Fibre

Overhead vs Underground Fibre Optic Installation: What to Expect

Full-fibre can reach your home overhead on poles or underground through duct. This guide explains how Openreach and altnets install fibre each way, the disruption and timescales involved, and what happens if they need to dig.

16 Jun 2026 · 6 min read

What Is SOGEA? Single Order Generic Ethernet Access Explained

SOGEA delivers FTTC-grade broadband over a single Openreach order with no underlying voice line. This guide covers how it works, why Openreach built it, which providers sell it and what changes for households.

16 Jun 2026 · 7 min read

Getting Broadband Without a Phone Line: SOGEA and FTTP Explained

SOGEA and FTTP let you take broadband without renting a traditional analogue phone line, ending separate line rental. This guide explains how each works and what you lose unless you add a VoIP service.

16 Jun 2026 · 8 min read

How to Keep Your Landline Number When Switching Broadband and Phone Provider

Switching provider does not have to mean losing your landline number. This guide explains the One Touch Switch process, number porting timelines, what your new provider must confirm, and what to do if a number goes missing.

16 Jun 2026 · 6 min read

How Much Internet Speed Do You Need for VoIP Calls?

VoIP calls use far less bandwidth than most people expect, and upload speed often matters more than download. This guide explains how much broadband a call needs by codec, and how to test whether your connection can cope.

16 Jun 2026 · 7 min read

VoIP Router Requirements: What Your Broadband Router Needs to Support VoIP

VoIP runs over an ordinary broadband connection, but call quality depends on how the router handles traffic. This guide covers QoS, traffic prioritisation and the router features that keep UK VoIP calls clear.

16 Jun 2026 · 6 min read

Full Fibre Broadband Coverage in the UK: The 2026 State of Play

Full-fibre rollout has accelerated through Openreach and the altnets, narrowing the gap to the government's gigabit ambition. Here is how to read the current state of play and where the remaining work lies.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

How to Challenge a Broadband Router Return Fine

A non-return charge for a router is only fair if it reflects the provider's actual loss and you genuinely did not return it. Here is how to dispute one, the Consumer Rights Act considerations, and the CISAS route.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

The ASA Typical Speed Rule for Broadband: What It Means for Consumers

The typical speed rule means an advertised speed should be achievable by at least half of customers at peak time. Here is what it requires, where to find the figure, and why it still is not a personal guarantee.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

How the ASA Regulates Broadband Speed Advertising

The ASA requires broadband speed claims in adverts to use typical speeds rather than theoretical maximums. Here is what the rules require, what 'typical' means, and what to do if advertising was misleading.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

When to Run a Broadband Speed Test: Morning, Evening and the Difference

Running speed tests at different times reveals whether a slowdown is peak-time contention or a genuine fault. Here is the schedule to follow for complaint purposes and how to compare results to your guaranteed speed.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Why Broadband Is Slower in the Evening and What You Can Do

Evening slowdowns are usually peak-time network contention, when many people are online at once. Here is why it happens, what your minimum guaranteed speed covers, and when an evening slowdown is worth complaining about.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Parental Controls on a Broadband Router: How to Set Them Up

Parental controls can work at the router level or the ISP level, each with strengths and limits. Here is how to set up router controls, schedule access, block sites, and understand what determined children can bypass.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Changing Default Router Settings for Security: What to Do and Why

Default router settings are convenient but not secure. Changing the admin and Wi-Fi passwords, disabling remote management and WPS, and keeping firmware updated closes the most common gaps. Here is what to change and why.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

WiFi Password Security: WPA2 vs WPA3 Explained

WPA2 and WPA3 are the security standards that protect your Wi-Fi. WPA3 adds stronger protections, including a better handshake and forward secrecy. Here is what each does, whether your router supports WPA3, and what to do if not.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Broadband Router Setup Guide: The Basics for UK Homes

Setting up a router means connecting it correctly, accessing the admin panel, changing the network name and password, and securing it. Here is the order to do it in for a UK home connection.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

The Openreach FTTP Installation Process: What to Expect

An Openreach full-fibre install typically involves a survey, an engineer visit to run fibre into the property, an ONT, and testing. Here is what happens inside and outside your home and how long it takes.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Upgrading from FTTC to FTTP: What Is Involved

Moving from fibre-to-the-cabinet to full fibre to the premises usually needs an engineer visit, a new optical termination unit and sometimes a new router. Here is what the upgrade involves and what happens to your old service.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Upgrading from ADSL to FTTC: What Is Involved

Moving from old ADSL to fibre-to-the-cabinet usually brings a big speed jump and is often a simple self-install. Here is how to check eligibility, what the ordering process looks like, and why speeds settle over the first days.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

How to Apply for a Gigabit Voucher: A Step-by-Step Guide

Gigabit vouchers help fund the cost of a gigabit-capable connection in eligible areas, and are claimed through an approved supplier. Here is the application process, individual versus group applications, and what to do if you are rejected.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

How Ofcom Regulates Alternative Network Providers

Altnets operate under Ofcom's general authorisation regime and benefit from duct and pole access rules, while the strictest significant-market-power obligations fall mainly on Openreach. Here is how the regulation works.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Altnet vs Openreach: What the Difference Means for Broadband Consumers

Whether your fibre runs over Openreach or an altnet affects which providers you can use, how installation works, and what happens if the network operator fails. Here is the consumer-level comparison.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Alternative Network Providers (Altnets) in the UK: What They Are and How They Work

Altnets are companies building their own fibre networks outside the dominant Openreach infrastructure. Here is what they are, how their business models work, how Ofcom regulates them, and how consumers connect.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Full Fibre Broadband Availability by UK Region: The Ofcom Connected Nations Data

Full-fibre coverage varies widely across the UK's nations and regions. Ofcom's Connected Nations report is the authoritative source. Here is how to read the regional picture and why the disparities exist.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

The Ofcom Broadband Speeds Code of Practice: What It Requires

The Speeds Code requires signed-up providers to give you a realistic speed estimate, a minimum guaranteed speed, and a right to exit if that guarantee is not met. Here is what it covers and how to use it.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Broadband Speed Guarantees: What They Actually Mean Legally

Advertised speed, estimated speed and minimum guaranteed speed are three different things, and only one of them gives you a right to leave. Here is what each means and which is legally binding.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Early Termination Fees for Broadband: How They Are Calculated and How to Challenge Them

Ofcom requires broadband early termination fees to be a fair reflection of the provider's loss, not a punishment. Here is the calculation method, what providers can and cannot charge, and how to challenge an excessive fee.

5 Jun 2026 · 3 min read

Right to Exit Broadband for Speed Failure: How to Use It

The right to exit broadband for speed failure: what triggers it, how to invoke it through reporting and evidence, what the provider must do, and the timelines involved.

16 Jun 2026 · 7 min read

Extension Sockets and Broadband Speed: How They Affect Performance

How extension sockets affect broadband speed: older ring wiring and ADSL, the faceplate filter, checking if extensions cause speed loss, and modern wiring considerations.

16 Jun 2026 · 6 min read

What Broadband Speed Do Different Household Sizes Need?

How to work out the broadband speed different household sizes need: calculating bandwidth by activity, simultaneous use peaks, and guidance from Ofcom speed tiers.

16 Jun 2026 · 6 min read