Ask Our Expert

If you have a broadband question, why not write to our Broadband expert, Michael Phillips, get in touch here

Michael Phillips is product director at Broadbandchoices.co.uk and can help with contractual problems, speeding up your broadband or simply choosing the right package.

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Your questions answered

When will Virgin Media double my broadband speed? (10-2-12)

I've heard Virgin Media will soon be increasing my broadband speed. My current package is Broadband M with advertised speeds of "up to 10Mb" - is it true the speed will be doubled? Do I need to do anything? And will it cost me extra?

Broadband for a holiday cottage I rent out (8-2-12)

I want to put broadband into a holiday rental property, but I don’t want visitors to run up phone bills at my expense. Are there any packages for broadband only, with no outgoing calls allowed on the landline?

What is Sky’s half price broadband offer? (30-1-12)

I’m a BT phone and unlimited broadband customer. I’ve already got Sky TV but recently heard about a tempting special offer on Sky broadband. Apparently, I can get unlimited home internet from Sky, half price for 12 months. It sounds too good to be true. Is it?

Can I get LOVEFiLM on my Xbox 360? (25-1-12)

Is it possible to stream movies through LOVEFiLM with an Xbox 360?

What is the fastest broadband I can get? (17-1-12)

My husband and I are moving from a rural area into Bristol city centre. We want to upgrade our broadband when we move. What is the fastest speed we can get? We want a good deal - our new place already has a BT landline if that helps.

Do my kids spend too much time online? (13-1-12)

My three children spend more and more time online. My teenage sons have laptops and even my 11-year-old daughter is on Facebook. I try my best to limit their surfing, but how much time is too much? I’d appreciate your help!

Email from BT asking for account details - is it a scam? (13-1-12)

I have received a number of emails, claiming to be from BT stating that I need to enter my password etc, or else my email service will be disconnected. I have not responded as I presume this is a scam. Can you please confirm whether this is the case?

What is Facebook Timeline? (9-1-12)

What exactly are Facebook timelines, and how might I get one? More importantly, what does it do - and why would I need it? Should I just stick to what I know, or is it worth switching?

Where can I sell unwanted Christmas gifts? (3-1-12)

I’m thinking about selling my unwanted gifts online. Should I just use eBay, or are there better websites out there for this sort of thing? Are things like books, DVDs and socks likely to sell?

What is the best short-term broadband contract? (24-11-11)

I’ve just moved to a new place and need to get broadband. I’d like unlimited access on a short contract as I don’t know how long I’ll be staying. The best deal I’ve found is an unlimited 20Mb deal from Sky. Can you recommend anything else?

Can I tether my Android phone to my laptop? (21-11-11)

I need a cheap broadband connection. I’ve heard it’s possible to use an Android mobile phone, with internet included in its monthly tariff, to surf the web with a laptop. Is this a good alternative to mobile broadband?

How do I top-up my O2 dongle? (18-11-11)

I recently bought an O2 Pay & Go mobile broadband dongle, but don’t know how to top-up my account. Will an O2 phone voucher work? I would find it tricky to top up online. Please help!

What is BT FON? 08-11-11)

I use a BT landline for my home phone, so do I get free BT FON access or does it involve paying more?

How can I keep my kids safe on the internet? (01-11-11)

I have a question about parental controls for the internet. With my two young boys determined to explore the web, how can I make sure they’re safe while using our home broadband?

Do I need a premium dongle? (24-10-11)

Some mobile networks offer two different broadband dongles - a regular one and a “premium” one such as HSPA+, which they say is better. Which one should I buy?

BT Infinity roll-out: should I sign-up? (28-09-11)

I've received a letter telling me that BT Infinity is now available in my area. Should I sign-up?

Why has my broadband speed suddenly dropped? (19-09-11)

Who or what has slowed my broadband speed from around 6Mb to less than 3Mb?

Can I ditch my rollover contract? (19-09-11)

I've just heard that Ofcom has banned rollover contracts - does this mean I can finally get out of mine?

How can I monitor my internet usage? (08-09-11)

I have no idea what my current monthly internet usage is. How do I find it?

When will government money change rural broadband? (06-09-11)

I live in rural Cumbria and have suffered appallingly slow broadband speeds for years while big cities have zoomed ahead.

What broadband and unlimited phone call packages are available?

What broadband and unlimited call packages are available? (17-08-11)

I am looking for a good, cheap deal on a wireless broadband and a landline phone package with anytime calls.

What happens if I move outside the Virgin Media cable area? (12-08-11)

I will be moving from St Ives in Cambridgeshire to Chepstow. However I will be leaving the Virgin Media cable area. What happens to the rest of my contract?

Do I need unlimited broadband? (04-08-11)

I've been going over my 20GB download allowance recently and have been charged for the extra data. Do I need unlimited broadband?

What broadband bundle should we get for our student house? (02-08-11)

I’m about to move into a student house for my second year of university. There will be six of us living together and we want broadband and TV with sports. We are all fairly heavy downloaders and have an Xbox in the house, What’s your advice?

How do I solve my broadband complaint? (26-07-11)

I've been having ongoing problems with my broadband provider that just aren’t getting resolved - and I've had enough of phoning them. I would switch but I still have eight months left on my contract - what can I do now?

What is LLU broadband? (21-07-11)

I'm thinking of switching to TalkTalk but a friend advised against it because TalkTalk is “LLU”. What does this mean and why would it be a problem?

