Short Term Broadband deal

luckybert

I'm moving back to my house next month (which I've been renting out). It's possible I may sell it but not immediately and I need broadband in the property.

If I sell soon I don't want to be in a long term contract.

I'm wondering what my best option is based on my situation.

shiraz99

Shortest contract I've seen is 12 months from Now TV Broadband, but they also do a no contract version but you have to pay a £60 up front activation fee for that. There are one or two other providers that do something similar.

luckybert

I was with them prior to me renting it out when I lived here so I might start with them. Thanks

flaneurs_lobster

If you've got a decent (indoor) mobile signal then you could consider a 4/5G router and a monthly contract?

luckybert

flaneurs_lobster said:

If you've got a decent (indoor) mobile signal then you could consider a 4/5G router and a monthly contract?

Ok how does that work please? I will be watching Netflix only, no Sky, no downloading, just a bit of surfing.

flaneurs_lobster

You would need to buy a home 4/5G router (plugs into mains, usually has ethernet port(s) + wi-fi or mobile  router (rechargeable batteries, wi-fi only. Probably £50-£120. Then get an unlimited data sim from the likes of Smartly or Lebara depending on which network(s) have a decent signal at your location.

The main networks all offer mobile broadband solutions but they are usually linked to 12,18 or 24 month contracts.

Again, it's only worth considering if you've got a solid mobile signal inside yoir property.

flashg67

I ran a speedtest on my mobile with various sim cards (rather than rely on the online coverage checkers) and found vodafone was best for me so went with a Lebara unlimited data sim for £25 p/m. I use it as my main internet, so bought a used Huawei 4g router from ebay so I could connect multiple devices as well as hard wired. If you only have a few devices connected, and only need wifi then search for 'mifi' unit which is a cheaper option but should work fine.

onomatopoeia99

luckybert said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

If you've got a decent (indoor) mobile signal then you could consider a 4/5G router and a monthly contract?

Ok how does that work please? I will be watching Netflix only, no Sky, no downloading, just a bit of surfing.

Netflix and other streaming video is massive downloading, not "no downloading".  You must be aware with data limits on 4G / 5G.

matelodave

Watching video whether it be from Netflix, Amazon, BBC, SKY or anywhere else uses vast quantities of data especially if you stream in HD or 4k

Here are the averages for video streaming data usage:

• Ultra-low quality video in the 240p-340p area consumes, on average, 300 MB each hour.
• The default video quality on YouTube, 480p, will spend 700 MB hourly.
• HD quality videos of 720p use 0.9 GB per hour.
• The second tier of HD videos - those of 1080p - will drain around 1.5 GB for every hour streamed.
• 2K videos bring the hourly bandwidth usage to 3 GB.
• Lastly, UHD or 4K streaming data usage records a whooping 7.2 GB each hour, so it’s probably best to select this video quality only when using uncapped plans.

As you can see,  video streaming can be extremely bandwidth-intensive. Capped data plans are pretty unsuitable for HQ streaming. Even with a 10 GB plan, streaming 4K  videos is not a very good idea, as you’ll eat through your monthly cap in an hour and a half.

BlueC

If you have a good Three mobile signal you can get unlimited data for £26 per month, no contract. Similarly if you have a good Vodafone signal you can get an unlimited data Voxi SIM for £30 per month, no contract. Buy a 4G router from eBay for about £70 and you're good to go.

I did this for 2 years on Vodafone and the speeds were way faster than ADSL at my property. I would get about 130mps down and 30mps up. Connection was rock solid for 2 years. I do live within site of a Vodafone mast though, and speeds are hugely dependent on how far you are from the mast and how congested it is.

webjaved

BlueC said:

If you have a good Three mobile signal you can get unlimited data for £26 per month, no contract. Similarly if you have a good Vodafone signal you can get an unlimited data Voxi SIM for £30 per month, no contract. Buy a 4G router from eBay for about £70 and you're good to go.

I did this for 2 years on Vodafone and the speeds were way faster than ADSL at my property. I would get about 130mps down and 30mps up. Connection was rock solid for 2 years. I do live within site of a Vodafone mast though, and speeds are hugely dependent on how far you are from the mast and how congested it is.

They have a £10 for the first 6 months offer on too at the moment and then month 7 & onwards it reverts back to £20