The Student Guide to Broadband | 2008

By Anna Konig

Staff Writer

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Student Broadband

Where can I see & compare the best student broadband deals?

Compare student broadband deals

Finding the right student broadband deal...

Pssst! There is an easier way to make the right choice for student broadband.

We've taken all the available options and crunched them into a simple form that matches you up to the right broadband package in seconds.

STEP 1: Go to www.chooseisp.co.uk

STEP 2: Using the unbiased ‘Find a Provider’ comparison tool, enter your requirements (whether you want just broadband or a broadband bundle such as internet and TV package).

STEP 3: You'll be presented with a list of packages that match your requirements. Have a look at provider it lists as your first choice. If the price, package, sign up cost, minimum contract length etc. all suit your needs, click the ‘sign up now’ button.

STEP 4: After filling in a few personal details, you will be redirected to the provider’s website where their sales team will take care of you.

STEP 5: Depending on who you choose, your connection should be up and running in 1 – 2 weeks.

I want to... find the best student broadband package for my needs

FOR many students heading out of halls of residence for the first time, setting up and registering a internet connection for the first time may seem a daunting prospect.

Simply saying ‘I'm a student - I want the cheapest broadband’ is not enough, as the world of broadband was never intended to be a simple one.

In fact Stephen Hawing would probably have a trouble finding the right broadband package.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of the different options all students need to think about in order to find the right broadband package to get you through the university year without eating into your beer money!

Things to Consider #1
CONTRACT or NOT?

If you're moving into a student house, chances are you probably won't be there for even a full year, so the single most important consideration you'll make as a student broadband buyer is this: Do I want to be locked into 12 month contract?

You'd think the simple answer to that would be no, but while there are a number of broadband providers that are contract free, consider this:

Contract-free broadband packages are often more expensive
You'll usually have to pay an activation fee (normally £47, but sometimes cheaper)
You'll almost certainly not get a free modem or router

That said, if you already own a modem, and you'll only be in your student house for 9 months of the year, a contract free broadband package may be just what you need.

We recommend Plusnet Option 2 (8Mb with truly unlimited downloads at night, but there is a £40 connection fee unless you opt for a 12 month contract.)

Jump right in and sign up to Plusnet Option 2 (£14.99 per month)

If, however, you are going to be in your student house for longer than a year, there are some amazing deals for contract periods of 18 or 24 months, such as AOL's incredible free laptop deal.

That's right, you get a free Dell Inspiron laptop if you commit to them for 24 months. We can't see this offer last too long, so it may be worth snapping it up pronto! The AOL free laptop offer will require a credit check though, so if you think you'll be turned down because of some past, er, financial indiscretions then don't waste your time.

And AOL is not the ony one offering a free laptop. You can read all about the free laptop deals currently available here.

Things to Consider #2
THROUGH WIRES or THROUGH THE AIR (ie Mobile Broadband)?

When this article was first produced, there was just one option here: you had to receive your broadband via wires (see point #3 below).

Boy, how things have changed. A bright spark discovered that broadband can be delivered using the the mobile phone networks and so, 'mobile broadband' was born.

Don't be confused - mobile broadband is not about surfing the internet on your phone. It is an entirely new way of receiving broadband over the mobile phone networks.

You use a little wireless modem which looks exactly like a memory stick that you can connect to your PC or laptop and receive broadband wherever you can get a mobile signal.

We have a brilliant new mobile broadband section our site which allows you to compare mobile broadband deals. Try it and see.

Is mobile broadband good for students?

Yes, and no.

Mobile broadband is suitable for students because:

No line rental is required
You can use your broadband anywhere you like (the coffee shop, your student house, in lectures, back at home during holidays etc.)
Your broadband and your accommodation are entirely separate, which means no wrangling with housemates over shared costs and nothing to tie you down if you need to move in a hurry.

Mobile broadband is NOT suitable for students because:

There are strict limits to how much you can download (usually between 3 - 5GB), so you may have to curtail your illegal downloads of Lost episodes!
While speeds are good, they are not nearly as good as some dedicated ADSL or cable package such as those offered by Be Broadband (up to 24Mbps) or Virgin Media (Up to 20Mbps).

So which mobile broadband package do we recommend for students?

We recommend the best mobile broadband package for students is the 3 Mobile Broadband 5GB package (£15 per month, 18mth contract, 5GB usage limit). You can see more details of the package here.

