Step up your online gaming experience with reliable broadband deals from some of the UK’s leading suppliers. Console Deals makes it easy to compare all the best discounts and offers on gaming broadband, whether you’re in need of super-fast fibre or a simpler package designed to keep you and the family always up and running. Find your ideal home internet plan..
If you’ve now found your ideal broadband package and are now in need of consoles, games, and accessories to test it out, we’ve done all the hard work and rounded up the best deals on site. If you want to search for something specific or the best current price for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox games, you can make full use of our price comparison tech through the links featured below:
What broadband speed is best for me? This depends
entirely on how many people live in your household, the internet-connected devices
you have, as well as how often you need to upload/download content. Broadband
speeds are measure in what’s called megabits (Mb) per second. The larger the Mbs
amount, the faster and more seamless your broadband speed will be.
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0-15Mbs: At this speed it will generally
take around 5 minutes to download one episode of a TV show. It should be fast
enough for small homes or apartments with one or two people living in them,
providing you don’t mind about watching content at the absolute best quality. Too
many folks using the internet, though, and your TV stream is at risk of being
interrupted.
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25-50Mbs: Looking for the happiest medium
between good value and great speed? This is the sort of range any average
household will want to be looking at. If you have a family of five all using
different internet devices, up to 50Mbs shouldn’t see anyone suffer. A single
TV episode should take just over a minute to download.
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50-100Mbs: Multiple people hoping to
stream their favourite films and TV shows at 4K quality will most certainly
need at least 50Mbs of broadband speed. Is it more expensive? Yes, but then you
can live care-free in the knowledge that you should never be subjected to lag. These
superfast broadband speeds are generally offered with extra incentives.
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100Mbs+: This level of connection has
been dubbed ‘Ultrafast’ by all the major broadband providers, and is really
only of use to business looking to give smooth speeds to employees. The value
proposition simply isn’t there for UK households most of the time. Plus, the
likes of BT and Talk Talk currently only offer this in select parts of the
country.
What is the average broadband speed in the UK? According
to regulator Ofcom’s most recent report, the average broadband speed in the UK
stands at around 71.8Mbs. This obviously falls in line with the speed that most
homes in this country will need, and is well above the minimum that all UK broadband
providers are now expected to fulfil.
How long a contract should I go for? It’s rare that
you’ll be able to secure a broadband deal contract for less than 12 months. In
fact, locking you in for just a year is now also becoming incredibly rare.
Instead, most internet plans now require an 18-month contract length minimum,
while the likes of Vodafone and BT stretch that even farther to 24-months. How
long you’ll be in your current home will dictate the length of broadband contract
you should get.
What if fibre broadband isn’t available in my area? Believe
it or not, speeds of 50Mbs and above are still not available in certain parts
of the country. This can be incredibly disappointing for players who live in
these areas and like to regularly game online. If your home’s current wiring
can’t support the high speeds made possible with fibre, it’s worth seeking out traditional
broadband alternatives like Vodafone’s Gigacube. This option tends to be
expensive, but provides high-speed Wi-Fi to your home using the 5G mobile
network.
Can I cancel my broadband plan early? As is typically
the case with phone contracts, you can cancel your broadband plan early but it
usually comes with an exit fee. Generally, sticking it out is the better option,
particularly if it works out to be cheaper than the fee you could end up paying.
Are there any upfront fees with a broadband contract?
Sometimes. It really depends on the home internet plan you end up going for.
Most of the major broadband providers require an upfront cost to be paid before
they deliver your router. The price can vary depending on the package you’ve negotiated.
To stay more competitive, though, some internet providers scrap this upfront or
activation fee entirely.
UK gamers have a range of options to choose from when it
comes to available broadband providers. And while you’d think at first glance
that most just offer similar packages, the truth is that each has a different
strength that could sway your final decision. Do you want the fastest speeds,
cheapest bills or most reliable connection? Here’s a brief breakdown:
BT: A reliable connection with ultrafast speeds in
select UK areas.
Virgin Media: Some of the highest speeds available in
the UK.
Sky: A good all-rounder with some impressively high
speeds.
Vodafone: Great value and reliable fibre internet.
EE: A good middle-ground between price and
performance.
Plusnet: Almost always the cheapest option for fibre
and ADSL internet.
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