WiFi Price

Fibre carries data as pulses of light through thin glass strands, while cable broadband uses coaxial cable, the same family of wiring long used for television signals. Capacity on a cable segment is usually shared among the homes connected to it, so slowdowns can appear at busy hours, and upload is often lower than download. Fibre is generally good at holding a steady connection. Real behaviour depends on the provider and your location, so ask which connection type will be installed at your exact address.

No, a higher Mbps number does not always mean a better experience. Mbps describes capacity, like the width of a road, and does not make any single page or call faster. Your experience also depends on WiFi quality, latency, how many devices are in use, device limits and busy-hour conditions on shared networks. Describe your household first, count simultaneous users and the heaviest activity, and then choose a capacity with some headroom instead of simply the largest number on offer.

Download speed is how fast data reaches your device from the internet, and upload speed is how fast data leaves your device. Browsing, streaming and receiving files rely mainly on download, while video calls, cloud backups, sending large files and online cameras rely on upload. Many connections offer much lower upload than download, and some plans are symmetrical. If a plan page lists only one number, ask for the other, and ask for both figures in writing before you decide.

Your WiFi can be slower than the plan figure because of distance from the router, walls, interference from neighbouring networks, older devices that support only slower WiFi standards and many users sharing the capacity at once. Network overhead and limits at the website's end also reduce results. To find the cause, test with a cable from a laptop to the router, then repeat on WiFi in your usual room, at different times of day. The gap shows whether the line or the home network is responsible.

A fair usage policy is a rule that allows a plan to be called unlimited while placing a threshold on heavy use. After you cross the stated amount of data in a billing cycle, speed is usually reduced for the rest of that cycle, so the connection keeps working but video may buffer and big downloads take longer. Read the word unlimited together with the policy. Ask for the exact threshold in gigabytes, the reduced speed, the reset date and how to check your usage.

There can be. Possible items include an installation or activation charge, cable length beyond what is included, equipment that may be sold, rented or lent, a security deposit, documentation fees, a charge for a static address and taxes that may be added on top of the monthly amount. None is wrong in itself, but each should be clear before you agree. Ask for every charge by name, ask whether it is included, charged separately or waived, and request the answers in writing.

A lock-in period is a minimum time you agree to stay with a service, and leaving earlier may involve a charge or the loss of a benefit. Not all plans have one. Ask whether a lock-in applies, how long it runs and when it starts, what the early exit charge is and how it is calculated, whether it restarts when you change plans or move home, whether the plan renews automatically and how much notice you must give. Keep the written answers.

Some providers allow you to use your own router and some do not, or they may limit support if you do. Ask before installation whether your own router is permitted, whether support will still be given, and whether the supplied router is included, rented or sold. Also check that your router suits the connection type your provider installs. Get the answer in writing, along with the equipment return rules.