Updated Find the cheapest broadband discussion thread

mentat72

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some guidance as I always get stuck at the same point on this:

Current setup:

Virginmedia phone + TV (basically Freeview channels) + Fibre + Amazon Prime + Netflix

2 adults who work from home + internet use for streaming/music etc.

New build 3 years ago.

Current Bill: £58 p/m

What we use:

Fibre needed for the above.

We don't really use the landline at all.

We don't watch of the Freeview channels but dip in and do use Amazon Prime + Netflix.

As it's a new build it doesn't have a BT box already fitted for the phone.

As it's a new build it doesn't have a TV aerial in the loft or outside.

So, what would be the most cost effective way to achive 'What we use' that makes sense in the long term.

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

csgohan4

mentat72 said:

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some guidance as I always get stuck at the same point on this:

Current setup:

Virginmedia phone + TV (basically Freeview channels) + Fibre + Amazon Prime + Netflix

2 adults who work from home + internet use for streaming/music etc.

New build 3 years ago.

Current Bill: £58 p/m

What we use:

Fibre needed for the above.

We don't really use the landline at all.

We don't watch of the Freeview channels but dip in and do use Amazon Prime + Netflix.

As it's a new build it doesn't have a BT box already fitted for the phone.

As it's a new build it doesn't have a TV aerial in the loft or outside.

So, what would be the most cost effective way to achive 'What we use' that makes sense in the long term.

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Seems you are limited by what cables you have to your house. Have you tried the MSE' s broadband checker to see what's available, if only virgin shows up, your kind of stuck sadly. Maybe consider unlimited 4g/5g plans which you can tether as an alternative. 

malc_b

IMPORTANT HEADS UP

The MSE tool has a limitation that is probably down to the packages suppliers list.  If say you want a landline and some free calls in with the broadband then you might use the tool filters to restrict the results returned.  You might then miss the cheapest deal.  I think some providers just list free calls as a addon rather than specific packages and hence the tool misses the case where deal + addon price from supplier X is cheaper than supplier Y's deal inclusive of the addon.

As an example, for my home I want fibre, 55+MB, and a landline, this returns results from vodafone, onesteam, but if I add the filter of evening and weekend calls free then those results disappear.  However, on vodafone E+W/E is £4 and on onestream you can add it for £2.49.  For me the John Lewis deal (inclusive E+W/E) was the cheapest at 22.59 but onestream was 24.99 and vodafone was 25.50 so it was close and without the gift cards then onestream would have been the cheapest.

Incidentally I started looking for anytime but the cost of that is £4-£5 over E+W/E and for that price I can have a mobile contract which seems a better use of the money.  The Now broadband deal is not available to me (even though the mse and all the other tools say it is), otherwise I would likely have gone for that at £24.58 including anytime.  I'm switching from Sky so I wonder if that was why I could not order Now.

Sutee2

Hi everyone,

I have been out of contract with TalkTalk for some months and my monthly charge was hiked up to £31.95 pm! They are trying to sweet talk me into one of these deals:
Fibre 35 plan for £25.50 per month for 24 months. Price includes TalkTalk TV Fee, £2 per month for 24 months. £4 thereafter OR
Fibre 65. It’ll cost you just £28.00 per month for 24 months. Your estimated average download speed on a new Fibre 65 tariff is 52 - 69 Mb/s, and your guaranteed download speed is 46 Mb/s. Price includes TalkTalk TV Fee, £2 per month for 24 months. £4 thereafter.

I don't think either of these are good deals. As well as that, although it shows full signal from the router to my PC, I have had to revert to using my iPad for Zoom calls, even though I'm hosting them, because the wifi keeps cutting out. Apparently we have fibre to our area and street but I do not understand enough to know a) who is the problem and b) what can be done about it!

This is the info I've gleaned - don't know if it helps!
Description: 802.11n USB Wireless
Link speed: 600/58 (Mbps)
Network band: 2.4 GHz

I really need help all round please. I'm also on Sky TV but thinking of stopping it all, as I don't have time to watch TV!

makara

Sutee2 said:

This is the info I've gleaned - don't know if it helps!
Description: 802.11n USB Wireless
Link speed: 600/58 (Mbps)
Network band: 2.4 GHz

I really need help all round please. I'm also on Sky TV but thinking of stopping it all, as I don't have time to watch TV!

Sky's Fibre is excellent - £25 or £28 per month - and their Landline "Talk Shield" has pretty much 100% eliminated cold calls.

I get the maximum 80 Megs on "Superfast" Fibre.

Talk Talk's prices seem ok in my opinion.

Router - you need to google how to split your Fibre (when you get it) into 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands - then you can opt in (for example) to always only be on the faster (but more limited range) 5 GHz band for your devices.

makara

Sutee2 said:

although it shows full signal from the router to my PC, I have had to revert to using my iPad for Zoom calls, even though I'm hosting them, because the wifi keeps cutting out. Apparently we have fibre to our area and street but I do not understand enough to know a) who is the problem and b) what can be done about it!

I suspect you will need to either put an Ethernet cable from the Router to your PC (assuming they are relatively near each other) - rather than using Wi-Fi to the PC

- or get a TP Link AC750 "RE220" Wi-Fi booster to extend the Wi-Fi signal (they are £19.50 from Amazon) - very effective.

Doc_N

Sutee2 said:

Hi everyone,

I have been out of contract with TalkTalk for some months and my monthly charge was hiked up to £31.95 pm! They are trying to sweet talk me into one of these deals:
Fibre 35 plan for £25.50 per month for 24 months. Price includes TalkTalk TV Fee, £2 per month for 24 months. £4 thereafter OR
Fibre 65. It’ll cost you just £28.00 per month for 24 months. Your estimated average download speed on a new Fibre 65 tariff is 52 - 69 Mb/s, and your guaranteed download speed is 46 Mb/s. Price includes TalkTalk TV Fee, £2 per month for 24 months. £4 thereafter.

I don't think either of these are good deals. As well as that, although it shows full signal from the router to my PC, I have had to revert to using my iPad for Zoom calls, even though I'm hosting them, because the wifi keeps cutting out. Apparently we have fibre to our area and street but I do not understand enough to know a) who is the problem and b) what can be done about it!

This is the info I've gleaned - don't know if it helps!
Description: 802.11n USB Wireless
Link speed: 600/58 (Mbps)
Network band: 2.4 GHz

I really need help all round please. I'm also on Sky TV but thinking of stopping it all, as I don't have time to watch TV!

That’s interesting. I’m with them too, on a contract expiring in December. Currently £21pm including free calls 24/7, call forwarding etc. 38mbps. I need to renegotiate that, and get as close as I can to it. Takes forever via chat, but it’s the only way to get a record of what’s been agreed.

lescarp88

Hi, 
Looking for some advice/pointers.
Live in a 2nd floor rental flat without an existing broadband line. MSE checker shows I could get Virgin or EE broadband without a line.

But my landlord /letting agency are asking what work would be involved to install a broadband connection? And would it alter the property?
They're asking for a photo of what a potential installation would look like, but I don't know where to start. 

vicker

Signed up to Shell mid April. Live date given as 5th may on sign up day. Haven't heard anything from them and certainly haven't gone live with them. 

What's going on?

flaneurs_lobster

Might be an idea to have a word with Shell?