Broadband

People sometimes buy the biggest and brashest broadband deal and often, there are massive savings that they can make. Below are a few questions that we should all ask ourselves when we are getting our broadband:

· Do we really need the fastest speeds? A standard broadband with average speeds of 10-11 megabits per second might be fast enough for our needs? Fibre Optic broadband gives around 35 megabits per second. Superfast Fibre Optic reaches 63 megabits per second and Ultrafast gives speeds over 100 megabits per second. So when you are buying your broadband, think about your needs and buy accordingly. Fibre Optic is the standard that you would need if you are doing a lot of streaming and online gaming. Broadband Genie has a tool that will measure the speed of your broadband. This is the results of my (Fibre Optic - wifi) broadband speed test and it is more than enough for heavy streaming. There can be 4 streaming activities taking place simultaneously and there is no dip in performance.

· Switching is easy and takes very little time. There is virtually no interruption to service and you could easily half your bill by switching. And if you want to stay loyal with your provider, broadband and phone providers are the easiest to haggle with

· If something goes wrong, ask for compensation – the main providers have signed a charter committing to compensation if certain things go wrong.

· If you are in trouble with your provider or you think you might struggle with the bill, contact your provider. Ofcom have told firms they must do all they can to keep people's broadband running. Many providers have committed to doing this.

· Watch out for providers rising their prices during the contract. They have to at least warn you in advance.

Credit Records Can Affect Pricing and Availability of Deals

Broadband providers usually carry out a credit check as part of the application process. If you’ve got a poor credit history you can still get a broadband contract, but it might be more expensive. You also might be able to find providers who don’t perform credit checks, which is sometimes the case with short term contracts or mobile broadband.

Not sure what your credit score is? Sites like Credit Karma and Experian allow you to check for free.

No contract broadband

Alternatively, you can opt for a ‘no contract broadband’ - where you're not tied into a minimum term. You are allowed to cancel at any time, so you simply pay for each month you use. Check the set up fees – they can be higher than for other types of broadband contract.

Alternatives To Home Broadband

Home broadband might be the obvious answer to getting online, but it's not the only option you have.

Use your mobile

If you have a mobile phone contract with unlimited data, or a big data limit, you could use your smartphone to access the internet rather than taking out a home broadband contract.

You could potentially save money by cancelling your landline if you have unlimited calls included in your mobile phone package.

Your local library

Not only will your local library have computers you can use with free internet access, they normally have free Wi-Fi which you can connect to with your own devices.

Free Public Wi-Fi Spots

Free Wi-Fi hotspots exist all over the country: in cafes, on trains and around shopping centres. You can usually find somewhere to access free internet while you’re out and about.

Tether your mobile

If you have all you can eat data with your mobile phone contract, you could link your phone to your computer. You can get online that way. It's not the best option if you only have limited data, or use pay as you go, as the data you use while tethering is deducted from your monthly allowance. Also, not all mobile phone contracts will allow tethering.