Business internet

With so many UK providers offering multiple options, it can be really difficult to choose a broadband package that suits your requirements. Here are the main factors to consider when buying a home broadband solution.

Average Broadband Download Speed

Up until recently, broadband providers were able to just advertise their ‘Up to’ speed. However, recent regulation now means that they have to show the ‘Average speed’.

The average speed is defined as being the speed that at least 50% of customers get during peak time. The UK government communications regulator, Ofcom, defines peak time as being between the hour of 8pm – 10pm.

Despite the change, the actual speed that you will get will of course depend on a number of factors including:

The type of connection e.g. cable or fibre
How far your home is from the telephone exchange box
The area you live in
The time of day you are using the connection
Generally speaking, the faster the average speed, the more expensive the package will cost. Deciding on what speed you need is determined by what you are using it for.
If you just want to surf the internet and get the odd email then a standard broadband connection may suffice. On the other hand, if you are going to stream music and movies, play online gaming or have a family that uses multiple devices at the same time, then a much faster fibre connection is required.

You can always upgrade your broadband connection if you find it’s too slow but you may incur addition costs if you do this whilst in the middle of your contract period.

Type of Broadband Package

Broadband providers generally offer three types of package:

Broadband only
Broadband and phone
Broadband and phone with TV
As you generally require a phone connection to have broadband, there are only a few that will offer broadband only. When you compare broadband, you’ll find that most packages will automatically include a Wi-Fi router, line rental and some kind of call rate package.
A number of suppliers will also offer a TV bundle on top of the broadband and phone connection. This TV package can vary greatly among providers but usually involves some or all of the following:

The supply of a box that can record multiple hours of TV
The ability for the box to rewind and pause live TV
The ability to watch Freeview channels
The option to subscribe to premium channels such as Sky Sports, BT Sport or movies
The ability to watch catch-up TV and On-Demand programmes
Broadband contract length
Once you sign up to a broadband package, you will have a cooling off period during which time you can cancel. However, if you decide you no longer want the package or wish to switch to a new provider, then you may incur penalty fee charges for cancelling early,

Therefore, it’s important to ensure you are satisfied with the length of the contract you are signing up to and the terms within that contract.

Generally speaking broadband providers offer the following contract options:

12 Month Contract
18 Month Contract
24 Month Contract
No Contract
A no contract option is just that. You pay your fees month to month until you decide you don’t want it. However, a no contract option usually has increased per month cost compared to a longer contract period.
Broadband Set Up Cost

This is the up front cost that the provider charges you to set up the broadband connection and/or the cost of package and posting to get the equipment sent to your home.

Some providers do not charge any set up fee or will sometimes have offers to include the set up free of charge.

Monthly Cost

This is the ongoing monthly fee that you will be paying for your broadband connection.

After deciding all the factors above, you should narrow down your selection to a few packages that meet your requirements. You can then compare the additional features and benefits beyond the main selection criteria.

Extra things to consider are the cost of telephone calls, whether the package includes free weekend or evening calling, the channels available if you opt for a TV package, the functionality of the TV box and the parental controls offered with your broadband connection.

Next Steps

At PocketRate we make it easy to compare broadband packages from the top UK providers. Our easy to use comparison tables enable you to see at a glance all the main factors above in order to help you make a quick decision.

The 5G industrial-grade sim card router is a high-speed industrial IoT router that provides a solution for users to access 5G networks through WIFI or network ports. The 5G industrial-grade router supports SA/NSA dual-mode 5G, provides 4G/5G full Netcom high-speed network services, supports dual-card dual-standby + wired broadband three-channel intelligent redundant backup, making communication safe and reliable. It adopts a high-performance 32-bit ARM processor and has multiple functions such as APN private network, VPN, mandatory portal, and flow control.

The 5G industrial-grade wireless router determines the compatible network standard through the built-in 5G module, which is generally backward compatible with 4G, 3G, and 2G, and will automatically switch in areas with unstable 5G signals.

Industrial-grade 5G routers are generally more stable than civilian-grade 5G wireless routers on the market, and the cost is also higher. Currently widely used in the M2M industry in the IoT industry chain, such as smart life, smart grid, smart transportation, industrial automation, smart buildings, public safety, environmental monitoring, smart agriculture and other fields.

1. The working principle of industrial 5G routers

First insert a tariff card (SIM card) into the 5G router, and dial-up connection through the operator’s 5G network. Users can realize data transmission and high-speed Internet access through the Ethernet port, Wi-Fi, and serial port, and remotely interact with big data transmission.

Second, the characteristics of industrial 5G routers

1. Industrial grade design: 100% industrial grade standard, all EMC indicators meet the standard. The hardware indicators completely follow the industrial-grade standard design, which can better meet the needs of industry and the demand for high-precision remote data transmission. Satisfy 5~35VDC wide voltage, -40~+80ºC cold and high temperature resistance, anti-interference, 24 hours all-weather operation.

2. Small size design: The industrial router adopts a highly integrated design, which is easy to be embedded, and has a variety of network port designs, which is more scalable.

3. Remote upgrade: support remote management, remote firmware upgrade, and remote troubleshooting to facilitate remote management of equipment and greatly reduce maintenance costs.

4. Anti-drop setting: adopt watchdog detection mechanism and hardware multi-level detection to ensure that the device does not crash. Multiple monitoring and guarantee mechanisms ensure that the equipment can remain online permanently.

5. Positioning function: accurate base station positioning, accurate real-time reporting of geographic location information, and support for site positioning applications. The precise positioning function can ensure the accuracy of data transmission and the accuracy of monitoring.

6. 5G industrial routers also have attributes such as scalable interfaces, traffic statistics, and upper-layer application development, which can be used in a wider range of occasions. Function integration and performance development can be carried out according to the needs of different industries.

Szelins provides Industrial-grade 5G Routers which are more stable than other civilian-grade 5G wireless routers in this current market, and the cost is also higher. Industrial 5G Routers also have qualities such as ascendable boundaries, traffic statistics.