Broadband on a budget

[#1]

Hi,

I am trying to get a friend connected to the internet as cheaply as possible. They are low wage earners, so costs are important.

I have a spare TG582n router which I could donate to them. Would that make the setup costs any cheaper?

[#2]

@Hector99 Very unlikely. The TG582N is an old ADSL-only router and I would not recommend going down that route - ADSL (and FTTC) will disappear in the very near future.

What options are currently available to them - enter the phone number into this link BT Broadband ?

[#3]

Sorry, I don't have a landline number for them, they have smartphones. I am assuming their property would have a phone socket. Openreach data for their address shows "Superfast Fibre Broadband" and "Standard Broadband" available.

Good point about the TG582n - think I will bin it. But I also have a newer Plusnet Hub One going spare. Would that be ok?

[#4]

If they don't use/haven't got a land line connected, there will probably also be a connection charge. To be honest, if they are on such a low income, I assume they are in receipt of benefits, in which case, they would be better looking at ISPs who provide 'social tariffs' - Plusnet don't.

[#5]

The husband works as a care worker, so not on benefits, so would my Plusnet Hub One be any help?

[#6]

It would only save them £6.99, and would in any case need registering to their account - once it was set up. Not worth the hassle, IMO. It will also be running on old firmware which most likely is not updatable.

[#7]

So the choice is

1) let Plusnet supply an up-to-date modem/router (what would it be?) which would mean paying a one off £6.99 charge for.

or

2) Use the Hub One with old firmware which "most likely is not updatable" and save the £6.99 one off extra setup.

[#8]

Option 1 is the sensible one and it would be a new Hub2.

[#9 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your patience, a helpful conversation, thanks John

[#10]

Option 1 would not even be £6.99 most of the delas at the moment include a free Hub 2.

[#11]

Cheers, @Mustrum  - as I have no desire to be a BT Broadband customer again, I wasn't aware of that.

[#12]

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@Hector99 wrote:

They are low wage earners, so costs are important.

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Are they on any benefits that would make them eligible for a social tariff? That is currently the cheapest way by far to get a broadband (and phone with calls) connection - various providers charge from £12.50 to £20pm depending on location and just what package you choose.

[#13]

@corringham see post #5

[#14]

@jab1 , I missed that. However, it is worth looking into in-work benefits for anyone on a low income (i.e UC) as any amount will enable a social tariff.