Business Journalist
If it wasn't already obvious, the Covid-19 pandemic has made clear just how
important it is to have a good home internet connection.
But if youâre looking to improve your Work From Home life - or even your
streaming video binge - there are a few things to consider, and watch out for,
when choosing a new service.
Home out of range?.
The first thing you need to do when weighing up your broadband options is to
see what - if any - services are available in your area.
Broadband coverage is slowly improving in Ireland, but there are still plenty
of homes and businesses that do not have access to a connection.
According to the Department of Communications at the end of last year, almost
553,000 premises were not served by a commercial provider - representing more
than 23% of all premises in the country.
As a rule of thumb, the more rural the area the fewer broadband options it is
likely to have.
Assuming you can get online in some way, you can see how your home fares by
putting your address or Eircode into comparison services like:
www.bonkers.ie
www.switcher.ie
If youâre in one of the homes without a connection, you could hang tight for
the National Broadband Plan to come your way, though in some cases it will be
2027 before that connection is up and running.
In the meantime the only option for some may be mobile or satellite-based
broadband - which have their own challenges. Others may simply have no option
at all.
Need for Speed.
Assuming you have providers to choose from, the next step is identifying which
offer is best suited to your needs.
Speed tends to be the major differentiating factor when it comes to broadband -
but knowing what speed youâll need can be hard to figure out.
For some context, Netflix recommends a connection of *at least* 5 megabits per
second (5 Mbps) when streaming HD video.
That would also be the kind of baseline you should be looking for if youâre
going to be doing a lot of video conferencing, or even regularly sending and
receiving large files via email.
And you should also take account of the number of people who might be online in
your home at any given time - and how many devices are connected.
That 5 Mbps might just about handle your favourite box-set, but it will start
to creak if you want to check something on your phone at the same time⦠and
it will fare even worse if someone in the next room is gaming online too.
But even if you know what speed you want and find a provider offering that,
take the headline figure with a pinch of salt.
Thatâs because the speed quoted by providers is usually a maximum - and what
youâll get on a day-to-day basis will often be considerably slower.
A number of factors can influence this; including the type of connection used
(ADSL - which runs through your phone line - is far less reliable than fibre,
for example). Your distance from a network exchange can also affect speed. As
can your neighboursâ browsing habits - because providers often split one
connection between multiple homes (known as 'contentionâ).
Thatâs a long way of saying that you may need to look for a connection well
in excess of the minimum you think youâll need - though, if you can, ask
neighbours for their experience with providers to give you an idea of what
speeds are actually like on-the-ground.
You also shouldnât automatically go for the fastest speed on offer, either.
As speeds rise, so do prices - and it may be a waste to pay for something that
you donât currently need.
High in Fibre?.
But if high speeds are important, fibre is considered the gold standard.
Existing services here are already offering speeds of up to 1 gigabit per
second (Gbps) - theoretically enough to download a high definition episode of a
TV show in seconds.
These connections are also far less prone to slowdowns during busy periods and
are generally more reliable for connection-intensive uses like gaming.
However âfibreâ is also an often misused term, with some providers guilty
of applying a generous definition to it in their marketing.
If you want the best possible connection, you need to ensure itâs âFibre To
The Homeâ. That means that the entire line between your network and your
router is made up of fibre optic cabling.
Eir and Siro are the two main providers of FTTH at the moment - with the latter
selling its services through a number of other brands including Sky, Vodafone
and Digiweb. However these services are largely concentrated around the
countryâs main towns and cities - with the same companies offering poorer
connection types where fibre is not available.
Some providers may use the word âfibreâ in their marketing, but in reality
only promise âFibre To The Cabinetâ (meaning your nearest network exchange)
or âFibre to the Curbâ (meaning a telephone pole or duct outside your
house).
The problem with this is that a lower quality cable is then used to complete
the connection, which slows everything down. As the saying goes, a chain is
only as strong as its weakest link.
Recent guidance by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland means that
providers need to make clear when their broadband is only âpart fibreâ like
this - so pay close attention to the wording of any marketing you see.
Getting capped.
But a fast connection will only get you so far - especially if your provider
has a tight cap on the amount of data you can transfer each month.
Data limits are fairly common on broadband packages - even on services
described as âunlimitedâ - and in theory they help to stop heavy users from
impacting on others.
