Home broadband
Two completely different products sold in almost identical language — and the one week of testing that tells you which one you have bought.
Sections on this page
The facts
- Fixed wireless
- 4G/5G router by post
- Fixed line
- Openreach, cable or full fibre
- Decided by
- Mast versus street wiring
- Common confusion
- Assuming good signal means good broadband
What it means for you
| Product | What decides speed | Installation |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wireless router | The nearest mast and how busy it is | None — plug it in |
| Openreach fixed line | Your street’s wiring and the exchange | Engineer or self-install |
| Cable or full fibre | Whether your street is wired for it | Engineer, usually |
Whether your street is cabled has nothing to do with whether your bedroom gets bars. Establish which product is actually being sold to you before you compare a single price.
The facts
- Setup time
- The day it arrives
- Line rental
- None
- Landline
- Not included
- Best placement
- Window facing the mast
- Deciding factor
- The mast, entirely
What it means for you
A box arrives in the post and you have broadband the same day. No engineer, no digging, no line rental. Also no traditional phone line — which matters if somebody in the house still relies on one.
The trade-off is honest and unavoidable: your speed is whatever the nearest mast can spare. Beside a strong, quiet mast it competes with mid-priced fibre. Behind a busy one, evenings sag and nothing indoors will fix it.
- Order inside the distance-selling returns window so you can send it back for nothing.
- Put the router at the window facing the mast — position beats every menu setting.
- Use it for a full week of real evenings, not one quiet afternoon.
- Keep it or return it on the evidence, before the window closes.
The facts
- Savings
- Real, especially multi-line
- Extras seen
- Bonus data, discounted lines, free SIMs
- Side effect
- Leaving feels heavier than it is
- Rule
- Pick mobile on coverage first
What it means for you
Household bundles do save money, particularly where several mobile lines sit alongside broadband. Bonus data, discounted extra lines and free additional SIMs all turn up in these deals.
The trap is emotional rather than financial: one account carrying everything makes leaving feel like a bigger operation than it legally is. It is not. The switching text messages work exactly the same whether you hold one product or five.
The facts
- First
- Which of the three products it is
- Second
- Fixed-line availability at your address
- Third
- Whether a landline is included
- Fourth
- When the returns window closes
What it means for you
- Confirm which product you are being sold — mast or street.
- Check fixed-line availability at your exact address, separately from mobile coverage.
- Ask whether a landline is included if anyone in the house needs one.
- Note the date the returns window closes, and diary it.
Still unsure after reading this?
Ring the desk and we will go through it with you. There is nothing to buy at any stage.