Guides

Step-by-step help, in plain English, for getting your connection sorted.

Alternatives & special situations

• 4G & 5G home broadband: is it right for you? A plain-English guide to 4G and 5G home broadband — how it works, when it beats a fixed line, what to check, and who it suits best.
• Broadband for students and short lets The best broadband options for students, house shares and short tenancies in the UK — short and rolling contracts, 4G/5G home broadband, avoiding exit fees, and shared-house tips.
• Starlink & satellite broadband in the UK How Starlink and satellite broadband work in the UK — realistic speeds and latency, what you need to install it, costs to expect, and when 4G/5G or fixed lines are the better choice.

Fix slow internet

• Broadband down: what to do, in order A step-by-step plan for when your broadband has stopped completely — how to tell a home fault from an area outage, phone numbers that work when websites do not, how to get online meanwhile, and what you are owed.
• Broadband keeps dropping out? What to do about a broadband connection that keeps cutting out: the isolation test, why restarting too often makes it worse, and why intermittent faults sit outside the compensation scheme.
• Is a VPN slowing your internet down? Why VPNs slow internet down, how to measure the real cost with an on/off speed test, and the fixes — nearer servers, modern protocols, split tunnelling — that claw the speed back.
• The white box on your wall: Openreach modem lights explained What the PON, LOS, POWER and port lights on the white Openreach fibre modem mean, what the Digital Voice adapter light is telling you, and who to call — with every state traced to BT’s and Openreach’s own pages.
• What your router’s lights mean Router and hub status lights explained in plain English — what steady, flashing, red and orange lights usually mean on UK hubs, and the exact steps to take for each.
• Why is my internet slow at night? Why your internet slows down at night or peak times — congestion and contention explained — and what you can do about evening slowdowns.
• Why is my internet so slow? The most common reasons your internet is slow — Wi-Fi, congestion, devices, router and line faults — and a plain-English order to check and fix them.
• Wired vs Wi-Fi: where is your slowdown? A simple wired-versus-Wi-Fi test to pinpoint whether your slow internet is a Wi-Fi coverage problem or a broadband line problem.

Fix slow Wi-Fi

• 2.4GHz vs 5GHz Wi-Fi: which to use The difference between 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz Wi-Fi bands — speed versus range — and which to use for fast, reliable Wi-Fi around your home.
• Best router settings for faster Wi-Fi The router and hub settings that actually improve Wi-Fi speed and stability — firmware, channels, band steering, QoS and security — in plain English.
• How to get better Wi-Fi in every room Practical fixes for Wi-Fi dead zones — router placement, 2.4GHz vs 5GHz, interference, and when to choose mesh over an extender or powerline.
• Mesh Wi-Fi buying guide: how to choose How to choose a mesh Wi-Fi system in the UK — how many nodes you need, which specs matter (backhaul, Wi-Fi 6/6E/7, Ethernet ports, WPA3), and how to set it up with your provider’s hub.
• Powerline adapters: when they’re the right fix How powerline (HomePlug) adapters work, realistic speeds to expect, setup steps, when they beat Wi-Fi extenders and mesh — and the wiring situations where they disappoint.

Landline switch-off & telecare

• Can I keep a landline without broadband? Whether you can keep a landline without broadband after the switch-off, what Ofcom says providers must offer, what BT actually does for landline-only customers, and how to ask.
• Digital landline in a power cut: what actually happens What happens to a digital landline in a power cut, what Ofcom actually requires of providers, who gets a battery back-up free, and why a cordless phone defeats it.
• Is this call really from BT? How to tell a genuine BT call from an impersonation scam: what BT says it will never do, why caller ID proves nothing, and the one-minute check that settles it.
• The landline switch-off explained What the UK analogue phone switch-off means for your landline — the real timetable, what a digital landline is, what happens in a power cut, what equipment might stop working, and the help you can ask for.
• Will my alarm still work after the landline switch? How to check whether a telecare pendant, fall detector or medical alarm will keep working after a landline is switched to digital — who to tell, exactly what to say, and how to test it afterwards.

Mobile signal & coverage

• 2G and 3G switch-off: will your phone still work? The UK 2G and 3G switch-off explained: the confirmed dates for each network, how to check whether your phone is affected, what your provider has committed to do, and which devices besides phones use 2G.
• Best mobile network for your area How to choose the best mobile network for where you live and work — using official coverage checkers, local knowledge and a PAYG test SIM.
• eSIM in the UK: how it works and how to switch What an eSIM is, how to set one up on EE, O2, Vodafone or Three, how to keep your number when switching, and how dual-SIM can work around poor signal.
• Why does my mobile signal keep dropping? The common reasons your mobile signal keeps dropping — coverage, indoor signal, masts, handset and SIM — and the fastest ways to fix each.
• Wi-Fi Calling and VoLTE: a simple guide What Wi-Fi Calling and VoLTE are, why they fix poor indoor mobile signal, and how to turn them on for iPhone and Android.

Speed, ping & what you should get

• How to do an accurate broadband speed test How to run an accurate broadband speed test — wired, with other devices idle, repeated runs — and how to interpret the result against your plan.
• How to lower your ping for gaming Practical steps to reduce ping, jitter and lag spikes for gaming in the UK — wired connections, bufferbloat and QoS, Wi-Fi fixes, server choice, and when the line itself is the problem.
• Not getting the speed you pay for? What a minimum guaranteed download speed is, where to find yours, and the exact conditions that let you leave a UK broadband contract without penalty under Ofcom’s speeds code.
• Speed test says fine but the internet feels broken Why a good broadband speed test result can sit alongside stalling video calls, buffering streams and slow-loading pages — how to find the metric that is actually failing, and exactly what to say to your provider.
• What broadband speed should I get? What broadband speed to expect by connection type — full fibre, cable, part fibre and ADSL — and how to tell if you’re being short-changed.
• What is a good ping for gaming? What counts as a good ping for gaming and video calls — ping, jitter and packet loss explained — and how to lower your latency.

Switching & saving

• Broadband social tariffs: cheap broadband on benefits How broadband social tariffs work in the UK — who qualifies, what they cost, which providers offer them, and how to apply without exit fees.
• How to lower your broadband bill Practical ways to lower your broadband bill — stop overpaying out of contract, negotiate, switch, and check whether you qualify for a cheaper social tariff.
• Moving home: broadband checklist A timed broadband checklist for moving home in the UK — take your provider or switch, avoiding exit fees, booking installs early, and staying online during the gap.
• One Touch Switch: how switching works now How the One Touch Switch process works for broadband — contact only the new provider, automatic exit-fee information, and switching in as little as a day.

Your rights, complaints & compensation

• Broadband automatic compensation explained How Ofcom’s automatic broadband compensation works — the current amounts for loss of service, missed appointments and delayed activation, and how to claim if it isn’t paid.
• How to complain about your broadband A step-by-step guide to complaining about your broadband or landline provider and escalating to the Communications Ombudsman or CISAS if it isn’t resolved.
• Mid-contract price rises and your rights How Ofcom’s 2025 rules on mid-contract price rises work — the pounds-and-pence requirement, the ban on inflation-linked rises, and when you can leave penalty-free.
• Which ombudsman handles my provider? Which ADR scheme your broadband or mobile provider belongs to, when you can escalate, how to get a deadlock letter, and what each scheme can actually make your provider do.
• Who pays for a broadband engineer visit? What happens on a broadband engineer visit, when you get charged for one, the published UK figures, and the check that decides whether the fault is your side of the socket or theirs.