As we spend more and more of our lives online - managing our money and doing our shopping - we're more likely to encounter problems. Viruses, scams and other cyber-crimes are continuing to become more common. So what's the best way to stay safe online? Let's take a look.
1. Install anti-virus software
Anti-virus software is a must if you use Windows (less so for Macs, Chromebooks, phone and tablets). It doesn't just protect you against viruses you can get though email attachments or dodgy downloads; it protects against all malware - any software designed with malicious intent. This includes nasties like spyware that steals your passwords, and ransomware, which locks down your computer unless you pay up.
Free anti-virus software from your broadband provider
A lot of the best broadband providers give you a free, or cheap, anti-virus subscription as part of their deal. If yours is on this list, make sure you take them up on the offer:
BT: with BT you get the McAfee powered BT virus Protect. You can install it on two or up to 15 machines, depending on your package. You also get Web Protect, which checks websites you visit are safe, and True Key, a secure password manager you can install on five devices.
EE: EE Home Broadband gives you a year's subscription to Norton Security Premium for up to 10 devices. After that it costs £39.99 a year, half the normal price.
Plusnet: Plusnet Protect, from McAfee, is free for Unlimited and Unlimited Fibre Extra customers. On the standard Unlimited Fibre deal you'll need to pay an extra £2 a month for your virus protection. You can install it on up to seven PCs.
Sky Broadband: on one of Sky's Unlimited deals you get a 12 month free trial of the McAfee Internet Security suite for up to three PCs. On the limited packages you get three months. Once the trial is up you can keep it going for £3 extra a month.
TalkTalk: with TalkTalk you get HomeSafe, an award winning online security package. This combines some virus protection and parental controls. It isn't a full anti-virus tool, though.
Virgin Media: Virgin Media Security is worth £39.95 a year, but is free to all Virgin Media broadband customers. It gives you full anti-virus coverage for up to three PCs.
Vodafone: with Vodafone you get a free six month sub to F Secure SAFE anti-virus package for up to five devices. After that, you can subscribe for £39.99 a year - half the normal price.
NOW Broadband: with NOW you get the Broadband Buddy service. This helps to protect you against malware-infected sites, but isn't a full anti-virus package.
If your supplier isn't on the list, there's loads of free anti-virus tools you can get instead. Bitdefender and Avast are among the most highly rated.
Malware isn't just a concern for those who browse the murkier reaches of the internet. Perfectly benign, mainstream websites can become compromised, and even ads can be crafted to try and do bad things without you even needing to click on them.
2. Keep your software updated
It's so tempting to turn off automatic software updates. They always pop up at the worst possible time, and if it happens to be a Windows update you can write off the next half hour waiting for it to finish.
Except, software updates are really important. Especially the Windows ones.
They don't just bring new features or improved performance, they make your computer more secure. Bugs in software can create the kind of security risks that malware thrives upon. Not only do they allow the malware into your system, they can also enable it to spread from one machine to another.
Updates shut down these vulnerabilities. At the very least, don't turn off updates to Windows or your web browser, such as Google Chrome. Better still, allow all your apps to update as they need to.
3. Learn how to recognise online scams
Malware is designed to exploit weaknesses in computer systems, but the truth is the weakest points of all are us, the users. You can lock down your laptop but it won't stop someone trying to trick you into handing over your passwords.
Phishing scams, as they're called, have moved on a lot since the days of the Nigerian prince who wanted to send you tens of millions of dollars. They're now a whole lot more sophisticated and difficult to spot. And it isn't just online that you need to be wary. You might get a text message purporting to be from your mobile network, or you could get a scam call from your broadband provider.
So, how do you spot scams? Here's a few tips:
Spelling and grammar mistakes in emails are a dead giveaway. Also, does the email greet you by name or a generic title?
Beware of emails demanding urgent action. Scammers try to scare you into responding, like telling you there's been a security alert on your account, or you're overdrawn, and you must log in to fix it.
Be wary of links in emails. Don't assume that the link is going to take you where you think it will.
Or just don't click links at all. Instead of clicking a link to one of your online services, manually type their address into your browser instead. Or pick up the phone and give them a call.
If it sounds suspicious, it probably is. If you didn't buy a lottery ticket, you didn't win the lottery.
Don't assume a fancy website means that a site is reputable. This is a rule to follow when shopping online, too.
Anti-virus software and web browsers will help you to sniff out phishing scams. What better reason to keep them up to date?