When will I get faster broadband? (12-07-11)

My broadband is usable but not really fast enough to share around the house without noticing that it slows down. How can I find out what speeds are like for other people in my area - and more importantly, when things will get a bit faster?

Is mobile broadband abroad becoming more affordable? (07-07-11)

I've just seen news that roaming charges are coming down - will using mobile broadband abroad really be affordable now?

Broadband speeds at my new postcode (29-06-11)

What broadband speed will I get at my new postcode? And will I still be able to watch online TV and catch-ups?

Is satellite broadband the answer for rural communities? (07-06-11)

I live in a rural community that is stuck on dial up speeds. We've tried mobile broadband and can't get fibre - is satellite broadband the answer?

What is 4G mobile broadband? (02-06-11)

My dongle is disappointingly slow - when will 4G be available so that I can get a decent speed?

Will a premium dongle boost my mobile broadband speed? (25-05-11)

I've heard about “premium dongles” - what are they and would one really help boost my connection?

How can I help my gran get online? (17-05-11)

I want to help my grandmother get online at home - do you have any tips on how I can make it all a bit easier?

Cable vs fibre: what’s the difference? (11-05-11)

I keep hearing about cable broadband and fibre optic broadband - but what’s the difference between them?

Am I getting a good broadband speed? (04-05-11)

I'm on a 20Mb package and I don’t expect to get my advertised speed. But how do I know if I'm getting a good enough broadband speed?

How do I complain about my broadband provider? (26-04-11)

I'm having problems with my internet service provider and want to make a formal complaint. Who should I contact?

How do I keep my details private online? (19-04-11)

I'm worried about personal information being made public on the internet. How I can improve my online privacy and security?

My exchange has been upgraded - why can’t I get BT Infinity? (12-04-11)

My local exchange has been upgraded for BT Infinity but I still can’t sign-up. Why is this?

How do I know what broadband speed I'm getting? (04-04-11)

I've just upgraded to a faster broadband package but can’t tell how fast my connection really is. How can I find out what speed I'm getting now?

Should I use my mobile broadband abroad? (29-03-11)

I am going away to Malaga, Spain for three months. I have purchased a Dell netbook but am confused as to the best mobile broadband provider to go with as I’ll be using it abroad.

How do I get out of my rollover contract? | BroadbandChoices explains

How do I get out of my rollover contract? (21-03-11)

I’ve just tried to switch my broadband and home phone from BT to save money - but have been told that I'm under a “rollover contract” and can’t switch.

Is my wi-fi slowing me down? (15-03-11)

- I have read that microwaves and baby monitors can interfere with my wireless broadband and slow down my speed. What can I do to avoid it?

What broadband speed should I get? | BroadbandChoices.co.uk

What broadband speed should I get? (11-03-11)

- I'm going to switch to a new broadband package but don’t know what speed I should get. Do I really need to pay out for a superfast connection?

How do I switch from Virgin Media to Sky? (28-02-11)

- I'm a Virgin Media broadband customer at the moment but want to move to Sky. How do I switch?

How do I boost my wi-fi signal? | Broadbandchoices Explains

How do I boost my wi-fi signal? (22-02-11)

- I live in a rural area and am getting a really poor connection from my wireless router. I have tried installing a signal repeater but it hasn’t really helped. Is there anything else I can do?

How does fibre optic broadband work? (21-02-11)

- I’m trying to find out more about switching to fibre optic broadband but I don’t understand all the jargon. What’s the difference between fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) - and which one is better?

Virgin Media 30Mb broadband vs BT Infinity 40Mb?

What is net neutrality? (14-02-11)

- I keep seeing the term “net neutrality” but don’t know what it is. Is this something that will affect me? Should I be worried?

How do I switch from BT to Sky? (08-02-11)

- I want to switch from BT to Sky. How do I go about doing this?

Virgin Media 30Mb broadband vs BT Infinity 40Mb? (01-02-11)

- Would I be better off with BT’s 40Mb service, or Virgin Media’s new 30Mb?

How much should I be downloading each month? (24-01-11)

- I've joined BT Broadband with 10GB per month. What if I exceed this?

How can I get a cheap computer? (19-01-11)

- The government has launched a new cheap computer scheme - how much will it cost?

Short contracts: mobile vs fixed-line broadband (10-01-11)

- I need a short contract - should I choose mobile or fixed-line broadband?

What speed will I get from my 20Mb broadband connection? (05-01-11)

- I want to upgrade to a faster connection but what speed will I get?
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I thought I had unlimited broadband? (29-12-10)

- I’ve been told I need to reduce my downloading. Can you recommend a package suitable for a family?
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How can I connect my old laptop to my wi-fi network? (20-12-10)

- My laptop is old and doesn’t have wi-fi - how can I connect it to my wireless broadband?
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BT Infinity vs Virgin Media 100Mb broadband (13-12-10)

- I want superfast broadband - should I choose BT Infinity or Virgin Media’s new 100Mb broadband?
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Should I sign a contract to get a cheap iPad? (07-12-10)

- I’d love to treat myself to an iPad for Christmas but I don’t have £500 to spend right now. Is there any way to get a cheap iPad?
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How much do I download? (29-11-10)

- I'm looking for a new broadband package but I'm not sure what download allowance I need?
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What happens to my email address when I switch provider? (22-11-10)

- My email address is supplied by my broadband provider - will I lose access if I switch?
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Which tablet should I buy? (15-11-10)

- I want to treat myself to a tablet for Christmas. Should I go for the iPad or a different tablet? Are there cheaper alternatives available?
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