5 tips for getting good broadband in your new home

Do you ever wonder just how critical the internet has become to most households? Research across multiple polls has shown that something as specific as broadband connectivity can boost a home’s value on the open market by as much 5 percent.

On top of that, many prospective home buyers consider high-speed internet connections a higher priority than nearby shopping or even off-road parking!

For many residents, this utility is just as critical as water, electricity, and gas, and if you’re looking to move soon into a new home, then you’re going to be sizing up the potential suppliers so you can get the best possible deal.

Keep reading to learn five good tips for arranging broadband in your new home:

Find out what services are available

Broadband speed is stipulated by what infrastructure is in the area. You might discover what while your old home only had ADSL (16Mb speeds at best), your new home might have access to cable internet or even fibre optic.

Consult Virgin Media about cable availability and BT about fibre optic connections. Using BT or one of its revellers can get you speeds up to 76Mb, but Virgin can get you as high as 120Mb.

SamKnows.com is a good site to use to search the exchange located at your new home. You’ll see just what specifically is available, broken down to individual ISPs.

Think about a provider switch

Even if you’re not able to get something substantially faster, there is an advantage to switching to a new provider rather than just migrating your current connection. That advantage is being able to benefit from ‘new customer’ specials and offers, which often include perks like free shopping vouchers and anywhere from 6 months to a year of free service.

You do need to check to make sure that you’re not going to be held liable for an early termination or cancellation fee by closing out your existing contract.

Even if you have no intention of switching, pretending you’re about to cancel often makes them willing to provide you better terms to your current deal.

Many ISPs forward cancellation calls to their retention department, which has more power than normal associates to offer you a better package.

To get the best deal you should always start by comparing broadcast providers.

Bundle up

Moving from one home to another is a prime opportunity to look over your monthly costs and find places to make cuts. One great way to do this is to opt into a bundle involving broadband, phone, and TV.

When you get all of these services through just a single provider, the total price can be substantially cheaper. You might even get other fringe benefits, like Sky TV. Broadband customers also might get free Wi-Fi across the UK, and even access to the on-demand service called Anytime+.

Home phones aren’t the only ones this applies to either. O2 mobile users can enjoy the lower prices of O2 broadband, whereas the correspondingly affordable Orange home broadband might be enjoyed by both Orange and T-Mobile customers.

Upgrade the wiring of the home

You might find yourself in a set of circumstances where the ISP is telling you that no problems are indicated by their own checks, but you know that your broadband speeds are a lot slower than you anticipated. In such a case, your internal wiring might be the culprit.

Poorly fitted or older hardware and equipment can have a tremendously negative impact on your broadband service quality. Call an engineer in to have them make sure your wiring is of sound working order and that you also have a more recent master socket.

Working this into other home improvements means stretching your budget a bit more, but having all the work done at the same time means minimal disruption to your physical life, especially if you haven’t moved in yet.

Wireless versus wired

Most internet service providers are going to provide you a wireless router along with their deal, which spares you from having to deal with cables when you want to hook up tablets, smartphones, and laptops. However, this easiness has a catch. You might find that some of the construction materials used in your home actually decrease the effectiveness of your wireless because they block the signal.

Fortunately, a few easy workarounds might apply.

One simple thing to do is the addition of power line network adaptors. You plug these into your electrical sockets, and they use the power lines themselves to transmit data signals. That means that your internet connection goes from the router to anyplace in the house that’s still on the very same electrical circuit. You can connect a computer using a network cable at the other end or even put up another router which transmits its own wireless signal.

Christian Woods
Christian Woods
Christian is a morning reporter and technology columnist for Best in Australia. Christian has worked in the media since 2000, in a range of locations. He joined Best in Australia in 2018, and began working in Melbourne in 2019.
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