4. Use better passwords
We all know the importance of using strong passwords and not re-using them. But it can be difficult, since strong passwords are so much harder to remember. There are three things to try to make your life easier:
Think in terms of passphrases instead of passwords. A sentence of eight random words is easier to remember - and type - than a password of eight random characters, but it's just as hard to crack.
Consider using a password manager. Don't save your passwords in your web browser, use a dedicated password manager instead. This saves all your logins under a single, more secure password. With BT Broadband, the True Key offers exactly this feature and is worth trying out. Alternatively, take a look at LastPass or 1Password, both of which are free.
Use two factor authentication. A large and growing number of services offer two factor authentication. When you log in you need to enter both your password and a second, unique code sent to your phone via an app or text message. It's a lot more secure.
5. Keep an eye on your privacy
Finally, keep an eye on how much information you're sharing online. If you use social networks you're probably sharing a lot more than you realise. Check the Privacy section in Facebook and other services to lock them down, and make sure your kids do this, too.
And speaking of kids, most broadband providers offer some form of parental controls that you can use to manage what people can see, or how long they can go online. These are worth setting up, but remember that they are by no means foolproof.
If you're switching broadband and plan to take advantage of a Black Friday offer, then let us help you with a round-up of the home broadband deals that are available to you over this sale weekend (and beyond).
The availability of some of these deals will depend on where you live, so be sure to use our postcode checker to see what's available in your area.
BT's Black Friday offerings include reduced-price broadband and reward vouchers ranging from £70 to a whopping £140, depending on the package you opt for. Packages are on an 18 month contract with truly unlimited broadband and weekend calls on most deals. There are various broadband and TV combinations, with offered speeds averaging at 10Mb for standard broadband up to 67Mb on Superfast Fibre 2. Offer ends at midnight on the 26th of November.
EE's offer drops the monthly price of your broadband, and gives EE mobile customers a boost to their data allowance. The normal offer is 5GB, but for Black Friday that's been increased to a very tempting 20GB of mobile data. Prices start from £20 a month, with average speeds at 10Mb for standard broadband, 36Mb for Fibre and 67Mb for Fibre Plus. All EE broadband deals are on an 18 month contract, come with truly unlimited downloads and no activation fee, and Anytime calls are available for an extra £5 a month. Offer ends at midnight on the 4th of December.
First Utility are offering a discount that makes their packages some of the cheapest on the market. You can get a deal from £16.99 a month with average speeds of 11Mb on standard broadband, 35Mb on Fibre and 63Mb on the fastest Fibre product. All packages are on an 18 month contract with no activation fees, truly unlimited downloads and a range of call packages. Offers end at 2pm on the 6th of December.
If you live in a Hyperoptic-enabled area, then you can get some excellent hyperfast deals from them, and you don't even need a landline (though there are call options available should you need them). Reduced prices start from just £15 a month, and as Hyperoptic are a full-fibre provider then your expected speeds should be pretty close to their advertised average speeds of 30Mb, 150Mb and 900Mb! All of Hyperoptic's offers come on a 12 month contract, are truly unlimited and have no activation fees. Offer ends midnight on the 5th of December, and be sure to use the BLACKFRIDAY code at checkout to take advantage of the offer.
NOW Broadband's sale includes money off your broadband and comes with the Anytime call package for free (which usually costs an extra £8 a month). Prices start at £18 a month, and average speeds are 11Mb for standard broadband, 36Mb for Fibre and 63Mb for Super Fibre. They've also added extra Broadband and TV combos, so you can now get your choice of broadband with a discount on both the Sky Cinema and Sky Sports passes, as well as the existing offer on the Entertainment pass. All offers are on a 12 month contract, are truly unlimited and the only upfront costs to pay are £9.99 for postage and packaging for the inclusive router. Offer ends midnight on the 6th of December.
Plusnet have a £75 reward card available on their broadband plus phone bundles, as well as reduced monthly prices. Grab a deal from £18.99 a month with average speeds of 10Mb on standard broadband, 36Mb on Fibre and 66Mb on Fibre Extra. All of their Black Friday deals are on an 18 month contract with a fixed price guarantee, are truly unlimited with no activation fees and offer a choice of phone packages. Offer ends midnight on the 27th of November.
