BT 500 vs 900 vs EE

[Kodikid]

Norton anti virus is effectively free with BT.

Add anti virus to any other isp's Broadband deal and you'll pay more for your Broadband then the equivalent BT package 

If you're happy with BT you can always swap the SH2 for an EE router. 

All EE router's are compatible with BT broadband 

[Kimberlin]

@Kodikid 

As I say, Norton Anti-virus may be marketed as ‘free’ but BT I assume don’t get Norton’s product for ‘free’ because that would appear to be non sensical from a business perspective for Norton, that’s why I make the assumption that it’s built into BT’s overall pricing structure. But that’s just my theory.

[pddco]

What is this  fascination with zillions of Mbps broadband speeds in a domestic environment? It’s not as if others can be wowed or impressed by your choice. Nothing to see here. No fancy Ferrari badge or sleek stylish lines of other high performance cars that you can show off to others. Only, as others have said, the self satisfaction of seeing that speed dial cranking round to those dizzy heights. 30Mbps is comfortably a UHD stream with room to spare. 900Mbps? Sounds a bit excessive to me.. 

[Kodikid]

It's called personal choice 

Whats the point in buying a car with an engine that can exceed 70 mph.

Also often the difference between 300mbps and 900mbps is literally a pound or two .

So hey if you can afford it and it's hurting no one then go for it

[Colin_London]

Don’t forget you get higher upload speed as well, which for many people is the reason to go with a very high speed package. If I had a choice I would rather have a symmetric 300Mbps package than the 500/70 I currently have, and that is due to both my wife and I WFH.

I agree that download speed higher than 500Mbps is hard to make a use case for in a domestic setting at present unless you have a family of gamers all playing simultaneously. It is no surprise that EE markets its 1.6Gbps product to gamers.

But there will always be people who are prepared to pay more money for the best possible (look at the cost of top TV sports packages which people do buy). The broadband providers are of course more than happy to take the money off them!

[pddco]

@Kodikid Of course it’s personal choice. But at least the OP can make a more informed choice. If they want to pay a pound or two more and see no tangible benefit then fair enough. Beats me. 

[pddco]

@Colin_London  appreciate that upload can be a factor. But If WFH, wouldn’t business broadband be a better option. Don’t they give symmetrical offerings? 

And with gaming.. I’m not sure that broadband speed is such a factor. I understood that it’s positioning info that’s exchanged rather than loads of graphics. But happy to be proved wrong.  It’s more about latency (lag) than anything else. Fibre, at whatever speed nails that one. 

[Colin_London]

We don’t run a business. Who can justify paying so much more for a business connection when they cannot treat it as a business expense?!

[pddco]

@Colin_London  Sorry, when I see WFH I’m thinking a Home office where the company permits or encourages home working and contributes to that way of working. Rather than an occasional thing. See your point if there’s no incentive from the company! 

[Colin_London]

More common nowadays is flexible working where you go into the office certain days and WFH on the others. But the company certainly doesn’t ‘encourage’ you to WFH by paying for your broadband!