However some may also be relatively easy for a ânormalâ user to hit - and,
much like speeds, itâs hard to know in advance what youâll need for your
own usage.
For their faster connections, the likes of Vodafone, Sky and Eir offer a 1TB
usage limit - which is roughly equivalent to 333 hours of Netflix*.
Caps tend to be smaller for mobile connections - for example Eir Mobile caps
data at anywhere between 10GB and 80GB depending on the service the customer is
signed up to.
It is also worth checking what your provider will do if you do manage to break
the monthly allowance.
In some cases a network may simply issue a warning - or slow your connection
temporarily. However some also reserve the right to charge users per additional
megabyte of data transferred - which could get expensive very quickly.
Some networks have removed data caps, and/or opted to waive excess data fees
during the pandemic.
In a bundle.
Most providers will also offer to bundle other services in with a broadband
connection, which can offer savings when compared to multiple, individual
services. And there is a lot to be said for having to deal with just one
monthly bill as opposed to three or four.
However bundles can also be a sales trick to get you to spend money on
something you donât really need - like when a supermarket encourages you to
buy two items in order to get a third for free.
When considering bundle offers, ask yourself what services you actually want -
and what theyâre worth to you.
For example, do you still need a landline phone, or has that been gathering
dust in recent years?
Do you need a TV service, and if so what channels - and extras, like being able
to pause live TV or easily record programmes, would you like to have? If
youâre happy with having just the âmainâ channels, perhaps those needs
can be met through free services like Saorview Plus or Saorsat, alongside the
online players youâll be able to access through your broadband connection.
Once you are clear in what you want, check the âbroadband onlyâ price
against the bundle price to ensure youâre comfortable with the extra youâll
have to pay for the additional services.
The big print giveth and the small print taketh away.
Another common sales trick is the âintroductory offerâ - which can make a
service seem like an absolute bargain.
Sometimes these deals can mean savings for the customer - but often they make
little difference in the long term, or worse, end up costing you money.
For example - say youâre deciding between two providers, one offering you
broadband for â¬50 a month, and another offering you a âspecial priceâ of
â¬30 per month. The latter is clearly the more attractive.
But the small print tells you that the âspecial priceâ is only for the
first three months, after which it reverts to the normal â¬60 per month.
Over the course of the year, that âspecial offer' has cost you money.
Providers tend to require you to sign up to a 12 month contract, but some
special offers may also tie you into a longer deal - so again pay attention to
the small print.
And avoid getting dazzled by any of the other bells and whistles that might be
offered by a company, like a small One4All voucher or a customer rewards
programme. Think of these only as the nice little extras that they are;
theyâre certainly not sizeable enough to justify paying over the odds for a
connection.
Making the move.
Once youâve settled on the provider and package you want, there are a few
steps you should take to make the switch happen.
Firstly, dig out a recent bill from your current provider - as having your
account details handy will make everything much easier.
Check that you are out of contract with your current provider. If you are not
you may have to pay a fee to be released early, which could undermine any
savings you can expect from your new deal.
Then ring your current carrier to tell them you want to cancel - the chances
are theyâll make some kind of offer to you in order to change your mind.
This offer might include a price cut, or a free upgrade, which could be worth
hanging on for - but again bear in mind the tricks around âspecial offersâ,
and be aware that agreeing probably requires you to sign up to a new, year-long
contract too.
Assuming their offer isnât good enough, youâll probably have to serve out a
notice period before you are disconnected - often around 30 days. They may also
require you to return their equipment once your service is terminated.
You can then start the ball rolling with your new provider. It can take a few
weeks for them to get out and set you up, but ideally youâll be able to time
it so youâre not paying for both services for more than a few days.
Depending on who youâre switching to and from, there may also need to be some
handing over done between your old and new providers - for example if both are
using your telephone line for your connection.
Meanwhile, if you are keeping a landline you can also transfer over your
existing number to your new provider at no additional cost.
Unfortunately there is no specific requirement for this whole process to be
completed within a certain amount of time, however the regulator ComReg does
oblige providers to transfer telephone numbers within a âreasonableâ
timeframe.
If you do feel either side is dragging their feet, however, donât be afraid
to make a complaint to the regulator - and let the providers know youâre
doing so too.
Website:
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/0905/1163346-broadband-switching-advice/
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