Broadband package reviews: FAQs
Broadband is fairly easy to install
What do I need to get home broadband?
To get a home broadband service, you'll need a broadband provider, a landline, a router and a PC to access it on.
A router is the equipment, usually rectangular in shape, that you connect to your home phone socket that enables you to access the internet. Many broadband companies provide routers or wireless routers free of charge in exchange for you signing up to a home broadband contract.
Will I actually get the broadband speeds I see advertised?
Unfortunately probably not, the advertised 'up to' speed doesn't necessarily reflect the speed you'll receive on your line. The actual broadband speed you'll get depends on a number of factors, including the type of technology used to deliver your broadband service (ADSL, LLU or fibre - see below), how far your phone line has to stretch from the nearest telephone exchange (ADSL and LLU broadband only), and the number of people using your broadband connection and if traffic management is being applied.
We think the way broadband speeds are advertised currently is misleading to customers. Changes to the way broadband 'up to' speeds can be advertised will apply from April 2012.
What do ADSL, LLU, FTTC and FTTH mean when describing types of broadband?
ADSL, LLU, FTTC and FTTH are terms used to describe the type of technology used to deliver your broadband service. The technology used affects the maximum broadband speed that can be delivered, plus how closely the advertised speed will match the speed you get in practice.
ADSL
ADSL stands for asymmetric digital subscriber line. Broadband providers that use ADSL deliver their broadband services over BT's copper wire network, and must pay BT to use its network. There are two types of ADSL service - ADSL1 and ADSL2+. ADSL1 can deliver maximum speeds of up to 8Mbps. ADSL2+ can deliver maximum speeds of up to 20Mbps. With all ADSL services, the speed you receive in practice is affected by how far your phone line has to stretch to the telephone exchange. The shorter the distance, the higher your potential broadband speed. BT is gradually upgrading its network to support ADSL2+, but for now, where you live will dictate whether you can get ADSL1 or ADSL2+.
LLU
LLU - or local loop unbundled - broadband is where ISPs install their own broadband equipment in BT telephone exchanges. The broadband ISPs still use BT's copper wires, but adding their own broadband equipment in exchanges enables them to offer cheaper and potentially faster home broadband (up to 24Mbps). LLU broadband availability is limited to around 80% of UK households, often in more populated areas (the Which? broadband reviews include details of package availability). As with standard ADSL, the speed you can get is affected by your distance from the exchange.
FTTH
FTTH stands for fibre to the home. Rather than using copper wires, FTTH broadband is carried over higher quality fibre-optic cables for the full length of its journey to your home. The benefit of fibre is that - unlike BT's older, copper wire network - the broadband signal doesn't deteriorate over distance. So you should be able to achieve much closer to the maximum advertised speed. The only company currently offering FTTH services is Virgin Media, which currently offers maximum download speeds of 100Mbps on some packages - though it's trialling even faster services.
FTTC
With FTTC - fibre to the cabinet - services, your broadband is carried over a high-quality fibre-optic cable for most of its journey, including the distance from the telephone exchange to your local telephone cabinet. However, for the final part of its journey - from your local cabinet to your home - the wire is still copper. This means there may be some deterioration of speed over the final part of the journey, although - unlike the main exchange - it's possible to install extra telephone cabinets to keep the distance between the cabinet and customers' homes to a minimum. BT is rolling out a fibre to the cabinet service across the UK which it and other providers are offering packages on.
Can I check what home broadband speed my phone line can support before I sign up?
If you have a non-fibre broadband line, go to the Broadband ASDL Availability Checker and enter your phone number – it will give you a provisional guide to what home broadband speeds your phone line should be able to support based on where you live.
How do I find out what home broadband speed I'm getting?
Try broadband speed checkers such as Speedtest.net – but bear in mind that your broadband speed results may vary by time of day, and accuracy will be affected by anything else you're doing on the computer.
How high a monthly broadband usage cap do I need?
Broadband usage is measured in gigabytes (GB). Some packages have fixed monthly caps which restrict you to a certain number of GB, others are 'unlimited' so you can use as much as you like. Watch out for any fair usage policies though, unlimited does not always mean unlimited.
As a rough guide to what a GB will let you do, in a one month period, 1GB of data would let you would let you browse the internet for 2 hours a day, send and receive 100 emails a week, and download 30 music tracks a week. But bear in mind that according to Ofcom research the average broadband user now eats up 17GB a month.
For a personalised estimate of what you need use the Which? broadband usage calculator.
Why can't I find information on my home broadband ISP in the Which? compare products results pages?
The Which? broadband review provides details of 100+ home broadband packages from more than 15 ISPs - including all the major providers. We report on all providers that we get enough responses on in our regular customer satisfaction survey.
If I have a complaint about my broadband ISP, what should I do?
If you have a complaint first contact your provider. It's sensible to keep records of all your communications with them. If you aren't happy with the response you get after eight weeks you can take it to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme. For broadband this is either Ombudsman Services, or the Communications & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (Cisas). Every broadband provider must belong to one of these complaints schemes you can check on their website which one.