Student broadband

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	Hardware	Setup	Monthly price	Contract	Speed (Up to)	Downloads
1	95 reviews	FREE	£9.50 £19.50 after 3 months	12 months	20Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661 043
	O2 Premium + Evening & Weekend Phone package	Phone: Includes telephone line rental plus unlimited evening and weekend calls to UK landlines Extras: Wireless router, free 24/7 support, 200 web texts/mth, McAfee security software (3 licences). Non-O2 customers pay £24.50/mth
2	95 reviews	FREE	FREE £7.50 after 3 months	12 months	8Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661 043
	O2 Standard	Extras: Wireless router, free 24/7 support,100 web texts/mth, McAfee security software. Non-O2 customers pay £12.50/mth
3	95 reviews	FREE	FREE £10 after 3 months	12 months	20Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661 043
	O2 Premium	Extras: Wireless router, free 24/7 support, 200 web texts/mth, McAfee security software (3 licences). Non-O2 customers pay £15/mth
4	664 reviews	£40	£15 £20 after 3 months	12 months	10Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661045
	Virgin L Broadband	Offer: Web exclusive: save £15 Extras: Enhanced performance Wireless "N" Router
5	664 reviews	FREE	£33 £38 after 3 months	12 months	50Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661045
	Virgin XXL 50Mb Broadband	Offer: Free installation and activation Extras: Enhanced performance Wireless "N" Router
6	95 reviews	FREE	FREE £17.50 after 3 months	12 months	20Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661 043
	O2 Pro	Extras: Enhanced wireless N router, free 24/7 support, prioritised customer service, 500 web texts/mth, static IP address, McAfee security software (5 licences). Non-O2 customers pay £22.50/mth
7	42 reviews	£24	£20.43	3 months	24Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661 043
	BE Unlimited	Extras: Wireless router plus static IP address
8	95 reviews	FREE	£12.50 £20 after 3 months	12 months	8Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661 043
	O2 Standard + Anytime Phone package	Phone: Includes telephone line rental plus unlimited calls to UK landlines, 600 minutes of calls to 0845/0870 numbers and 600 minutes of international calls/mth, plus 25% off mobile daytime calls Extras: Wireless router, free 24/7 support,100 web texts/mth, McAfee security software. Non-O2 customers pay £25/mth
9	42 reviews	FREE	£21.97	12 months	24Mb	UNLIMITED	Go 0800 4661 043
	BE Pro	Extras: Wireless router plus static IP address and 2.5Mb upload speeds
10	75 reviews	£25	£16.49	12 months	20Mb	20 GBper month	Go 0800 4661 043
	Plusnet Pro	Extras: Free wireless 4-port router, prioritised traffic, low latency and pings, free usage between midnight-8am. 240 minutes of VoIP calls included.

Choosing the right student broadband deal

Whether you're a fresher just heading off to uni or a seasoned, debt laden third year looking for a cheap deal, there are several considerations you may want to think about before signing up to a fixed-line broadband deal. If you know you are specifically looking for information on mobile broadband, head over to our guide to student mobile broadband.

Contract length?

You need to consider how long you plan to be at your address. Many students move year to year, and there's the summer break to consider too. The best home broadband deals tend to last either 18 or 24 months, so they're not going to fit for the majority of student homes - and providers don't make it easy for you to move house with your deal either. You'll tend to find that moving will not incur massive charges, but will see you starting a new contract - which will probably just give you the same problem the next year.

However, there are some exceptions. Currently, AOL offers a one-month rolling contract, Be offers three-month deals and, until October 2009, a nine-month deal aimed specifically at students, while a host more offer 12-month contracts. But even a 12-month deal could be a waste if you're only there from October to June. Carefully consider which will work out cheapest in the long run - a bargain 12-month deal could work out better, even with early contract cancellation charges.

Shared or single occupancy?

If you're going to be the only person paying for your student broadband, think about your own usage concerns as normal. However, if it's a shared house, certain factors will definitely need to be taken into consideration:

Wireless - If there's a house full of students, you're not going to want wires trailing up and down the stairs and in and out of rooms. Many broadband deals offer a free wireless router now, which can make all the difference.
Download limit - Find out what kind of users your housemates are before you decide on a deal. If someone is into downloading movies or games, you may soon hit your download cap and then have to face the consequences. This could mean your connection is slowed down to a crawl, which will affect everyone. If one or two need lots of download capacity, you could discuss them paying a little extra to cover the increased bill that could see you getting an 'unlimited' package.
Download speed - Even if you're close to your local telephone exchange, an 8Mb internet connection could still end up crawling if five people are using the line at once, especially if someone is downloading large files, or you're all using the connection during peak hours. The shear amount of electrical equipment owned by a houseful of students could also affect the speed, especially if there are a lot of wireless devices. The cost of going to a speedier connection may only be a couple of pounds each per month, and could certainly pay dividends.

Overall, just think carefully before you decide which deal to go for, as a good student broadband choice can make your student years a whole lot less stressful. Broadband Genie can help you make a comparison suited to your various needs, not just on prices, as well as read customer reviews to compare which UK provider, from Virgin Media to O2 to BT, gave the best overall broadband experience.

Is mobile broadband an option?

The case for mobile broadband is becoming stronger each year. However, reliability, coverage and the strength/consistency of the signal are still serious issues in many areas. And this isn't just a rural problems: some city locations are so oversubscribed that even though there may be good coverage, too many people are sharing a limited signal to make it a viable option as your main source of student broadband.

However, this doesn't mean it isn't worth serious consideration: if you're looking for a service you will only use occasionally and will not be using for heavy usage (such as downloading large files), it could well fit the bill. If you buy a mobile broadband package deal online (or by phone) you are covered by the UK's Office Of Fair Trading's Distance Selling Regulations, so if you're told you will get cracking coverage but this turns out not to be the case, you can return it within seven working days. For more information on mobile broadband, see our guide to student mobile broadband.

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