Get online in no time with our ultimate guide on how to get broadband at home.
Here’s what we answer👇
How do I get broadband at home?
What are the different types of broadband I can get at home?
Home vs mobile broadband: which is best for me?
What broadband speed can I get for my home?
Where can I compare broadband?
How do I install a router for broadband?
Frequently asked questions
How do I get broadband at home?
To get broadband at home, just enter your postcode in our intuitive broadband comparison tool and choose the perfect deal for you. There are plenty of home broadband providers on the market to choose from.
Once you have chosen a provider that meets your needs, they will inform you of your installation (if needed) and ‘switch over’ date. This normally takes two weeks after signing your contract.
What are the different types of broadband I can get at home?
If you are looking at getting home broadband, you will first need to decide what type of broadband you want:
ADSL
ADSL broadband is often referred to as standard broadband.
ADSL is one of the early internet connection types, connecting homes to the internet via the copper-wire telephone line network.
It is slower than fibre but works well for most households, as it excels at downloading data (i.e. streaming videos and music and scrolling on social media). On the downside, it’s limited to uploading data (i.e. hosting websites and live streaming).
Fibre
Fibre broadband offers a faster internet connection using fibre optic cables to send and receive data to and from the internet.
There are two types of fibre broadband available to homes: FTTP (Fibre to the premises) and FTTC (Fibre to the cabinet)
FTTP: Also known as “Superfast” or “Full-fibre” broadband, an FTTP connection runs on fibre cables from the exchange all the way into your home, giving you the fastest of all the broadband speeds available.
FTTC: Fibre to the cabinet is where the fibre cables run from the nearest exchange to the local cabinet, while a copper wire connects your home to the cabinet. This is faster than ADSL broadband but can be considerably slower than FTTP broadband.
“FTTC is like taking the motorway from London to Liverpool, but then having to take a B-road into Llanberis” – AquaSwitch’s home broadband expert Louise Horscroft.
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is internet delivered by wireless 4G/5G signals and is provided by a mobile broadband provider. You may connect as follows:
Dongle: You plug a dongle (WiFi stick) into your laptop or computer and use a data-only contract to get you online. This works anywhere with a strong 4G or 5G signal, making it a fantastic travel option.
MiFi: A MiFi device, also known as portable WiFi, pocket WiFi or 5G Hub, supports up to 32 simultaneous users. Some are pocket-sized for portability, while others are router-sized to emulate the WiFi strength of regular broadband.
Home vs mobile broadband: which is best for me?
If you’re unsure whether to go for an ADSL/Fibre broadband deal or opt-in for the mobile broadband deal, the main differences below will help you decide. 👇
Mobile broadband
Mobile broadband is gaining a lot of popularity, and here’s why:
- Easy Set-up: With a home hub mobile broadband plan, you simply plug into a USB port and connect your devices. And if you have opted for a pocket WiFi or dongle deal, you can simultaneously have broadband on the go.
- 4G/5G signal: You can use your mobile broadband connection wherever you go, as long as you have a 4G/5G signal.
- Faster speeds: If you are in a 5G area, 5G mobile broadband speed can be likened to full-fibre broadband with speeds of up to 1000 Mbps! That’s as much as ten times faster than regular mobile broadband (100 Mbps – 300 Mbps)
- Back-up: A great backup if your broadband goes down.
The main advantage of mobile broadband is that it can be taken anywhere. Simply plug in your home hub or take your dongle or pocket device with you, and you have mobile broadband wherever you get a 4G/5G signal.
Home broadband
By home broadband, we refer to the high-bandwidth, tethered (wired) internet connection that physically “plugs” into your home. This is the broadband status quo and is known for its robustness, speed and ample availability!
- Connected by wires to your home: An engineer will come to your home and set you up either via ADSL, FTTC or FTTP connection. It’s a “REAL” connection.
- Standard, Fibre or Full Fibre connection: With a choice of connection, you can optimise for the speed and price you need.
- Up to 1000 Mbps speed: Let’s face it, you will get the fastest speeds consistently with a tethered, full-fibre connection. 5G may come close, but it’s still not as reliable, and latency is longer (what is latency?!)
- Reliability: Most home broadband providers offer 95% reliability, so you don’t have to worry about losing connection. Mobile is less reliable, and the weather will affect its performance.
The main advantage of tethered home broadband is that it is widely available, there’s an ample pool of competing suppliers (better deals!) and a range of connection types to choose from. And, of course, a tethered connection is inherently better and won’t be affected by weather, obstacles, humidity, etc.
What broadband speed can I get for my home?
Home broadband speeds can range between 10 – 1000 Mbps. What speed you need will depend entirely on what you need the internet for. Read more about broadband speeds in our in-depth guide about fast broadband deals.
