It doesn’t matter where you end up going to University – one of the main things
you’ll need to have once you get there is access to the internet. Of course, we can all get online thanks to our mobiles and smartphones but you’re often faced with a screen area that’s fine for a bit of social networking but not much use for ‘real work’.
So, chances are one of the first things you’ll have on your ‘things to do’ priority list in the days running up to starting a new term will be to get access to broadband.
What’s more, if you’re a student with limited funds then it’s likely this will have to
fall under the category of cheapest broadband.
If you’re lucky enough you may actually find that you can get broadband for free, especially if you live on a campus that has Wi-Fi available. This is an obvious way to save yourself money, although if you’re situated offsite then it’s likely you’ll be better off snapping up a deal for the accommodation that you’re in.
Look for the deals
Internet service providers are always looking at ways of snaring new customers and they have long since realised that while students are a transient old bunch, they are also great to get onboard. As a result, you’ll find that there are often deals and special offers tailored specifically towards students. It means that they are usually more affordable, and also flexible in their requirements. This is largely because of issues with moving address and what not.
Keeping tabs on the many and varied deals is less easy though, so one of the best ways to carry out this chore is to make use of a comparison website, like Broadband Genie. This mine of information allows you to do research, for free, on all of the broadband deals that are available throughout the country. It also includes mobile broadband and there’s a smartphone section now too.
Get the cheapest broadband
Chances are you may well have to spend your time at Uni holed up in students digs, and while this can be fun, there may not be that great a provision for broadband.
However, an upside to sharing with others is that you can usually pool your
resources and pitch in to sign up for a cheap broadband deal, while splitting costs
and making it even cheaper as a result.
Remember to pick a main account holder and make sure it’s one of you who will
not get turned away at the first hurdle if the ISP needs to do a credit check. You’ll
also need to check on the availability of services too, and a postcode checker on the Broadband Genie site will enable you to hone your search for the cheapest broadband and also give you a firm indication of what sort of services are available in that geographical area.
Essentially, your selection will boil down to either ADSL or landline-based
broadband as made popular by BT who have ownership of the old copper-wire
network that runs across most of the UK. There are numerous other resellers too,
who run their services through BT exchanges, so use the comparison tables inside
Broadband Genie to see what is up for grabs at your location.
You may find that you live in a cable area, which is dominated by Virgin Media and this could be useful if you’re looking to get high-speed fibre-optic services. Their
network is not as extensive though, but they do offer bundle options that include
things like a landline, broadband and TV all of which can be cheaper if you buy it in
package form.
Most of the other providers, cable, ADSL or otherwise offer similar bundles and
deals however, so no matter what the location, you should find something that fits
both your needs and your budget.
What to expect from broadband
If you’re in new surroundings then you won’t be familiar with the infrastructure, so technical issues may affect your chosen broadband supply, and speeds ‘up to’ like those quoted in advertising will always be optimistic. If you have trouble getting a decent speed when you check the area you’re going to, mobile broadband could be a better option. Now that it is possible to get a whole variety of free laptop deals,
which are thrown in as part of a contract, this could kill two birds with one stone.
Bear in mind deals like this are usually for a couple of years, but if you need new kit for Uni and broadband then this is a definite possibility. Mobile broadband isn’t great for large downloading tasks though, and the same goes for smartphones, so using it as a secondary source for online access is possibly a good idea. That way you can always tap into the powerful Uni Wi-Fi where available to do larger data downloads, assuming they don’t mind that of course.
Watch out for data limits with any kind of broadband package, and the cheaper the deal then the more strict these limits will be. So, if you’re planning on doing a lot of online gaming and downloading endless movies then you may need to pay a little bit more for the privilege. The bottom line with considering any deal is to do your research using the humble comparison website and also read the terms and conditions of any package you like the look of.
About the author: Rob Clymo writes on behalf of www.broadbandgenie.co.uk, the independent comparison website for broadband, mobile broadband and smartphones.
