Summary: When thinking about broadband for your new home, you need to consider connection types, speeds, packages, contracts, providers and switching. Everyone’s needs from their home internet are a little different, so it’s important to identify yours and explore the market to find the right option for you.
Broadband is an essential part of modern life for many people. From working at home and studying to streaming TV and online gaming, we use the internet for so many things at home and elsewhere. When you move home, you will need to arrange the internet connection at the new place and ensure it meets all your needs without costing you the earth. With that in mind, here are 6 tips for making the right choice for your new home.
Key considerations to keep in mind
1. Connection type
Home internet connections come in a range of forms, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. The options include:
- Fibre and full-fibre
- ADSL
- Cable
- 4G and 5G
- Satellite
Take the time to explore which of these is available at your new home and weigh up the pros and cons of different options. This will help you reach a decision about which is right for you.
2. Broadband speed
Be sure to do your research to establish what type of broadband speed you need and which connection types offer it. What do you use your internet for? This will be the main thing that determines what sort of speed you require.
- Fast (10-11Mbps): this is sufficient for things like streaming in HD, general browsing and light online gaming.
- Superfast (35-300 Mbps): this is suitable for downloading larger files, streaming in 4k on single devices and more moderate online gaming.
- Ultrafast (300 Mbps-3Gbps): this is unnecessary for most households, but could be right for very large families or student housing where high bandwidth is required.
3. Package deals
Many internet deals come in packages that offer additional things for different requirements. It can be confusing exploring the wide range of options, but you should beware of fancy extras that are likely to push the monthly cost up unnecessarily. Here are the basic packages and what they mean:
- Broadband-only: this provides you with your internet and nothing else.
- Broadband with line rental: this adds line rental to your monthly bill and enables you to have a landline phone for your house. Look out for call rates and connection charges.
- Broadband, TV and phone: these give you access to things like https://www.sky.co.uk/“>Sky or Tivo, depending on the provider. It is often quite expensive, but access to premium channels can be appealing for many.
4. Contracts
Contracts come in all shapes and sizes and it is very important to carefully compare contracts to avoid being tied to one supplier at a bad price for a long time. Look for things like monthly commitments, fixed periods, flexible contracts and added extras.
5. Providers
There are many broadband providers, each with their own pros and cons. Do some market research and look at customer reviews to get an idea of the service quality of different providers. Look for what’s important to you and find the provider that can deliver on most fronts.
6. Switching
Staying on the same plan for too long can cost you more than you need to be paying. Steer clear of exorbitant exit fees and beware of price hikes after a contract ends. Generally speaking, you should be looking to switch to a new deal or change providers at the end of a contract.
Final thoughts
Don’t simply take the first (or most popular) option when choosing broadband for your new home. Like most things, to get the best out of it, you need to make the decision very carefully. There is lots to explore, so take some time and do your research, comparing providers and deals to get the right internet connection for you.