If however you want the fastest mobile broadband (based on real tests, not advertised speeds) and are worried about exceeding your usage limit, definitely go for T-Mobile Mobile Broadband.

Things to Consider #3
ADSL, Cable or Mobile/Wireless?

Sound scary already, doesn’t it? It’s actually quite simple.

There are really just two main methods you can now receive your student broadband connection via:

Through the existing copper wires of the telephone system in your student house (ADSL)
Through fibre optic cable laid under the streets and pavements of a good portion of British towns and cities (Cable)

So cable is obviously better, isn’t it? Not always.

For starters cable broadband does not have the same coverage as ADSL, and is not available everywhere. Virgin Media who now operate the UK’s cable network after taking over those old dogs NTL/Telewest, say that 52% of the UK is now covered. ADSL on the other hand covers practically the entire UK, including some of the remotest areas.

How do you know if you can get it or not? A simple postcode and/or phone number check on the provider’s website will tell you immediately whether your new student house is compatible.

Cable can also be erratic and is generally considered not as reliable as ADSL. You’re also limited in choice when it comes to choosing a cable package. The more common ADSL broadband is offered by scores of providers and with so much competition, prices tend to be more student-friendly. With Cable you really only have one provider, Virgin Media.

On the plus side - and this is a huge plus - cable does not require you to have a landline which makes it perfect for shared student houses where everyone has mobile. If you consider that activating a landline with BT just so you can get ADSL broadband costs around £140, a cable connection makes a heck of a lot of sense.

We recommend you look at the Virgin Media broadband packages (you can check your student house postcode on this page too).

You can save even more by splashing out on a Virgin Media bundle which includes home phone and digital TV too (we recommend the Virgin Media 3 for £16 package which offers broadband, TV and phone for £16 per month plus £11 for the phone package). That may be one for your parents to fund though!

Things to Consider #4
BROADBAND ONLY or a BROADBAND BUNDLE?

Broadband Bundles - which can include a mixture of home phone calls, digital TV and/or mobile deals along with your broadband can normally save you a huge amount, and can turn out to be a real bargain - especially on a student budget.

Once you factor in the cost of line rental, phone calls, digital TV packages or mobile plans on their own, you’ll soon discover that a broadband connection bundled with any of the above can save you loads.

So who's offering the best bundles?

If you want to splash out, Sky's See, Speak & Surf bundles are by far the best (starting at £17 per month), but Tiscali is now offering an amazing broadband & TV bundle that doesn't require a satellite dish and currently gives you change from £20!

Some of the very cheapest broadband packages actually require you to take out a bundle, usually a combination of broadband and home phone.

TalkTalk's famous ‘free’ broadband package for example, requires you to take one of their home phone talk packages as well as getting them to provide you with line rental.

If you decide to eschew bundles and plump instead for broadband only, it is worth taking into consideration that you will need to factor in your line rental to BT (£11 a month) on top of your broadband costs. You cannot get broadband without a phoneline, unless you go for mobile broadband!

The only exception to this is if you get cable package from Virgin Media, where line rental is not required. As such, we think Virgin Media should always be a student's first choice if it's available for your student house postcode.

Compare Broadband & Phone Bundles specifically for students
Compare Broadband, Phone & TV Bundles specifically for students

Things to Consider #5
NO MODEM or MODEM or WIRELESS ROUTER?

A modem is the little contraption you need to connect your PC to the internet. They’re simple to set up and cost around £50, though many broadband providers will give you one for free when you sign up.

Firstly, decide whether you need a free modem or not, and if so, whether you need it to be a wireless router.

A wireless what?

A wireless router is kind of like a souped up modem with an aerial that transmits your signal across the house. They’re perfect for a shared student house if everyone living there has a wireless receiver in their laptops (most laptops have them as standard) or on their PC.

Remember that a free modem is normally worked into the price of your broadband package and that you will almost always have to commit to a 12 month contract at least.

It is also worth noting that even if a package only offers a plain old modem, you can often upgrade to a wireless router when you apply for the package. In many cases these work out much cheaper than buying them in the shops (and you get the added benefit of them being supported!).

Compare broadband only deals offering a free wireless router
Compare broadband & phone deals offering a free wireless router
Compare broadband, phone & TV deals offering a free wireless router

Things to Consider #6
CHEAP BROADBAND or RELIABLE BROADBAND?

