What this guide is (and is not)
Sleep, lid-close and “never sleep on AC” belong in always-on-pc-earnapp-setup-europe-2026. A tray that vanished after reboot belongs in earnapp-windows-autostart-reboot-europe-2026. A running tray that is Offline or stuck at $0 with a normal NIC belongs in earnapp-offline-zero-earnings-europe-2026. Moving to another box belongs in earnapp-new-pc-same-account-europe-2026. First PayPal timing belongs in earnapp-first-paypal-cashout-europe-2026. Here Windows is throttling background data while EarnApp still looks awake.
RefDeal will not invent a GB/day rate, a “metered bypass promo code,” or a Windows registry patch sold as an EarnApp unlock. Metered is a Windows setting. EarnApp is a normal Bright Data client. Fix the NIC, then leave the official app alone.
Confirm it is metered Windows, not Offline EarnApp
Online tray + metered NIC is still a Windows problem — not a missing EarnApp coupon.
- Win+I → Network & internet. If Wi‑Fi or Ethernet shows a metered badge, or Properties → Metered connection is On, you are in this guide — even if EarnApp’s tray is green
- Windows 11 also has Data saver. That is a second throttle. Turn it off on a flat-rate home line. Do not “optimize” with a third-party booster
- If the tray is missing, this is not metered — use the reboot/autostart guide. If the tray says Offline, use the offline/$0 guide first, then re-check metered
- Phone tethering / mobile hotspot as the only NIC is not a metered-toggle fix. That is ToS and fair-use territory (mobile-hotspot-tethering-vs-home-wifi-earn-tos-europe-2026). Unmeter the home SSID; do not farm cellular
Turn metered off on the home NIC
Work one change at a time. Do not stack Honeygain, a VPN, and a “network optimizer” in the same hour.
- Wi‑Fi: Settings → Network & internet → Wi‑Fi → [your home SSID] → Metered connection → Off. Repeat for any guest SSID the PC actually uses
- Ethernet: Settings → Network & internet → Ethernet → the adapter → Metered connection → Off. Docking stations sometimes expose a second Ethernet that stayed metered
- Data saver: Settings → Network & internet → Data saver → Off on a home flat-rate plan. Leave it on only if you are truly on a capped mobile NIC — and then do not run EarnApp on that NIC
- VPN split-tunnel is a different ban path (vpn-split-tunnel-vs-earn-app-bans-europe-2026). Disconnect VPN while you test metered Off. ISP-level throttle after weeks of use is yet another guide — do not confuse it with a Windows badge
Re-check EarnApp after one reboot
Save work, reboot once, sign in, wait a few minutes, confirm the official tray. Use /earnapp/ if the client was never installed from our tracked invite — the invite attributes a first signup; it is not a metered coupon.
- If the tray is Online and the NIC is unmetered, leave it a quiet week. We will not quote a fake recovery amount. Screenshot your own dashboard if you need a record
- If the tray is Online but still $0 after a quiet week on a clearly unmetered home fibre line, switch to the offline/$0 guide (firewall, official binary, Limited). Metered is done
- If Windows flipped Metered back On after a reboot, check whether a mobile hotspot profile, a “metered Ethernet” group policy on a school laptop, or an OEM “data manager” app is re-applying it. Work laptops with MDM may not be yours to unmeter — do not fight IT policy to farm
- Do not buy a second PC to “fix metered.” Fix the NIC on this box, or stop. New hardware is the new-PC guide only when the machine actually changes
What we will not claim
There is no RefDeal EarnApp promo code, no published “unmeter bonus,” and no honest EU minimum we can paste from a 2023 screenshot. Primary CTA stays the EarnApp offer with our tracked invite. Hub: /guides/bandwidth-safety/. Starter: /en/start/bandwidth/.