Home » UK ISP News Archive » Tips and Guides (34 Posts)

Latest Tips and Guides

A Quick Guide to UK Social Tariffs – Get Broadband from £12 – UPDATE Apr 2026

29th Aug, 2022 (0 Comments)

The cost-of-living crisis is having a horrific impact on the UK and forcing many households into poverty, including those that would have previously been considered secure. But the good news is that a growing number of home broadband ISPs and mobile operators have launched a range of cheaper “social tariffs“.

Solutions for Battery Backup of Fibre Broadband and VoIP Phone

29th Dec, 2021 (52 Comments)

The rapid UK rise in “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband ISP networks and related VoIP style connectivity for home phones has one irritating drawback over older analogue copper phone services – if your house suffers a power cut then your services will all go down. But there are some simple solutions.

Benchmarking Broadband ISP Speed Testers On a 10Gbps Line

29th Aug, 2021 (29 Comments)

At one point or another, most UK people will have probably attempted to run a web-based speed test on their broadband connection, but have you ever wondered how well some of the most popular speed testing services do when confronted by a fully capable 10Gbps (Gigabits per second) service? For a bit of fun, we tried to find out.

The Top 3 Do’s and Don’ts When Broadband ISP Engineers Visit

28th Aug, 2021 (39 Comments)

Over the years we’ve reported a lot on UK consumer experiences with broadband engineers, both good and bad alike. So just for fun we thought it might be interesting to ask a bunch of engineers from different operators what were the top 3 things they really appreciated, and 3 they don’t, when visiting customers.

USB vs WiFi – Tethering 4G Broadband to a Laptop via Android Phones

6th Apr, 2021 (18 Comments)

A lot of UK people have tried tethering their Smartphone’s mobile broadband (4G, 5G) connection to a laptop by using the ‘Wi-Fi Hotspot‘ feature, but not everybody is aware that you can do the same thing by using a wired USB-C cable. As a bit of fun we decided to find out if tethering via a wired link is any better than a wireless one.

How Much Does 1Gbps UK Home Broadband Cost – ISPs Compared

3rd Apr, 2021 (96 Comments)

At present a mass of rival networks are currently deploying gigabit-capable home broadband services across the United Kingdom and, as part of that, we thought it might be interesting to take a snap-shot of how much each ISP charges for their top 1Gbps (average 900Mbps+) tier. In the future we’ll look back on this to see how they change.

Internet Download High Speed Concept Illustration. 1 Gbps in Focus. Global Broadband Networks Speed 3D.

Why Buying Gigabit Broadband Doesn’t Always Deliver 1Gbps UPDATED

27th Dec, 2020 (47 Comments)

As the level of “gigabit capable” UK broadband ISP network coverage continues to rapidly expand then more and more people are now finding out what those working within telecoms and computer networking have known for a long time – being able to get or harness the full 1000Mbps (1Gbps) isn’t always possible.. yet.

optical_fibre_black_broadband_cable_illustration

Summary of UK FTTP Broadband Build Progress by ISP UPDATE407

30th Apr, 2020 (16 Comments)

A couple of years ago we published a ‘Summary of FTTP Rollout Plans‘ and since then many more alternative network (altnet) ISPs have entered the UK market. As such we felt as it might be useful to produce a more comprehensive update on current progress and providers for 2020 and beyond (we’ll try to keep this up-to-date).

How to Choose an External 4G or 5G Mobile Broadband Antenna

11th Apr, 2020 (75 Comments)

Most of us are lucky enough to live within reach of a fairly strong UK mobile broadband (3G, 4G or 5G) network signal but that isn’t true everywhere, particularly in some remote rural areas. Sometimes the best way to receive a stronger signal is to try installing your own external antenna, but knowing what to get can be tricky.

Is UK 5G Mobile Dangerous to Human Health? A Fact Check

7th Feb, 2020 (89 Comments)

Lately we’ve heard a lot of remarks like this: “5G harms human health“, “5G kills bees“,”5G causes cancer“, “overwhelming evidence says 5G is dangerous” and “we have no evidence this technology is safe.” Such statements are often being repeated in opposition to new UK mobile masts, but are they right and should we be concerned.

Identifying BT and Virgin Media’s Broadband Street Furniture 2020

27th Dec, 2019 (24 Comments)

One of the most common requests we receive comes from UK readers who would like help in identifying the street furniture (cabinets and poles etc.) that has been installed outside of their homes, not least whether or not it relates to broadband connectivity. Hopefully this guide will help to answer such questions.

Swapping to Broadband VoIP from a UK Copper Home Phone Line

23rd Apr, 2019 (35 Comments)

The way people use home phone services is changing and many of us will eventually end up replacing our old analogue voice service with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) alternative, which uses your broadband ISPs internet connection to make calls. But how do you set it up and move (port) your number? We explain.

A Comparison of Home Broadband Router Specs from the Big UK ISPs

28th Dec, 2018 (44 Comments)

Which of the UK’s largest home broadband ISPs give you the best wireless router hardware for your internet and home connectivity needs? We take a brief look at the options and specification sheets from BT, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Sky Broadband, Zen Internet, Hyperoptic, Vodafone and KCOM to compare key features.

2018 Update – VDSL Router Choices for UK FTTC Fibre Broadband ISPs

9th Jun, 2018 (16 Comments)

Today we’re publishing a new summary to show some of the best home routers with integrated VDSL2 modems, which are designed to be used with superfast “fibre broadband” offering ISPs that use the superfast Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technology (e.g. BT, TalkTalk, Sky Broadband, Vodafone, Plusnet etc.).

UK Broadband ISP Savings in a Piggy Bank

Retentions – Tips for Cutting Your Broadband Bill Without Switching ISP

19th Apr, 2017 (6 Comments)

Sometimes the easiest way to save money on your broadband and phone service isn’t by switching to a different ISP. In fact many of the UK’s largest providers operate a dedicated retentions department and if you know what you’re doing then it’s often possible to save a little money.

Tips and Advice for UK Students Choosing a New Broadband ISP

17th Aug, 2016 (4 Comments)

Over the next few weeks students in higher education from across the United Kingdom will slowly begin returning to temporary accommodation, which is usually nearby to their chosen college or university. Some will get broadband by default (campus connection), but others will need to choose their own ISP.

11 Top Tips for Boosting Your Home Wi-Fi Wireless Network Speeds

7th Apr, 2015 (5 Comments)

Sigh, it happened again, I was in the middle of streaming a movie over the home WiFi network while simultaneously making toast in the kitchen, and suddenly it stopped. Moments later a little icon pops up to torment me with the news, “Internet Connection Lost!“, it exclaims while clearly oblivious to my snorting sounds of frustration. Where did it go? Who took my Internet? And if its lost, how can I find it again?