Roughly speaking, the cheaper providers are often less reliable than their more expensive competitors, and can sometimes have poor customer service.

As the old dictum goes: You get what you pay for.

Most reliable providers do tend to be more expensive and ironically, you’ll probably not have heard of them. As a general rule of thumb, the more a company advertises (with TV and billboard commercials) the worse their customer service tends to be.

There is however one broadband provider that offers both excellent value for money, and top-notch reliability: Plusnet. It's not the very cheapest, but it comes closer than all other broadband providers we've seen to offering both student-friendly low price and solid reliability (it's also packed with features - including truly unlimited off-peak downloads - and prioritisation for online gaming traffic).

Speaking of gaming, if you spend all your studying hours with an X-box controller in your hands, you'll be interested in Plusnet's new Broadband Your Way Pro package which is designed specifically for online gaming. With a student friendly price and totally unlimited usage between midnight and 8am, the package is specifically modified to give preference to gaming traffic resulting in a low lag and low latency.

Things to Consider #7
HIGH SPEED or UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS?

It’s sad but true. You can’t have it all and this certainly the case with most broadband providers.

When choosing your student broadband you will most likely have to choose between high speeds or unlimited downloads – as there are very few packages that offer them both.

However, speed-whores who are seduced by big numbers in adverts should remember that they’ll probably never see the speeds promised. A survey last month revealed that most ‘so-called’ 8Mb packages only operate at about 2.5Mb on average.

Bad news for the download demons too: There are hardly any truly ‘unlimited’ broadband packages. Most have fair use policies, some of which are extremely limiting such as the awful Toucan.

Realistically you won’t need really high speeds unless you’re a gamer. For ‘normal’ web browsing and music/film downloading 2Mb should be absolutely fine, and 8Mb ample, but if you really want to go fast and still have unlimited downloads, we highly recommend: Be Unlimited (£18 per month, 24Mbps speed and unlimited downloads).

Gamers who play online should go for the highest speeds (e.g. Be) or providers that prioritise gaming traffic on their network (e.g. Plusnet and in particular, Plusnet's brand new dedicated gaming broadband package Plusnet Broadband Your Way Pro).

Things to Consider #8
LIMITED DOWNLOADS, UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS or TRULY UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS?

Limited download packages (i.e. where there is a cap on downloads) are usually the best value for money.

Often they give you ample usage allowance (e.g. a basic 3GB usage allowance – which may not be great if you’re a big film downloader, but should allow for 1000 songs – or a stack of CDs as high as your bellybutton, if you’re a music buff!)

Once again, be aware that ‘unlimited’ broadband is often subject to ‘fair-use’ policies. In some cases the ‘fair-use’ amount can be smaller than many of the ‘limited-use’ packages!

So what happens if you exceed the download limit?

Generally it will result in you being ‘throttled’ – having your download speeds severely reduced. To reduce the risk of this, it may be worth looking into buying extra bandwidth. Some limited packages allow you to buy extra bandwidth often as cheap as around £1 a GB. This can still work out cheaper than unlimited packages.

Some packages (e.g. Plusnet and Eclipse) offer truly unlimited downloads during off-peak times. This means you can download unlimited movies and bit-torrents overnight!

The only two broadband providers we have found who don't mind how much you use their 'unlimited' broadband are sister companies Be Broadband and O2 Broadband. While they do operate a fair use policy, they appear to be very relaxed about the whole thing. Amazingly, these are also two of the UK's fastest broadband providers, so an excellent choice all round.

Find out more about who offers the best fair use policies

Things to Consider #9
DIRECT DEBIT or OTHER PAYMENT METHODS?

Some broadband providers only accept payment by direct debit or credit card, and many now insist that their advertised price is a ‘direct debit price’ only – and can charge around £5 extra to pay by other methods, so before signing up to that great broadband deal, make sure you have the means to pay for it.

You don’t want to be stuck in a 12 month contract paying over the odds because the broadband provider refuses to accept beer tokens in lieu of Direct Debit!

Pssst! There is an easier way to make the right choice for student broadband.

We've taken all the available options and crunched them into a simple form that matches you up to the right broadband package in seconds.

I want to... find the best student broadband package for my needs

Compare broadband and bundle services
Back to broadband guide