Choose from the services available at your full address, then compare their upload and download speeds with what your household does at its busiest times. Full fibre and cable are worth comparing where available; part fibre may also meet your needs, while 5G, fixed wireless and satellite depend on local coverage and conditions. If only distant rooms have trouble connecting, check the home Wi-Fi before paying for a faster broadband package.
When work calls, streaming, gaming and downloads overlap, compare the speeds offered at your address with the household’s busiest period. Ofcom suggests considering ultrafast broadband when several people are online at once.
If a suitable fibre or cable service is unavailable, check whether 5G, fixed wireless or satellite can serve the property. Coverage and the speeds you can expect need checking at the address.
If devices struggle mainly in distant rooms, establish whether the problem is the broadband line or the connection inside the home. Ofcom notes that a slow Wi-Fi test does not necessarily indicate a fault with the line.
Check availability at the full property address before comparing packages. Then match the offered upload and download speeds to activities that happen at the same time, rather than choosing by the advertised maximum alone.
Consider it: When it reaches your property and several people regularly make calls, stream, game or download at once.
Check: Availability is property-specific, and installation may need an appointment or new equipment.
Consider it: When a high-speed wired service is available but a suitable full-fibre offer is not.
Check: Offered speeds and installation requirements vary by address.
Consider it: When its address-specific speeds cover your household’s overlapping activities.
Check: The connection uses copper between the street cabinet and the home, so compare its speed estimates with other available routes.
Consider it: When fixed-line choices are limited and a provider confirms service at your address.
Check: Mobile coverage and performance depend on location and network conditions.
Consider it: When a provider can serve a property with limited suitable wired options.
Check: Predicted speeds, equipment and installation requirements for that property.
Consider it: When suitable wired and fixed-wireless services cannot serve a remote or poorly connected home.
Check: Congestion caveats, equipment siting and any property permissions that apply.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity for overlapping activities | Compare address-specific upload and download estimates with the calls, streams, games and downloads likely to overlap. Ofcom identifies 300 Mbit/s or more as an ultrafast comparison point for several people online at once, not a requirement for every home. | If calls and large downloads happen alongside streaming, I need the connection to accommodate them together; around 33% of consumers put shared capacity first. |
| Service at the property | Check the postcode, then the full address with a provider. Confirm the connection type, predicted speeds and any installation needed; Ofcom notes that actual availability and received speeds can differ from checker predictions. | Before comparing packages, I need to know which service can reach my home and what it is expected to deliver. For around 25% of consumers, address-level suitability comes first. |
| A wireless alternative | Check 5G coverage and eligibility, fixed-wireless serviceability, or satellite availability. Confirm predicted speeds, equipment siting and any installation or property conditions. | With limited wired choices, I need an alternative that can actually serve my property; roughly 25% of consumers make that their primary concern. |
| Wi-Fi around the home | Compare performance near the router with distant rooms and, where practical, test via Ethernet. Check router placement before considering replacement equipment or mesh. | If the connection falters mainly in another room, I want to address coverage rather than change a workable broadband line; around 17% of consumers prioritise in-home Wi-Fi. |
An advertised speed does not establish what can be ordered or received at your property. Ofcom cautions that actual availability and speeds may differ from its checker’s predictions.
Check the full address with the provider, then compare its predicted upload and download speeds and any applicable busy-time and minimum guaranteed speed information.
Full fibre reaches the premises; part fibre uses copper for the final section from the street cabinet, as Openreach explains. The label alone does not tell you the speed offered at your address.
Ask whether the offer is full fibre, cable or part fibre, and compare the provider’s address-specific speed information.
Walls, distance, interference, the router and the device can affect Wi-Fi inside the home even when the broadband line is adequate, according to Ofcom.
Test nearer the router or by Ethernet where practical. If the line is adequate, review router placement before considering a newer router or mesh equipment.
A switch can involve an engineer visit or new equipment, according to Ofcom. Leaving during a minimum contract period may also bring early termination charges.
Check your existing contract and the new provider’s installation steps, including how household devices will reconnect.
A retail provider to check for full-fibre or part-fibre service at your address.
A retail provider to compare where its address checker offers cable or full-fibre packages.
A provider to consider for 5G or 4G home broadband when suitable fixed-line choices are limited.
A satellite option to investigate for a remote or poorly served property.
A network infrastructure company, not a retail broadband provider; its connection descriptions help distinguish full fibre from part fibre.
Choose using the speeds offered at your address and the activities that overlap at busy times. Ofcom describes 300 Mbit/s or more as ultrafast and a useful comparison point when several people are online, stream heavily, game or download large files; it is not a speed every household necessarily needs.
Yes, particularly if household members make video calls, send large files or back up data while others are online. Compare both predicted speeds for the full address rather than selecting by the advertised download figure alone.
Not necessarily: weak Wi-Fi in one part of the home can persist even when the broadband line is adequate. Ofcom identifies router position, distance, walls, interference and device performance as possible factors; test closer to the router or via Ethernet before changing packages.
Check the requirements for your property before arranging installation. For England, the Government’s householder guidance advises checking whether planning permission, listed-building consent or permission from a landlord or owner is needed; requirements depend on the property and area.