5 Top Tips for Finding Better Broadband
OK, look, broadband can be tricky to talk about. Heck, even say the word broadband to someone who’s not a big ol’ nerd like yours truly, and their eyes glaze over like a Krispy Kreme doughnut.
But it is something worth thinking about. Internet access isn’t a luxury anymore – you need it. Think about how rubbish life would be if you couldn’t browse the web, send emails, use Facebook, watch TV and movies on demand, download music or look at pictures of adorable kittens.
It’s not a world I’d want to live in, that’s for sure.
These days, you’ll often hear broadband called the ‘fourth utility’. It’s an apt description, and like gas, electricity and water, you want the best possible deal. That’s why broadband comparison sites exist – they save you the time and effort of trawling through loads of different providers’ sites to find the best price.
But even then, simply looking for the cheapest possible package is short-sighted. What you really want to find is a package that meets your requirements for the best possible price. To that end, here’s a countdown of the top five things you should think about when you’re looking to switch…
5. How many people will be using the connection?
The more people using the same internet connection, the slower it’ll be. So, if you have a family of four or more, or you share accommodation with others, it’s probably worth at least considering fibre optic broadband. It’s so nippy enough that, even with lots of people using it, it’ll still be plenty fast.
4. Do you want TV?
If you want a TV service too, getting it with broadband is a good way to save a few quid. There are four providers that do broadband and TV in the UK – Sky, Virgin Media, BT and TalkTalk – and they offer different channels, set-top boxes and on-demand TV,
3. How tech-savvy are you?
If you know your way around a router, you’ll be fine with any provider, but less technologically confident people should look for a provider with good customer service. Read reviews of providers and check out whether they’ve won any awards to get a sense of how they perform in this area.
2. Unlimited broadband or a usage limit?
Like mobile phone contracts, some broadband packages have monthly data usage limits, so you make sure you get a package with usage that suits the way you use the internet. Certain activities eat a lot more data than others, particularly watching video online. So, if you watch catch-up TV on a regular basis, or stream flicks via Netflix, NOW TV or something similar, you’d benefit from an unlimited package.
1. How fast do you wanna go?
If you make a habit of downloading large files – films or video games for example, you should, again, look to fibre optic broadband. It’ll also help if you watch a lot of video online, or listen to a lot of music – although you can get by with standard broadband. If you’re a lighter internet user, save your money and stick to standard broadband – it’ll be cheaper and suit you fine.
Guest Post