Post Office Broadband Review

Should you get Post Office broadband?

Although you would not normally associate an internet service with the Post Office, they have joined a growing number of broadband service providers who are able to office simple, low cost internet connectivity. The Post Office provides a limited range of broadband deals, focusing on reliability, familiarity and low prices, and have recently started offering fibre optic broadband. They have also started offering phone lines as part of their broadband deals, though they don’t offer any TV services yet.

Speed: How fast is Post Office Broadband?

The Post Office offers two main categories of broadband deal – the basic Unlimited Broadband package and the Unlimited Fibre Broadband package.

The basic Unlimited Broadband package offers average download speeds of around 11Mbps. This is a standard speed for connections that are not fibre optic – ADSL connections – and is a similar speed to those offered in basic broadband deals from other broadband providers such as TalkTalk, Sky and Plusnet. This broadband speed should be fine for smaller households who are not always online. For example, a film would take around seven minutes to download. However, if you are regularly downloading large files, streaming films and TV, or gaming then you may need faster broadband.

The Post Office’s Unlimited Fibre Broadband package gives you an average download speed of 67Mbps. This speed should be plenty for those streaming or gaming a lot, especially if there are several devices using the internet. You can download a movie in around 90 seconds at this speed of internet. This fibre broadband speed is similar to fibre broadband speeds provided by other providers.

Price: How much does Post Office Broadband cost?

Post Office broadband is one of the cheapest broadband deals in the UK. When they launched their Unlimited Broadband deal, it was the cheapest in the UK at just £18 per month for the first 12 months, with no upfront costs. However, once the first 12 months are up, the price shoots up to £30 per month

Post Office Fibre Broadband is also fairly cheap compared to other broadband providers. It costs £29 per month with a 12-month contract and no upfront costs. This cost per month is in line with other providers.

What makes Post Office stand out?

The Post Office doesn’t include much in the way of extra deals to attach to their broadband packages. Their super-cheap Unlimited Broadband package stands out at just £18 per month, but apart from the free router included in both packages there aren’t many other bonuses. However, if you want to include a Post Office phone line in your deal then there are multiple benefits.

The first notable benefit is free calls to Post Office home phone numbers. There is a wide selection of Post Office phone plans available:

• Weekend calls – inclusive weekend calls to UK landlines. +£2 to monthly contract.
• Evening & weekend calls – inclusive weekend and evening calls to UK landlines. +£4.
• Anytime – Free calls to UK landlines any time. +£6.
• Anytime Plus – Same as Anytime, plus 1000 minutes of calls to UK mobiles and 1000 minutes to 15 countries. +£10.
• Mobile Saver 100 – 100 minutes to UK mobiles. +£3.
• Mobile Saver 500 – 500 minutes to UK mobiles. +£8.
• International Saver – Unlimited calling to 40 countries, plus 50% off to all other countries. +£5.

Installation and Equipment

The Post Office Unlimited Broadband package comes with a basic router that has a built-in firewall to protect your network. The Fibre Broadband package comes with a Wi-Fi router that is three times faster. Both routers are easy to set-up and are included for free with your Post Office broadband package. You’ll be sent a router, a welcome pack and a date that your broadband will go live when you sign up. If you’re switching from another provider this may be ten days after you sign up, in line with the Ofcom rules on switching provider. Post Office routers are ‘plug in and go’ models so shouldn’t require specialist installation.

How is Post Office broadband rated by customers?

The Post Office offer an impressively low cost broadband package, with the cheapest ADSL broadband and line rental available. However, once out of the introductory contract the price shoots up, and there are few extra bonuses available within their broadband deals. Post Office broadband seems to meet its average speed promises; however, some customer reviews suggest reliability issues.

Post Office broadband is simple and cheap, as well as low maintenance, so although it won’t provide you with the fastest broadband speeds, it provides well-priced reliable broadband. Broadband Genie gives Post Office Broadband a rating of 3.5 out of 5. Trustpilot gives Post Office Broadband an unofficial rating of 2.2 out of 5 with a mixture of excellent and poor reviews. Post Office is a simple, cheap option for home internet, so if you are after plenty of extra features or faster speeds, then look elsewhere.