TalkTalk have reduced the price of all their packages for Black Friday, with prices starting from just £17 a month and TV packages are available. Average speeds are 11Mb for standard Fast Broadband, 36Mb for Faster Fibre, and 63Mb for the Faster Fibre speed boost. Fast Broadband packages come on a 12 month contract, with the rest on 18 months, and all come with fixed price broadband. Some packages have no activation, while others do come with TV box costs. Offers end at midnight on November the 29th.
Virgin Media have some select offers on for Black Friday, with their lowest ever prices for VIVID 100 plus phone package at only £25, the Full House TV bundle with VIVID 100 at £45 a month, and the VIP TV bundle (that has all the bells and whistles) with VIVID 350 at £75 a month. As Virgin provide their services over cables installed to your building, average speeds can surpass their advertised speeds. Virgin's deals are all unlimited, on a 12 month contract and come with Weekend calls included. There's also a £25 activation fee. Offers end midnight on the 26th of November.
For many universities Freshers Week is underway, meaning that term starts soon. If you're returning to your student house or about to move in to a new house share, now's the time to snap up those last minute student broadband offers!
If you'll be sharing your internet connection with a group of friends then superfast broadband is a must have, and in most areas that means fibre-to-the-cabinet services, like TalkTalk Faster Fibre.
You'll need that faster speed if you're planning to watch streaming video services like iPlayer, Netflix, Prime Video or NOW TV - especially if your housemates will be streaming at the same time as you. Then add online coursework submission, gaming and cloud storage like iCloud, DropBox and OneDrive, and fibre broadband begins to look like an essential for your student house.
For just £30 a month you'll get unlimited fibre broadband with an average download speed of 36Mb*, the price is fixed for the entire length of the 12 month contract and there's no upfront cost if you already have a phone line installed.
If you need higher download speeds, you can opt for the Speed Boost for only £2.50 extra per month and gain an average download speed of 63Mb*.
To sweeten the deal, we've teamed up with TalkTalk to offer an exclusive £100 reward**; either a Great British Pub Card, The Restaurant Card, a Tesco voucher or an Amazon gift card - just sign up online for one of the TalkTalk Faster Fibre student deals via Broadband.co.uk by the 27th of September!
* Speeds only available in fibre-enabled areas. Average speeds are based on those achieved by 50% of customers during peak hours of 8pm to 10pm. Your broadband speed will vary depending on factors such as your location and distance from the street cabinet (your exact speed estimate will be given at point of sale). Use our postcode checker to find what speeds are available in your area.
** Choice of £100 voucher available to new customers when your purchase TalkTalk Faster Fibre for Students or Faster Fibre with Speed Boost for Students through Broadband.co.uk via our exclusive giftcloud voucher sign-up page before 27th of September 2018. Orders completed through webchat or via telesales are not eligible. You must provide your email address. It will take up to 90 days from purchase for your voucher code to be emailed. Further terms and conditions apply, click through for full details.
For just £37.50 a month for the first 9 months (then £56.50 for the remainder of the 18 month contract), you can get the TV and Sports package plus a Faster Fibre broadband connection with free activation* when you sign up online!
The TalkTalk TV package with Sports Boost gives you access to:
8 Sky Sports channels including Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports football and Sky Sports F1
FREE TV box
80+ Freeview channels, with 15 in HD
On Demand, including iPlayer, ITV Player and All4
Rent the latest blockbuster movies from only £4
TV Select, with 15 of the nation's favourite channels, including 6 Sky channels
Personalise your package by adding extra channels like Kids TV and Sky Cinema on a flexible one month contract
The Faster Fibre broadband package comprises of:
Average download speeds of 35Mb*
Totally unlimited download allowance
Free WiFi Hub, twice as fast as the old Super router
Guaranteed fixed price for the length of your contract
Only pay for the calls you use, though phone packages are available if needed, with the option to add mobile calls for just £7.50 a month
This amazing offer is only running for one more week, so make sure you hurry and sign up for the Faster Fibre with Sky Sports Boost before time runs out!
* Offer only available in fibre-enabled areas. Broadband speed will vary depending on your location (your exact speed estimate will be given at point of sale). Average speeds are based on what 50% of customers can achieve during peak hours of 8pm to 10pm. Use our postcode checker to find what speeds are available in your area. You need to connect your TalkTalk TV Box to the internet and your TV aerial. Post and packaging fee of £9.95 applies. Offer ends 2018-08-16.
TalkTalk's low-price offers on broadband are now even better with their new WiFi Hub.
