Home broadband is a major feature of the modern home – it enables us to use our mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and streaming devices, to their full potential and without this, many of us would likely feel completely lost when sat in the comfort of our own homes. So, love it or loathe it, having broadband that serves its purpose is a vital part of the modern home, so you must have a package that’s not just effective, but great value for the price paid. Luckily, broadband packages have gradually become far better value for money in recent years, so here’s our guide to finding the perfect package for your home.
What Are The Different Types Of Broadband?
If you break things down into simple terms, there are 3 different types of broadband to consider. These are:
- ADSL
- Cable
- Fibre
Each of these different types of broadband offers different benefits, so you’ll want to consider these before committing to a package. ADSL broadband is the most common type of broadband in the UK – it’s the most commonly available type too, requiring a BT line to get started. This broadband usually offers speeds of around 10Mb/s, which is good enough for light browsing and basic video streaming.
Cable broadband is different in delivery to the ADSL connection, which utilises BT’s copper phone lines whilst cable broadband uses coaxial cables instead. By using these cables, these packages often offer better speeds, but this type of broadband isn’t available as widely so be careful when checking for this style of broadband in your area.
Fibre broadband offers a significantly different method of bringing broadband into your home than the other two options, which enhances the speeds offered dramatically to ensure that you’re given a far more effective solution. The only downside to this is that fibre isn’t available country-wide, so you’ll have to check coverage in your area first.
What Will You Need From Your Broadband?
This is an aspect that is entirely down to your browsing habits and needs, so only you will be able to answer this question. As a general rule, you’ll want to consider the number of users that are going to be using the broadband in your home, as well as what they’ll be using it for; online gaming requires far stronger speeds than scrolling through a Twitter feed, so if you’ve got gamers, vloggers, or other heavy internet users living in your home, you’ll likely need a larger package from your provider.
Where Will You Get The Best Prices?
Pricing is an area where you’ll have to be incredibly vigilant with – lots of packages are great for the initial period (usually 12 or 18 months), but then hit you with an eye-watering mid-contract price hike that takes all value out of the deal that you have. Choosing a package with Zen Internet is a great way to combat this issue – they offer a lifetime price guarantee on their deals which saves you from price rises and gives you more confidence in the package you’re contracted to. They also have UK based call centres and provide one of the highest-rated services in the industry according to Trustpilot – you can use their area coverage checker to see if their packages are available in your area!
We hope this article has given you a little bit of guidance on choosing the right broadband package for your home, as well as offering some pointers on how to avoid those pesky hidden price rises and finding providers with the best coverage in your area.