As a reference, you may consider the following scenarios as basic guidance:
- 10 Mbps: A young couple living together who are saving to buy a house or a single person in a studio apartment with basic internet needs. Activities include doom scrolling on social media, online shopping and a single device on Youtube/Netflix.
- 30-60Mbps: A small family or a small flat share. At peak hours, the connection can simultaneously handle low-spec gaming, social media, and non-HD streaming on Netflix/Youtube.
- 100+ Mbps: A big family, a large house share, or a sophisticated user. At peak times, friends may be over, and ten people online simultaneously. Or perhaps it’s four people all streaming/gaming simultaneously. Or maybe a single pro gamer whose income depends on the connection quality.
Test your current home broadband speed
If you aren’t sure what your current broadband speed is, you can check your broadband speed to get an idea of your needs.
Where can I compare broadband?
Use our simple broadband comparison tool to compare deals from our trusted broadband providers.
Whether you are a gamer, doom scroller, or simply like to browse shopping sites, we have the deal for you.
How do I install a router for broadband?
Broadband providers will send an engineer if it’s necessary to set you up with your new broadband connection. After all, it’s in their interest that the connection quality adheres to the SLAs (⚠️We recommend reading your contract’s SLA! ⚠️).
In any case, the engineers will help you as follows:
- Moving into a newbuild: A newbuild will require a new phone line and cable to be installed in the home.
- Needing a new phone installed: If you don’t have a phone line going into your property or need to change this, an engineer will do this for you.
- Upgrading to an ultrafast fibre package: If you are upgrading your broadband to FTTP (fibre to the premises), you will require an engineer to pull fibre all the way into your home! (See FTTC to FTTP)
- Migrating to or from Virgin Broadband: Virgin Media is a unique broadband provider as it runs on its very own cable network. You will undoubtedly need an engineer to come over to switch networks.
However, there are cases where sending an engineer is not warranted and installing a router is as simple as following simple instructions.
Below, we outline what to look out for if you’re setting up your new broadband connection:
- Router location: You will want to choose the best location for your router (i.e. close to your phone/fibre socket and where the WiFi signal will reach most of your home). If you need to move it, you may use an ethernet extension cable to position your router in a more favourable location.
- Connect the ethernet cable: You need to plug the ethernet cable into the phone socket (if you have ADSL broadband, you will need to connect a microfilter to your phone socket and plug the ethernet cable into the ADSL port on the microfilter) and then connect the ethernet cable to the router.
- Power on: Plug the router into a plug socket and power on the router.
- Check lights: Your router will flash while it’s connecting to the internet and have a stable ‘good to go’ light when it’s ready to connect your devices. (This light colour will depend on the specific router. In most cases, an error will appear as a red light). If you get an error, ensure you have plugged the router into the correct phone line socket and port at the back of the router.
- WiFi username and password: Your broadband provider will have provided you with your wifi username and password; normally, this is given to you on stickers and cards that you can stick on the back of the router or your fridge as a reminder.
- Connect your devices: Using the WiFI details sticker/card, open up WiFi on your device and find your broadband username. Click on ‘Connect’ and enter the WiFI password that you have been provided. Repeat for all devices that you would like to connect.
You are now all set and ready to go online.
Frequently Asked Questions on how to get broadband at home
Here are the most common questions asked when setting up broadband at home.
Can I use broadband without a router?
Yes! Mobile broadband lets you connect to the internet via wireless 4G/5G signals, just like your mobile phone.
You may use a mobile broadband dongle that connects to any device via USB or a portable MiFi device that can support up to 32 users simultaneously.
How do I know if my house is fibre-ready?
Fibre-ready means that your house is already equipped with the infrastructure for fibre broadband.
The easiest way is to call your existing broadband provider and ask them what connection they have to your home. They should have this information handy and will likely offer you a better deal if your contract is due to expire soon.
Alternatively, you can check your WiFi router for a port labelled “ONT” (Optical Network Terminal), which indicates an FTTP fibre connection that goes all the way from the exchange to your home.
Otherwise, you can also check your broadband speed here. If you get a connection speed of over 100 Mbps, it is very likely that your home is using fibre-optic cables.
However, if you want to verify this yourself, you’ll need to check the wiring. Fibre cables are lighter, thinner and more flexible than traditional copper cables (ADSL) and will generally come covered in a flexible orange or yellow sheath.
What are the different ways to pay for broadband?
The simplest and most convenient way to pay for your home broadband contract is via direct debit.
You can pay for your full contract in advance or pay for this monthly.
Your broadband provider will do a credit check on you before agreeing to a contract, as they need to ensure that you are a trustworthy customer who will pay on time and not fall behind on payments.
Some broadband providers may allow you to pay by card when you are billed, but you will have to agree to this upfront and generally, this will cost you more per month to do so.