The WiFi Hub, worth £120, can be selected at the point of purchase instead of the current TalkTalk Super Router. It offers several improvements over the older model, including:
Simple set up - the hub comes pre-configured, so you only need to plug it in and switch it and you're good to go
Twice as fast - the WiFi connection on the new hub is twice as fast as the Super Router
Connect more devices - the Super Router allowed you to connect 1-4 devices, this has been increased to up to 9 devices on the WiFi Hub
Stable connection - the hub uses advanced technology that helps break through interference, making the connection more stable throughout the home
Smart WiFi - the hub recognises connected devices and adjust the signal to give them the best speeds for their needs
Of course, you'll be wanting a broadband package to go along with this fantastic WiFi Hub, and TalkTalk have some great offers on right now. Sign up before the end of the 13th of July and get a TalkTalk fibre deal from just £22.50 a month on an 18 month contract! Your chosen package will come with:
Fast, totally unlimited broadband with speeds with speeds averaging at 35Mb, or 63Mb* if it's available in your area
Guaranteed fixed price for the full 18 month contract
FREE activation when you sign up online
Phone packages are available on all deals with the option to add mobile calls for just £7.50 a month
If fibre isn't available in your area yet you can still get TalkTalk's standard Fast Broadband package. For just £17 a month on a 12 month contract you can get speeds that average at 11Mb* along with the other features available with fibre packages.
You could also throw a TV package into the bundle, as TalkTalk offer TV options* with all their broadband packages. You'll get the benefits that come with broadband, along with:
80+ Freeview channels, with 15 in HD
On Demand, including iPlayer, ITV Player and All4
Rent the latest blockbuster movies from only £4
TV Select, with 15 of the nation's favourite channels, including 6 Sky channels
Personalise your package by adding extra channels like Kids TV, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports on a flexible one month contract
Or you can go with TalkTalk's TV Plus package* and get extra features, such as:
* Broadband speed will vary depending on your location (your exact speed estimate will be given at point of sale). Use our postcode checker to find what speeds are available in your area. TalkTalk TV or TV Plus box required, cost £25. You need to connect your TalkTalk TV Box to the internet and your TV aerial. Offer ends 2018-07-13.
TalkTalk's Big Broadband sale just got bigger with further reductions on their previous low-price offers!
The standard Fast Broadband package is now just £17 a month on a 12 month contract. You can get:
Totally unlimited broadband with average speeds of 11Mb*
Guaranteed fixed price for the full 12 month contract
FREE activation when you sign up online
Sign up before the end of the 31st of May and get a TalkTalk fibre deal from just £24 a month on an 18 month contract! You'll get the same as you would on the Fast Broadband package, as well as average speeds of 35Mb, or 63Mb* if it's available in your area. You can also enjoy upload speeds with an average of 9Mb, perfect for sharing videos and gaming!
As standard you'll only pay for the calls you use, but if you regularly use your land line for calls phone packages are available on all deals with the option to add mobile calls for just £7.50 a month.
Why not grab a TV package** to go with your chosen broadband package? TalkTalk TV packages come with:
80+ Freeview channels, with 15 in HD
On Demand, including iPlayer, ITV Player and All4
Rent the latest blockbuster movies from only £4
TV Select, with 15 of the nation's favourite channels, including 6 Sky channels
Personalise your package by adding extra channels like Kids TV, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports on a flexible one month contract
Want more TV? TalkTalk's TV Plus package** has extra features, such as:
* Broadband speed will vary depending on your location (your exact speed estimate will be given at point of sale). Average speeds are based on what 50% of customers can achieve during peak hours of 8pm to 10pm. Use our postcode checker to find what speeds are available in your area.
** TalkTalk TV or TV Plus box required, cost £25. You need to connect your TalkTalk TV Box to the internet and your TV aerial.
Fast Broadband offer ends 2018-07-12. Faster Fibre offer ends 2018-05-31.
If you're looking to refresh your broadband deal along with your regular Spring cleaning, then why not take a look at TalkTalk's latest low-price offers?
Sign up before the end of the 17th of May and get a TalkTalk fibre deal from just £25 a month on an 18 month contract! Your chosen package will come with:
Fast, totally unlimited broadband with speeds of up to 38Mb, or 76Mb* if it's available in your area
Guaranteed fixed price for the full 18 month contract
FREE activation when you sign up online
Upload speeds increased from 2Mb to 10Mb
Phone packages are available on all deals with the option to add mobile calls for just £7.50 a month
Fibre not available in your area yet? Don't worry, TalkTalk have you covered with their Fast Broadband package. For just £18.95 a month on a 12 month contract you can get speeds of up to 17Mb* along with the other features available with fibre packages.
