Moving from Virgin - help!

ThankGodForMartin

Hi all. Apols - I'm new here so if there are countless threads on this already, just point me to them .

We've decided to move from Virgin (broadband & TV) so need a new broadband provider fairly soon. I've done a bit of research but it's a bit confusing so may be that someone here can distil what I need into an answer. 3 questions/queries:

1) What speed do I need?
We've got M250 fibre from Virgin which I think is FTTP; inputting my address info to broadbandchecker. btwholesale.com suggests we certainly have this capability (though there’s no overhead wire attached to the house from the telegraph pole across the road, and there is to both neighbours’ houses). But we're likely not after high speed stuff - there are only 2 of us, using 3 devices max. The worst we currently do is stream Prime/Now TV into a laptop which Ookla says picks up c50mpbs, and I think we were fine when it did c25mbps. What's new though is that we'll be using the broadband for our TV (Freeview/Play/Freely); however, I read the recommended min for Freeview is 2/3mbps (and it'll be connected via Ethernet to a router sat right next to it), so I doubt we need much throughput. Any comment welcome. The current 20% we achieve via Wifi of what Virgin's pumping in (25/250, and previously as low as 10%: 25/250) should improve - as noted we'll bring the router into the lounge to drive the TV. the router's currently in an office extension and therefore through many, some external, walls.

ThankGodForMartin

2) What router do I need?

For the last few years, we’ve just used the router provided by Virgin for simplicity, though I’ve bought TP-Link and Linksys routers in the past which have improved the signal.  I’d imagine if I went for a relatively low mbps broadband package, the router provided by the ISP won’t exactly be blistering.  But should I not worry about this and just buy one instead, using the ISP router as a modem?  Do all ISPs allow this?  Also, are the ISP routers likely to have some of the bells and whistles of an after-market router such as multiple Ethernet ports and USB capabilty?

 

3) Which ISP?

Don’t worry - I’m not asking how long a piece of string is, just specifically whether, if I went for a low mbps package to see what I could get away with (say 30-40mbps) and it wasn’t enough, is an ISP allow me to upgrade without charging me for 24 months of the existing contract / overcharging for the pleasure?.  I guess I know enough from Virgin Media’s “practices” to know that upgrading your service tends to be simpler than downgrading, but any experience is welcomed.

PRAISETHESUN

In my experience high speeds are generally better, but they aren't the end of the world. They are most beneficial when there are multiple simultaneous users (eg. 4K streaming on multiple devices in the same household) but if it's a single user, or if everyone only ever watches a single device at the same time, then there's marginal benefit from going faster beyond what you would actually use. Upload speeds are usually slower so matter a bit more, especially if you need to make use of them regularly (eg. WFH and have lots of video calls or filesharing).

ISP routers tend to be on the cheap side, although they do the job most of the time. I've had several ISP routers and they all have featured 2-4 ethernet ports, USB, dual-band, etc. 3rd party ones definitely have more bells and whistles, the configuration menus are better and have more features, and usually also support more modern standards (eg. Wifi 6/7) but unless you're enthusiasts or heavy users then it's probably overkill.

My choice of ISP usually comes down to speed + price, with a minor concession for customer service (eg. I've had several bad experiences with Vodafone so will never use them again, even if they are the cheapest). No direct experience with Virgin myself, but I've definitely found ISPs are happy for you to renew/upgrade mid-contract, but are usually more reluctant for you to downgrade or otherwise pay less than you initially signed up for.

ThankGodForMartin

Thanks @Praisethesun - appreciate it.  I hadn't considered upload speeds at all, but yes, possibly there'll be video calls as we both work from home, so that's now in the mix as a consideration.

I've also had a poor experience with Vodafone (mobile) but nothng trumps Virgin for awful.  I think some firms offer cheap deals to pull you in and then deliberately make it hard to leave - I had to fake my own death to extricate myself from Virgin as there seemed to be no other viable alternative. With Vodafone, it was a couple of "free" services I didn't want but got anyway, and an almighty struggle to exit from them.  

If anyone knows any firms who just, like, give you what you want , are trasnparent about pricing and don't fart about giving you rubbish you don't need, shout up.