How to set up broadband in your new home
The internet has become an important part of our lives, and vital to those with home businesses. Setting up broadband in your new house can be a minefield if you aren’t a tech wizard. Follow our four simple steps and get yourself online in no time!
1. Prepare before the move
Contact your current provider at least six weeks before you move to notify them of the upcoming change of address. This will minimise any potential time spent without internet access.
If you are looking to change your provider, input your new postcode into a search engine to check the offers available in your area. This is only worthwhile if you currently have no contract, or have completed the minimum terms of your existing contract, otherwise you may have to pay a cancellation fee to get out of your existing agreement.
2. Set-up your new router, if required
Your provider may send you a new router to install. If so, make sure you follow the in-package instructions to get set-up. You may also have to contact your provider to activate the router. If you are planning to use wireless internet, take care with where you position it in your home. Many people are unaware that close proximity to common household objects such as telephones, microwaves and baby monitors can interfere with your signal and cause of sluggish wireless performance.
3. Connect to your new network on all devices
It’s so easy to get used to unlocking your phone or tablet with the internet ready to go. Remember to delete the old network on your mobile devices and switch to the new one.
We recommend you set a strong password for your router, and keep it somewhere safe. Some providers will send you a card with a preinstalled password, or you may have to create your own. Once this has been determined, a good idea would be to write it on a sticker and secure it to the side of your router. This way, if anyone in your household forgets the password they always know where to look. Without a password, anyone in the nearby area can connect to your network; they will use your data and could use your network to access illegal material online.
Depending on the operating system you are using on your device, your new network should be available to connect to via your wifi settings (so long as the router is switched on!). If it has a padlock symbol alongside it, this means that it is password protected. Simply enter the password you stuck to the side of your router, and you should be logged-in and ready to go.
4. Check your connection speed
Internet speeds differ from area to area, so if you feel you have a slower connection than you had at your previous address, check the exact figures using a connection speed checker. Are you getting the correct speed as quoted in your contract? If not, do your research to see how this can be improved, and then contact your provider, but be aware that many of them market their speeds by stipulating anything upto the quoted figure—this means your connection could be much slower than advertised!
Be wary of any offers of a temporary ‘boost’ to your signal, as this could damage your hardware and weaken it further later on.
If you need more help with the details of your move, why not contact us today to speak to one of our team?