Want to throw a TV package into the mix? TalkTalk offer TV options* with all their broadband packages. You'll get the benefits that come with broadband, along with:
80+ Freeview channels, with 15 in HD
On Demand, including iPlayer, ITV Player and All4
Rent the latest blockbuster movies from only £4
TV Select, with 15 of the nation's favourite channels, including 6 Sky channels
Personalise your package by adding extra channels like Kids TV, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports on a flexible one month contract
Or you can go with TalkTalk's TV Plus package* and get extra features, such as:
* Broadband speed will vary depending on your location (your exact speed estimate will be given at point of sale). Use our postcode checker to find what speeds are available in your area. TalkTalk TV or TV Plus box required, cost £25. You need to connect your TalkTalk TV Box to the internet and your TV aerial. Offer ends 2018-05-17.
We've got an exclusive offer from TalkTalk that's only available through Broadband.co.uk, but you only have until the end of Thursday to take advantage!
Sign up before the end of the 15th June to get the TV Plus with Fast Broadband package for just £23.75 a month. That's only £3.75 more than you'd pay for the standard broadband and phone deal. It comes with a 12 month contract, and there are no extra costs to pay: the price includes line rental, there's no setup fee, and you even receive a FREE TV Plus box.
Better still, the deal is not just for new customers. Loyal TalkTalk customers can also take advantage of this incredible offer by adding TV Plus to their existing service.
Fast, totally unlimited broadband with speeds up to 17Mb*
Free TV Plus box (normally £50) — pause, rewind and record up to 180 hours of TV
Free connection
Guaranteed fixed price for the full 12 month contract
Six entertainment channels from Sky, including Sky 1 and Sky Sports News, plus up to 80 Freeview channels
You can personalise your package by adding extra channels like Sky Cinema and Sky Sports on a flexible one month contract
Also included is a free TalkTalk Mobile SIM card, and the option to add both mobile and landline call packages.
This fantastic exclusive offer ends in less than a week, so don't delay, sign up by the end of Thursday the 15th June or miss out on big savings on internet and TV!
* Package advertised with broadband speeds of up to 17Mb, this will vary depending on your location (your exact speed estimate will be given at point of sale). Use our postcode checker to find what speeds are available in your area. This TV offer does not apply to Fibre products. You need to connect your TalkTalk TV Box to the internet and your TV aerial. Offer ends 2017-06-15.
Loyal customers who stick with their broadband provider end up paying on average 43% more than if they had switched.
Research by Citizens Advice has cast a light on the way the major providers hike their prices once a contract has ended. Customers who choose to keep their existing deal instead of shopping around find themselves paying an average of £113 extra each year in what has been dubbed a "loyalty penalty".
Citizens Advice analysed the cheapest broadband deals from the UK's five largest suppliers. They found that Virgin Media was the only one that did not bump its prices at the end of the initial contract period. The other four saw increases of as much as 67%.
BT - the price rises from £24.49 to £40.99 after 12 months. An increase of 67%, amounting to £198 per year.
TalkTalk - the price goes from £20 to £25.50 after 24 months. An increase of 28%, or £66 per year.
Sky - after 12 months the price rises from £18.99 to £28.99. An increase of 53%, or £120 per year.
EE - the price rises from £21 to £28.50 after 18 months. An increase of 36%, amounting to £90 extra per year.
Virgin Media - the cheapest deal is £32.25 per month for 12 months. The price doesn't rise at the end of the contract.
The report found that more than a third of customers didn't realise that prices could go up once their contract had ended. It also found that customers stay on the same deal for an average of four years, which ends up costing them as much as £594 extra.
Those over 65 or on lower incomes were significantly more likely to stick with a deal for more 10 years.
Time to switch
The study highlights the fact that it's more important than ever to shop around for the best broadband deal. Our Ofcom-approved price comparison service helps you find the best and cheapest packages available for your postcode.
Switching broadband providers is easier than you might expect. In most cases, your new provider will handle all aspects of the switchover. You should experience no loss of service, and you won't even need to inform your old supplier that you're leaving. Read our guide to switching broadband providers to see how the process works.
