At BroadbandChoices.co.uk, we regularly get e-mails from students who want advice on the best broadband service for them. Shopping around for a broadband package can be confusing especially if you’re only just starting to pay your own bills for the first time. To help out, we’ve done the homework on how to choose an ISP.
Students have specific needs when it comes to broadband packages. What works in a family situation may not be right for a student who’s about to leave home.
There are a number of things to take into account when you shop around for an internet connection.
The most pertinent question for students is: how long do you think you’ll be living in your current house?
Contract length
If you think you’ll be moving house every three months or taking long holidays between terms, the flexibility of a no-contract internet connection will doubtlessly appeal.
However, if you and your mates are signing a 12 month lease on your flat then a 12 month contract could offer major savings on your broadband. Most providers offer either a 12 or 18 month contract.
With a contract you can expect:
Free modem or router
Less expensive monthly service charges
No activation fee
With no-contract deals you can expect:
Activation fee (approx £40)
Modem or router charge (approx £40)
If you’re prepared to see out the entire length of the contract then it might work out cheaper than a no-contract deal. Move on during your contract and the charges you incur will make it more expensive. If 12 or 18 months is too long to be tied in for you, then go for a no-contract deal.
Provider recommendations
Contract:
Plusnet (www.Plus.net) - speeds of up to 8Mb, £9.99 with free wireless router, free connection, 12 month contract
Madasafish (www.Masdafish.com) - speeds of up to 8Mb, £9.99 per month, £14.99 after six months, free wireless networking kit, free connection, 12 month contract
O2 (www.O2.co.uk/) - speeds of up to 8Mb, £12.50 per month (£7.50 if you’re an O2 mobile phone customer), free wireless router, free connection, 12 month contract
No Contract:
Be Broadband (www.BeThere.co.uk) - Be Unlimited is up to 24Mb, £18 per month with a £24 connection fee, three month contract
PlusNet - speeds of up to 8Mb, £9.99 per month, £40 connection fee without a contract
Eclipse (www.Eclipse.net.uk) - speeds of up to 24Mb, from £12.95 for the first three months, £15.95 thereafter, £47 connection fee without a contract
Sharing a connection
The easiest way for everyone to share the connection in the house is to connect to the internet via a wireless router. Many ISPs (AOL, Eclipse and Madasafish for example) will provide one for free when you sign up to a year’s contract, and they are simple to install. Once you have a broadband connection, your router can support multiple users. Alternatively, if you take the no-contract route, you can also purchase your own router from any computer store.
Download limits
A survey completed by ICM Research showed that 65 per cent of internet users aged 18-24 use their broadband connections daily to download films and music. 21 per cent used the internet for downloads for more than one hour a day.
With this in mind, shop around for packages with unlimited downloads or a high download limit to accommodate your needs.
Don’t forget that with the exception of Sky Broadband's (www.Sky.com) Max product, most packages offering “unlimited” downloads actually have a fair usage policy attached. These can be used to throttle your speed and you may even find that the fair usage limit is smaller than some capped packages.
Bundles for students
A broadband bundle could potentially save you lots of money on your bills. With a student broadband bundle you will get one bill for a mix of home phone calls, digital TV, mobile deals and the broadband connection itself.
A bundle that might interest a house full of boys is Sky’s See, Speak & Surf, which includes TV, broadband and phone services from £17 per month. For a little extra money, you can add additional sports channels to the deal.
For chatterboxes who spend a lot of time on the phone, Tiscali (www.Tiscali.co.uk) also offers a good value home phone, broadband and TV bundle that includes line rental for only £19.99 a month.
With a bundle option, remember to check contract length and exit fees. In some cases, if you cancel your contract before the termination date you may have to pay for your router, activation fee and a cancellation fee which can all add up to £150.
Mobile broadband
You can purchase a USB modem - also known as a “dongle” and use the internet wherever you are. You don’t need a land line which is an advantage but you will have download restrictions. Mobile broadband is best for light internet surfing and emailing.
Mobile broadband is not the best choice for you if you download a lot of music and films. If you exceed your limit you can face charges at a high rate so be careful with your usage. 3 (www.Three.co.uk) mobile broadband offers 1GB for £10 per month or 3GB for £15 and a free dongle - it also offers discounts for 3 mobile phone customers. There are also pay-as-you-go mobile broadband options available.
Legal rights
When disagreements or poor service happens, there are people to help out. Just try to remember to communicate with your ISP about the problem first, taking care to keep notes, dates and names of personnel on all conversations and offered solutions.
If you’re not able to make any headway with your ISP, turn to Cicas or Otelo. Cisas (Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme) was established as an independent adjudication board in 2003, and applying to them is free. Otelo (Office of Telecommunications Ombudsman) provide a free and independent service designed to sort out disagreements between public communications providers and their customers.
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