There could be several reasons why you lot may want to set up your broadband by yourself. Maybe the price of requesting an engineer is too loftier, or your provider may not fifty-fifty offering such an option.

Particularly in the current pandemic, a lot of network providers send out their engineers only to vulnerable customers.

Whatever the reason, it is quite simple to set up a broadband connection, but below we've prepared a step-by-footstep guide for y'all to follow.

Image: Virgin Media O2

Order your chosen broadband bundle

The first step is to select a broadband package from your chosen provider. These are the all-time broadband services in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland.

You will need some hardware to get your broadband up and running, simply it will exist sent to you by the provider yous choose. Typically, this includes the router and modem (most routers will have the modem built-in), power adapter, an ADSL/VDSL filter, an Ethernet cable and a cable to connect the router to a socket somewhere in your home.

If you don't have a phone line already prepare at your belongings you might need to conform for an engineer to come and install i if you're ordering broadband that requires one. It is not ever essential to take a phone line for broadband, merely you should confirm this before yous purchase.

ADSL/VDSL broadband requires a phone line, equally does 'fibre' broadband if it'southward not 'full fibre', because it even so relies on a copper phone line running to your home.

Cable broadband doesn't require a phone line, instead using a coaxial cable which itself requires a special box on the wall in your home. Once more, if yous social club cable broadband only don't accept this box, an engineer will have to exist bundled to install one.

Below you lot tin can see a cablevision box with a coaxial cable attached (left) and phone line (right) with no cablevision plugged in.

How to set up a broadband connection

How broadband is activated

The average waiting time for major network providers is xiv days if you have a phone line, but it tin can take up to 21 days if non. This is why it'south worth arranging broadband in advance if y'all're moving domicile, or earlier an existing contract finishes. You probably don't want to be without broadband for weeks.

Yet, BT's Hybrid Connect broadband uses mobile data to allow immediate connection if you motion to a different property. This is a temporary connection while you wait for the chief broadband to be activated.

How to set upwards your broadband equipment

1. Connect the router

Once you've received your package, you tin install the equipment after your broadband has been activated. There's no point in doing it earlier every bit it won't work.

Starting time, accept the cable that connects your router to the wall box (either coax or phone line) and plug ane end into the corresponding port on your router and the other stop into your wall box.

If you're setting up ADSL or VSDL, yous might need to apply an ADSL/VSDL filter if the socket doesn't have one congenital in. This separates the broadband signal out from the telephone line. If you don't use it, your landline phone(southward) won't work.

2. Power upwardly the router and switch it on

The next step is to connect the power cable to the router and a mains socket.

Printing the power button on the router to switch information technology on. If at that place is no power push button, the router will automatically switch on when powered to the wall socket.

You lot will know that the router is on by the coloured lights that will announced. Different colours accept different meanings. To see what they mean, have a await at the documents that come up with the router. Also, read more than on how to ready BT broadband connection problems.

Image: BT

3. Check the connection

The calorie-free(south) on your router should tell y'all if the broadband connectedness has been established, merely you'll want to check by connecting devices to the router. Y'all can either apply Wi-Fi or Ethernet cables depending upon the device.

There should be a sticker on the router or a removable card with the Wi-Fi details on it if you lot're connecting a telephone, tablet laptop or other wireless device.

Disable any mobile information connexion (such as on your phone) and then exam if you lot tin can access web pages and other online services. If you can, you lot've successfully set upward your broadband connection.

You lot can test how fast it is using our separate guide, in order to find out if you're getting the speeds y'all were expecting.

Which providers allow self-installation?

Most of the major broadband providers allow self-installation. In fact, some providers only send out engineers equally a concluding resort if whatever complications arise which mean yous won't be able to set up the broadband yourself.

The providers that offer this include:

  1. BT
  2. EE
  3. Virgin Media
  4. Vodafone
  5. Sky
  6. NOW Broadband

With and so many providers available, it may be difficult to know which one to choose. Read our guide on how to choose a broadband service to assist.

How to solve common broadband problems

Most routers can handle hundreds of devices at the aforementioned time. This means that you can connect your laptop, phone, tablet, smart TV and fifty-fifty guest devices to utilize the internet all at the same time.

Image: Linksys

The more devices that are using the connectedness, the slower it will be for each device, and so do be aware of this. Find out more than about how many devices tin connect to a router at the aforementioned time.

If you detect the internet speed is slow in rooms far abroad from the router, so you could consider getting a powerline adapter which might assist to give you faster access to the cyberspace than your router'south Wi-Fi can. Here are some of the best powerline adapters on the market now.

Another option is mesh Wi-Fi, which is finer multiple routers which talk to each other using Wi-Fi and provide improve coverage in larger homes.

Related articles for further reading:

  • What is broadband?
  • What'due south the fastest broadband in the UK?
  • How to switch your broadband provider?