With the extraordinary measures many of us are presently taking, more people than ever are finding themselves in the unexpected position of needing to work from home, possibly for the first time. You'll be relieved to know that UK broadband companies don't foresee any problems with extra demand from increased teleworking and more leisure time spent in the home, but you may still have some concerns. If you're finding that your home broadband isn't up to the needs of work from home, you may need to improve that situation fast.
Unfortunately, you'll often find that switching to a different provider is likely to take a while and cause a broadband outage in the process - not ideal when you need to get work done to a deadline. To help keep you online, we've got a few tips for improving your broadband with the minimum of disruption.
Try upgrading your broadband rather than switching first
Depending on what your job is, you may find your home broadband doesn't meet the demands that your office broadband can. You may still have a slower ADSL product as you've had no reason to upgrade before, and it's just not fast or stable enough for your work needs, such as video conference calls or uploading large files. Under normal circumstances, we'd recommend shopping around for a better deal, but between admin and engineering work, it takes time to get switched to a new provider, and you may want a more immediate fix.
In this case, we would recommend giving your current provider a call first to see if they can get you upgraded quickly. Chances are good that it will be a quicker process than switching, and your provider may be willing to do you a deal at the same time to keep you as a customer. Even if you're already on Fibre, you might find that the faster G.Fast and FTTP products are now available in your area. These technologies are rolling out so quickly that comparison websites may not even have the updated availability information yet!
Whether you're upgrading or switching, it's a good idea to get an estimate from your provider to find out how long the switch is likely to take. You can do this over the phone, or even live chat. This way you'll have an idea of when to expect any downtime, and also if you'll need to to use a backup option to tide you over, like a mobile broadband device. We'll go into more detail on that later in this article.
In the event that it's not any quicker to upgrade than it is to switch, you can use our Ofcom accredited postcode checker to find the deals available in your area.
Sign up for a 4G/5G home router for broadband supplied via the mobile network
Major mobile providers have recently started aiming products at the home broadband market using the 4G mobile network (and 5G where it's available), and the speeds can be faster than you'd think, even in areas with only a 3G signal. This is especially useful for workers in rural areas who would really benefit from a speed boost that they just can't currently expect to achieve with landline brodband providers.
One of the biggest advantages to this in the current situation is that there's usually nothing to install. Your router just needs to be sent out to you, and you can plug it in and away you go. Rather than wait weeks to get online, you should be sorted out within a couple of days.
You also have the option of keeping your current provider going at the same time to make sure you're getting a get service before cancelling the old one. It's also worth checking to see if any of the 4G deals have a satisfaction period where you can get a refund without penalty in case the service isn't good enough for your needs.
The short of it is that if you get a decent phone signal, you should be fine. Even then, a small antenna installation outside your house may solve the problem. If this is solution you're interested in, we have a guide on 4G home broadband that explains everything in more detail, or you can jump straight to the available deals.
Make sure you have some kind of backup connection
While most home broadband providers will do their best to keep everything up and running, it's not unusual for there to be downtime at some point, even without unusual levels of demand. Normally you'd just get a bit annoyed, but when you're working from home, it prevents you from getting things done and, if you're self employed, can cost you money.
You may also find that it can take longer for home broadband problems to be fixed. Businesses pay for a more robust connection with a responsive support team on call to get problems fixed as soon as possible. Home broadband doesn't have that level of support, and in a worst case scenario you could go for days waiting for a problem to be fixed.
Because of this, we really recommend that you have some kind of backup plan in place, and a mobile broadband device (be it a USB dongle or a pocket hotspot) can come in handy. If you're unlikely to use it for anything else, you don't even need a monthly contract. Most providers offer Pay As You Go bundles that come with a set amount of data pre-loaded. As with the 4G home router option, you'll usually get it within a couple of days of ordering, making it a quick fix. Some employers may also be happy to pay for this as a backup so you won't be left out of pocket.
There's also the option of settng up tethering on your phone and using it as a mobile wi-fi hotspot so you can log in to grab your email and any documents you need so you can work offline. Some providers offer this as standard, for others you may need to contact your provider to get them to enable tethering and talk you through setting it up.
Do you have a more demanding job than home broadband can cope with?
You might have a job where upload speeds are important, such as creating and uploading video content. Or perhaps you need to participate in important conferance calls where it's vital you have a stable connection. If this is the case, home broadband might not cut it, and you'll need to look into other options. Your first port of call will be to see what your current provider can offer you. You won't be alone in this, and you may find that your provider is putting in contingency plans. You may also find they have simple upgrade options for home workers. For example, Virgin Media customers can pay an extra £9.99 a month to get HomeWorks, which are some extra services to make working form home easier, including priority support and security tune-ups.
If your provider isn't able to help you out, a more robust home office or small business package might be worth paying extra for. These packages usually come with better, 24/7 customer support, static IP addresses, Virtual Private Network options, and priority traffic so you're not at the mercy of slowdowns due to heavy usage or because of general peak time congestion - everything you need for working from home.
We have a guide about Home Office Broadband and a list of some of the more well-known suppliers on our Business Broadband Guide.
Still need some advice?
If you want to discuss switching broadband our impartial advisors are on hand to help. Give us a call on 0800 083 0426, or you can arrange for us to call you if it's more convenient. We're open from 9am to 8pm weekdays, and 9am to 6pm on Saturdays.
Posted by Edd Dawson on in Features