Take five for the full fibre five!

Five simple steps to broadband happiness 

It’s that time of year again; Easter is almost here, the Daffs are in bloom, and the big broadband players are hiking up their prices. It leaves many of us baffled, what are we paying more for, now?! So, should we just haggle with our current provider or is there another way to get broadband happiness? 

We know it’s a minefield out there. It’s one of the reasons we started LightSpeed. To shake things up, do things differently, poke at the big guys, and wake people up to the alternatives.  

You deserve some broadband happiness, so here’s our top 5 tips to give you the confidence to make a change. 

Look beyond the big guys  

Well, we would say this wouldn’t we?! But we’re still convinced us Alt-Nets get overlooked. Hear us out.  

Alt-Nets, or Alternative network providers, build and operate their own full fibre networks. Like us, they operate independently from Openreach. Which means their network, systems and customer services are usually slicker, with end-to-end control of the connection from the internet into your home. They can operate a faster service, future-proofed to offer higher speeds (often up to 10,000 Mbps!) as our demands increase. The speeds are often symmetrical too, so the same upload as download. If you’re a gamer or a video-caller this should be music to your ears. Plus, they’ll probably have a local office, employing local people and engineers. 

But they may be harder to find. Not always listed on comparison sites or shouting the loudest from billboards or on TV, but there has been a big increase in the number of alternative providers in the last few years, and one could be on your doorstep! Look out for hyper-local advertising, those dreaded doorknockers, check what the latest footpath closure might be for (it’s not always the Council!), visit your local newspaper sites, and look out for digital ads. And don’t be wary of their branded direct mail in your post. Register your interest where you can – if you can’t get their service yet, they’ll tell you as soon you can!  

Listen to word of mouth 

Speak to your neighbours! We dare you. Or ask for recommendations on your community social media pages. Find out who your neighbours are using and are they happy with the service? Often broadband providers will have a referral programme and you could earn free months or a voucher just for joining and so could your neighbour! 

Use online reviews 

It’s worth checking sites like Trustpilot to read reviews. The times are changing, they’re not just the place for sharing bad experiences. We’ve found that our happy customers don’t hesitate to share their great experiences, especially when they've had such bad service from their current provider for so long. Their experiences could spur you into action! 

Read the small print (yawn) 

We know, no one ever does. However, all broadband providers need to provide you with terms and conditions of their offers and the price of their services and extras. Make sure you’re clear on the price they’re using to entice you, and what that might end up being throughout your contract. This could be the difference between knowing what to expect (add the date to your diary!) and a BIG, or even HUGE surprise at the end of the initial deal period, the end of your contract, or even MID-CONTRACT!! What?! 

Compare apples with apples! 

Not all fibre or full fibre providers are offering the same service! Look for the speed claims and read the small print (yes, again) to make sure you’ll be getting all the bandwidth you’re expecting. For example, is it full fibre, or part fibre (which also uses ye olde copper ‘phone lines), check the upload and download speeds, are they symmetrical? what equipment comes as standard? what extras are there? is there a setup fee? an equipment delivery charge? can they help you set things up in your home?  

Getting full fibre means connecting your home to a new network in your street – an engineer is sent to do this, plus they bring all the equipment with them; they may even go a step further and help you to identify and/or rectify Wi-Fi blackspots in your home. If you’re sticking with a part fibre provider (and ye olde copper) then they’ll probably send you a router in the post to set it up yourself; and it may not fix any Wi-Fi problems you’ve been experiencing. 

We hope you’ve found these tips useful!  

Looking for an industry award-winning ISP? LightSpeed has recently been crowned the Fastest Broadband Provider by Broadband Genie! You can check if we’re bringing our services to you by popping your address in the availability checker. If we’re not quite with you yet, register with us and we’ll give you a shout when your home is ready!  

Get ready for broadband happiness!