Citizens Advice is calling for greater clarity in how providers advertise their services, and also to inform customers by text when the fixed price comes to an end.
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said, “People often choose their broadband deals based on the price that works for them - but our evidence shows that many do not realise the price will rise after the end of the fixed deal. The government has rightly put energy firms on warning for how they treat loyal customers - the actions of broadband firms warrant similar scrutiny. Extra protections for vulnerable consumers are also a must.”
The moral of the story is clear: loyalty doesn't pay. Once your contract is up, find a new provider. There are some incredible deals to be had on both standard and fibre broadband, and if you're lucky you might even bag an awesome free gift at the same time.
If you find broadband speeds confusing, you're not alone. What speed broadband providers advertise and what you actually get are rarely the same thing. The ASA has recently announced that it will be taking steps next year to bring clarity to the entire issue.
But that's a way off. In the meantime there are steps you can take to ensure you achieve speeds closer to what you were expecting.
You may not know that your Wi-Fi router can have a massive impact on the internet speeds you get throughout your home. Since the provider supplies the router we tend to assume that they're automatically good enough. But that isn't always true - sometimes they're old or slow, and not capable of handling a superfast broadband connection.
In these cases, upgrading to a more powerful router can help speed up your broadband dramatically.
How a new Wi-Fi router can help
Let's start with the technical bit.
The performance of a router is determined by the wireless standard that it uses. The best modern routers use the latest standard, called 802.11ac. It's the fastest available, and it runs on the 5GHz band which is clean and interference free.
802.11ac superceded the 802.11n standard. This is much slower - perhaps half or even a third of the speed - and it commonly runs on the 2.4GHz band which is much more prone to interference from other electrical devices in your home. As a result, the signal is not just slower but it gets much weaker the further it travels.
The router as a bottleneck
Many broadband providers supply an N-rated router with their packages, and it may not be up to the job. Tests show that 802.11n routers have a real world top speed of 50-100Mb, at close range. At a distance of 20 metres, and with a few obstacles like walls and floors in the way, that speed can be slashed in half - or worse.
So, if you've got a high-end fibre package and are getting speeds of 50Mb or more, then an N-rated router simply won't cut it. Your broadband is faster than your router, and the router becomes a bottleneck. Even on an entry-level fibre deal, with speeds of 25Mb, you'll be pushing it. You might find you get good speeds downstairs, but that they fall off sharply in the bedrooms.
In both cases, upgrading to an AC-rated router is likely to give you a major speed boost. The exception is standard broadband. Here, the speeds top out at 16Mb, and in practice are usually somewhat slower. An N-rated router should be able to handle this.
An easy way to check if you're affected is to use our free Speed Test tool. Stand next to your router and run the test on your laptop. Then head to the furthest corner of your house and run it again. If there's a major discrepancy in your results then it could be a sign that you need to upgrade your router. (Or it could mean you need to find a better position for your router.)
Do you need a new router?
You can see why a slow router can mean you don't get the broadband speeds you were expecting. So do you need to upgrade?
When you're shopping for broadband deals, all our comparison tables have icons to show what kind of router you're getting. Click the More Info button to see whether there's an option to upgrade to a better router when you sign up.
What router do you get?
Many of the major providers now supply AC-rated routers with all their packages. This includes TalkTalk, Vodafone and Virgin, while Sky also provides the new Sky Q Hub if you are a TV customer.
BT, Plusnet and EE supply 802.11ac routers with their fibre packages, and N-rated routers with standard broadband. BT offers a paid upgrade for standard broadband customers, but the other two don't.
Origin customers get an N-rated router, and need to pay at checkout to upgrade to a faster AC-rated unit.
If you've been with a provider for some time it's possible you're still using an older N-rated router and aren't getting the fastest possible speeds from your broadband. In this case it's worth checking with the provider to see if they'll swap your router for a newer model for free. Some may give you one in exchange for you signing a new contract. Just make sure you know exactly what you're getting, and that you aren't charged or placed on a new contract without knowing.
Lastly, a handful of providers, including Plusnet, Zen and Origin, allow you to use own router, so you can shop around and check independent reviews to get the best model for your needs.
The router is a frequently overlooked part of the broadband service. It's natural to assume that broadband problems are the fault of the provider, but the reality is that if your router is too slow you can easily be cutting your internet speed in half without even realising.
Give your router a quick check now to see if you would benefit from an upgrade.
