Finding the best broadband deal can be a challenge. You have to factor in more than the monthly cost. What is the speed you will get? Does anything else come with the package, such as television or a phone service? Does it include any hardware such as a mesh WiFi system? Does the appealing initial price increase significantly after a few months?
To make sure you get the most of your money This is our guide to aspects to look out for in a broadband plan (and the service) when choosing.
Understanding broadband speeds
Broadband speeds are described as Mbps, meaning megabits of data per second. Megabits are different from megabytes, however. Megabytes are a lowercase “b” within Mb signifies megabits, whereas the uppercase “B” for MB is a reference to megabytes.
8Mb (megabits) is similar to 1MB (megabyte) So the rate of Mbps you see for any broadband package is the amount of data that can be downloaded in one second. A download speed of 40Mbps means you can download 5 megabytes in a second.
Providers usually let the upload speed be less noticeable, since it’s generally slower. An efficient upload speed is vital if you want the ability to make mutliple Zoom calls at the same time. Download speeds impact the speed at which you can access the content you want to access – games, films programs, and so on.
Compare broadband – How do you use the internet?
Much like all tech-related buying decisions, be it laptops, smartphones or broadband the first step to think about is how you’re going to be using the product.
In these days of the always-online society it can be easy to believe that you need to have the fastest connection in order to get by however, if you only access the internet to check emails, shop or spend some time surfing Facebook then this isn’t really the scenario (more on this in the next section). However, some of the lower-cost packages that appear attractive could be a huge pain in the long run if you find you’re not able to stream those 4K UHD films due to the speed of your internet connection.
In the past the primary principle was how much data you could upload for downloads every month. In the present, with almost every major provider offering unlimited data as standard the latest frontier is the amount of data you can use your connection.
Which speed of broadband is best for me?
The speed you need depends on the amount of people within your household who actively use the internet, and how often they use it every day.
Light to moderate usage
For general light web browsing for a family of two people, you won’t require more than 10Mbps for download and 2Mbps for upload. This is fine to check your email and make an individual video conference at a time. If you stream films, these speeds are good for streaming to a single device at a given time, in contrast to streaming content from multiple rooms on various devices.
Moderate users, on contrary, and households of three to four persons might require between 35Mbps and 5Mbps upload. Users can be on social media often and stream movies simultaneously from different rooms.
Moderate to high-usage
If you’re in a household that has a significant amount of internet users, you need to consider a broadband that has speeds of downloads that are sixty Mbps or higher. This could mean streaming multiple videos or playing online games and engaging in social media across multiple devices simultaneously.
High usage
This is for larger households which stream video in 4K and have various smart devices and assistants (security cameras as well as thermostats, lighting systems, alarm systems etc.). You may also be or living with gamers who often download and livestream games and films. You’re on the internet 24/7. You could even be running a business at home, which requires frequent video calls or connecting to the cloud and uploading large size files.
These types of use typically require at least 200Mbps. Such speeds are naturally higher priced, so we suggest assessing the extent to which your internet requirements are prior to deciding on a plan. These speeds are available with ‘full-fibre broadband’ packages, and aren’t available all over the world.
Each provider will ask for your address to see which services (and speed) are available for you.
What are the various kinds of broadband available?
There are three major options available today: ADSL (the standard router that connects to your phone line) as well as fibre (much more speedier speeds, which requires a dedicated internet connection) as well as cable (again one that is a dedicated line and is usually part of a package like the ones offered by Virgin Media).
ADSL
ADSL is by far the most widely used connection type (although being quickly replaced by fibre as the faster services can reach more areas) and requires only the installation of a basic home phone line to operate. Because of this technology, it is limited to the maximum speed of 20Mbps for downloads , and 1Mbps for uploads. This is sufficient for social media, browsing the internet, and streaming HD content on YouTube, Netflix and other services. Indeed, Netflix states that to stream HD TV and movies, you’ll need at least 5Mbps.
It’s likely that you’ll get those speeds unless you happen to reside right next to a telephone exchange, as the farther down the line, the speeds will be significantly slower. This is among the major reasons why those who live in rural areas will struggle to obtain a reliable speedy connection.
To find out what speeds you can expect from a standard ADSL connection, there are typically widgets on the provider’s sites that you can input your postcode. We recommend making use of this Ofcom Mobile and Broadband checker because the impartial nature of the service should mean it’s not influenced by any bias.
Keep in mind that the more devices connected via tablets, laptops, and smartphones, the slower your speed will become as it’s essentially split between you. With this in mind when you’re in a household with a few kids (especially when they love to play games on the internet) then you might find that a fibre-based connection is more suitable.
If you are limited to the ADSL connectivity, Sky provides its Essential plan, while Plusnet offers Unlimited. Like we’ve mentioned, the speeds offered will be contingent on how far from the exchange. However, visit those sites for more information.
Fibre
The name implies, this type of connection employs an optical fibre cable (instead of telephone wires made of copper), which can deliver significantly faster speeds than ADSL.
There are several levels to fibre connections, with names like Ultrafast as well as Superspeed. The reason for this is that certain fibre connections can only go as far as the exchange close to your home as copper wiring is used throughout the trip. It’s still a lot more efficient than ADSL, with speeds of 35Mbps and even 70Mbps.
There’s also “full-fibre which means that the optical cable connects directly to your house. This allows speeds of hundreds of Megabits per second with the most powerful packages offering a dizzying 1000Mbps.
This makes fibre the perfect choice for people who want streaming HD or 4K films and Television shows (Netflix recommends 25Mbps for 4K) as well as have the ability to connect with a reliable connection for video calls at work or just friends and family. The fibre connection also allows you to be much quicker to download files onto your smartphone, tablet or PC when in your home.
While full fibre is currently being implemented throughout the UK but many areas have yet to benefit from the technology. If you want to know whether you’re one the lucky households, you’ll need to verify the availability by entering your postcode into the checker available on each provider’s website.
Cable
This is another option however it’s restricted to a few providers and is only available in certain regions. More efficient than ADSL and a cable that connects to the internet via a specific cable that eliminates the need for a telephone landline. Most often, it is part of a package deal, the most well-known cable provider for the UK is Virgin Media, whose offerings as of the date at the time of writing included the M50 package that offers average speeds 50Mbps.
Take advantage of bundle deals for greater value
If you’re willing to transfer your mobile phone, landline or TV service to a single provider, then you should be considering the various bundled deals that are on offer. All the major players have them and BT offering internet, phone home, and BT TV, while Virgin and Sky have similar plans with their special TV bundles.
Combining these services could lead to lower monthly expenses while also giving you some bonus points if you can find the best bargain. They change frequently in conjunction with promotions, sales and discounts.
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