BT Option 3 Broadband

• Reliable unlimited 20Mb BT broadband
• Free 1GB mobile broadband for 18 months
• Free evening and weekend BT broadband calls
• Free Wireless BT Home Hub with Hub Phone
• McAfee advanced security
• 500 free wi-fi minutes at BT Openzone

BT broadband review: Option 3

STOP PRESS! FREE 1GB mobile broadband usage included every month for 18 months - you have to take the 18 month contract and buy the USB dongle for a discounted one-off £9.99.

IF you've seen the washed-out BT television ads with that mumbling, washed-out looking guy from My Family, you'll probably be familiar with the BT Home Hub - a snazzy black gadget-cum-phonehub-cum-router that is apparently worth boasting to your friends about.

Well, with BT Option 3, you'll find yourself the proud owner of a wireless BT Home Hub along with a BT Hub Phone which comes free with the package.

Wireless router and phone point

The BT Home Hub acts as a wireless router and phone point for broadband phonecalls, while - we have to admit - still looking pretty cool at the same time.

Better still, it automatically updates its built-in security software, which gives you one less thing to worry about. We concede that BT's little device may well be worth boasting to your friends about!

With BT Total Option you'll also get to experience up to 8Mb download speeds with no usage limit (although a fair use policy does apply).

Inclusive broadband calls

You'll get inclusive UK evening and weekend broadband calls through the aforementioned BT Home Hub and its accompanying BT Hub Phone, as well as unlimited free wi-fi minutes on BT FON and 500 free wi-fi minutes to use at any BT Openzone wi-fi hotspot every month.

Free mobile broadband

Newly launched is BT's mobile broadband service, and they're bundling it in for free with all of the 18-month BT home broadband packages.

The extra benefit with BT Option 3 is that the one-off charge for the USB modem dongle has been heavily discounted to just £9.99.

It is only available on the 18-month contract version, but you'll also get an initial discount on the broadband monthly subscription fee for the first 3 months too.

For a one-off tenner, it's not much of a decision on whether or not you'd take the mobile broadband deal.

You'll get 1GB of mobile broadband data usage for free each month, and if you run out before the month end you can buy more on pre-pay terms of 1GB for £10 or get 3GB for £20.

BT mobile broadband makes use of the Vodafone mobile broadband network, quoted speeds are 7.2Mbps, however this is the technical top speed and realistic speeds are more around the 1Mbps to 3Mbps mark - of course it will depend upon the network coverage in your area.

This is a great deal for light users though, mobile broadband usually costs from around £15 a month for 3GB of data, here you're getting the first 1GB for free and you can choose to add on extra usage at a reasonable cost if you want to.

With the USB modem dongle costing just £9.99 - it would be foolish not to at least try it!

Free support

We're also thrilled to see that BT has joined that elusive gang of broadband providers that offer free, 24/7 technical phone support.

No 090 or 0870 number nonense, just pure 0800 wallet-friendly bliss!

Free backup vault

There are a ton of other BT extras too, some of which are well worth mentioning such as the 5GB of secure, online storage, which is perfect for valuable photos or important documents. So you can safely offload massive amounts of data (photos, movies, music etc.) into a secure online 'vault' and never have to worry that it'll all be lost when the flood, pestilence or plague engulfs your PC!

If you need more than 5GB or fancy the auto backups (PC supported only) you can upgrade your Vault to a mega 50GB of secure storage and get auto backups - so you won't even have to remember to upload your latest digital camera snaps.

Some savings

You can save £17.61 if you sign up for BT's full 18 month contract in the first year.

Be prepared to pay by Direct Debit and paperless billing if you can. The advertised price is based on doing so. If you pay by any other means there is a £1.50 charge, and an extra £1.23 if you choose to have paper billing. So you'll just have to keep hold of your council tax bill as your one remaining source of proof of address from now on!.

A little more detail...

Broadband		Special Note...	Any good?
Package:	Option 3	-
Connection:	ADSL2+	Telephone line
Max Speed:	Up to 20Mb
Usage Limit:	Unlimited	Fair use policy applies
Totally Unlimited:	No
Hardware:	Wireless BT Home Hub and Hub Phone	Built-in firewall
Internet Security:	Included free	Advanced Security from McAfee. Includes anti-virus & anti-spyware, personal firewall, identity theft protection on emails, websites and spyware.
Online Gaming:	All major consoles supported

Payment, Installation & Contract
Setup Cost:	Free
Hardware Cost:	Free
Line Rental Provider:	BT (£11.54/mth)
Minimum Contract:	from 12 months
Payment Method(s):	Direct Debit and Paperless billing (+£1.50 for non-Direct Debit payment, +£1.25 for Paper billing)
Support:	Free 0800 24/7 telephone support
Choose a package option to see more details