged → trip mode
Trip Mode Protects Your Data Caps
I’ve been traveling a lot lately and, as a result, spending a lot of time tethering my Mac to my iPad and iPhone. Trip Mode is a Mac App that can turn off selected applications’ access to the Internet. For example, I share multiple Dropbox folders with multiple people. If one of those people starts dropping some large files in Dropbox while I’m tethered, the Dropbox app will chew through my mobile data cap pretty quickly. Trip Mode lets me turn off Dropbox and any other applications I don’t want accessing the Internet while tethered. The idea is simple, the execution is outstanding. When I return to WiFi, Trip Mode turns itself off and I can go back getting all my applications on the Internet.
