The premise of the Grass app is that it allows users to share their extra internet capacity (or bandwidth) in exchange for Grass Points. It’s a simple concept at heart. You’re paying for internet speeds you don’t fully use, so why not put that extra capacity to work?
But what’s the catch? A lot of new users are understandably worried that sharing their bandwidth could slow down their internet. After all, the last thing you want is for Netflix to start buffering in the middle of your Great British Bakeoff binge or for Fortnite to crash right before your team claims a Victory Royale.
These are completely valid concerns. The good news? Grass was designed so that bandwidth sharing with the app will never interrupt your internet usage, including during heavy-hitting activities like gaming and streaming.
How Bandwidth Sharing Works in the Background
In order to understand how internet sharing with Grass won’t keep you from finally crushing Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3, it helps to have a basic idea of how Grass bandwidth sharing works.
Think of your home internet or mobile data plan like a multi-lane highway. Most of the time, several lanes sit completely empty while you’re using just one or two for your daily online activities.
The Grass app works by using only your empty lanes. When you’re streaming, gaming, or video calling, Grass automatically powers down. In this way, Grass only uses your excess internet capacity.
Grass Privacy and You
While on the topic of “What is Grass?,” it’s also critical to mention privacy and safety. Grass privacy is built into this system from the ground up. The Grass network cannot access your personal browsing history, passwords, or private information. Your personal data always stays completely separate from Grass. You can learn more by viewing Grass’s privacy policy.
Gaming and Grass: What to Expect
Whether you’re grinding ranked matches in Fortnite, putting the finishing touches on your dino-pizza planet in Roblox, or finally getting a shave and a bath in Red Dead Redemption, Grass bandwidth won’t mess with game-playing experience or cause any lags.
After all, over 60% of Americans game regularly, and any internet sharing app needs to respect that commitment.
Here’s what you need to know: Grass automatically prioritizes your active gaming traffic and steps back when you begin using a high percentage of your bandwidth. Your gaming packets get the express lane, while Grass waits patiently in the background.
The vast majority of gamers find they can keep Grass running 24/7 on their desktops, laptops, tablets, or phones without issues. But if you’re streaming your gameplay live or participating in esports where every millisecond counts, you can always manually pause the Grass app until your inevitable victory is in hand.
Streaming and Grass: Watching Without Worries
Let’s not beat around the bush. People love streaming content. That includes Americans who spend over two-and-a-half hours a day on average streaming television and another two hours watching movies.
When the latest season of Wednesday drops, bandwidth sharing better not interfere with your viewing experience! Fortunately, Grass understands how important your video-watching experience is. The Grass app automatically detects video streaming on your devices and prioritizes your content. When Netflix needs to buffer that 4k episode or your favorite content creator uploads a new video on YouTube, Grass can step aside completely so you have your full internet capacity to use.
Again, in most cases, Grass can continue running in the background while you watch your favorite content. But, if you plan on putting a heavy streaming load on your devices (think simultaneously streaming Netflix + YouTube + Twitch), consider manually turning off your Grass app.
Keeping Control of Your Online Experience
Here’s the lowdown when it comes to the Grass app: it was designed to always keep you in the driver’s seat. If you ever need or want full control of your internet for an important video call or competitive gaming session, it’s simple to pause your bandwidth sharing with Grass.
All you have to do is open up your Grass app, tap the pause button and disconnect. This works for your desktop app or your mobile app. You can also use your dashboard to set specific hours when Grass internet sharing automatically pauses.
You can also monitor Grass’s performance on your dashboard. See which networks you’re connected to, your time connected, and your network score.
The beauty of sharing Grass bandwidth is its flexibility. Whenever you need full control of your internet, you can always turn off the app and then switch it back on when you’ve finished the latest episode of The Paper.
Gaming, Streaming, and Contributing
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it, too? When it comes to Grass internet, you can earn your Grass Points and still stream and game to your heart’s desire without any impact on your experience.
Don’t forget about those Grass Points. The more bandwidth sharing you participate in, the more Points you’ll earn, which could eventually translate into Grass Tokens and real ownership in the Grass network. You’ll also be helping to build a more decentralized internet where users are actually rewarded for their contributions.
And you can still finish your magnificent dino-pizza planet, you creative wizard!
