Unreliable internet, slow speeds, and eye-watering prices can lead to many frustrations in a bustling household. A poor broadband experience doesn’t make for a happy family!
Interrupted calls while working from home, buffering streams when you’re relaxing as a household, or just laggy gaming during some precious ‘me time’. It’s just not acceptable.
Here we'll explore what to consider when choosing the best broadband package for a large family, how to check your internet speed, and why the right plan will help to maintain harmony in your home.
Speed is nothing without reliability. The UK’s most reliable broadband technology is 100% full fibre. It can handle the most demanding households, and we use it to keep our network up and running 99.9% of the time.
It's important to understand that the number of devices connected to your network is proportional to your required bandwidth. Bandwidth and therefore speed is shared equally amongst all devices connected over WiFi, so each extra device that is connected will reduce the speed available to each connected device. This is why it makes sense to start with a higher speed broadband product - ensuring optimal performance for all users in the household.
Why go for reliability and speed? Well, in a large family, reliability is important as each member of the household might have one or more of the following:
Smartphones
Tablets
Laptops
Smart home devices
But speed is still an important factor. If you’re stuck on a low bandwidth package, the wrong internet can result in:
Buffering: If you're the type who cares about what’s on the box, buffering can be hell. Even if you’re not—constantly waiting for videos to load is nobody's idea of fun.
Communication breakdown: Choppy video calls and dropped connections can disrupt work and school activities. So bandwidth and uptime are essential to a reliability freak.
Not fast, not good enough: The speed-hungry gamer's nightmare is one where online gaming becomes unplayable with high latency and lag—especially during peak times.
Before diving into what to look for in broadband packages for large families, it's crucial to understand your internet speed.
Use our free speed test tool to check your current speed.
We recognise that 50 Mbps isn’t enough for a family with an at-home working professional, a keen online gamer, a social media star – or a mix of each. See below for a package comparison:
150 Mbps Fibre Broadband
1 Gbps Fibre Broadband
1 Gbps Premium WiFi
3 Gbps Premium WiFi
We offer a range of residential packages to suit every need. Remember, even if you don’t choose top speeds—you’ll always get top reliability. Switching with us is also very easy.
Top products for families include:
3 Gbps Premium WiFi, when you want incredible reliability at fast speeds
Premium WiFi, for solid working from home, study, or play performance and network uptime
Full fibre TV & streaming or Calls to increase savings for a family
Alongside these amazing services, we provide top customer service, with UK-based customer support available every day–including weekends and bank holidays.
If you’re looking for the best prices for your family, check out our broadband deals for the latest offers for customers in London, Surrey, and Sussex.
If you’re not in the London area and can’t use our services, there are still several things you can try to enjoy better, more reliable broadband if you have a large family.
Optimise router placement: Position your router centrally to ensure even WiFi coverage throughout your home.
Invest in a mesh WiFi system: We use Mesh systems as part of our Premium WiFi service, which eliminates WiFi dead spots.
Manage device usage: Create a rota and have device schedules or set limits on screen time to prevent family members from bandwidth hogging. Community Fibre customers can prioritise speed to different devices using the Linksys app and schedule off times using Parental Control on Norton 360 Premium.
Use a wired connection where possible: A wired connection will always give you the fastest speed, but it doesn’t work on all devices.
Limit background downloads: This ensures bandwidth is primarily dedicated to your immediate online activities, reducing congestion and preventing slowdowns.
Upgrade to a full fibre plan: Full fibre, where fibre optic cables go directly into the home, will always perform better.
Schedule downloads for off-peak hours: This can reduce congestion if you don’t have full fibre - ensuring faster and more stable connections when you need them.
Regularly update hardware: Upgrading your router and other devices can lead to better performance - it’s also wise to simply reset your router once in a while.
Clear your browser cache: It’s wise to periodically clear your browser's cache and cookies to improve your device’s browsing speed.
Using a strong password for your WiFi: This promotes better broadband by preventing unauthorised users from using up bandwidth, avoiding slowdowns.
If you don’t want to compromise in today's digitally connected world, just make sure you choose the right plan for the unique needs of your family.
Family broadband requires a balance of speed and reliability. The best broadband for large families is a package that offers incredible customer service, speeds, and prices.
Community Fibre offers the fastest broadband speeds at unbeatable prices. We’re an award-winning option with easy-switching available across greater London.
Check your postcode to get the UK’s fastest, most reliable technology in London, Surrey, and Sussex.
Depending on your current router's capabilities, you may benefit from a more powerful router that can handle multiple connections simultaneously. Our high-quality routers offer superior WiFi connectivity.
While it’s not essential, families can benefit from full fibre optic broadband because of its speed and reliability.
Broadband with unlimited downloads is usually advisable for family homes, so you can meet your family’s data demands without worrying about extra charges. All of our packages are unlimited, so everyone can be online with no limitations.
It depends on the needs of individual households. The best residential broadband package for a large family depends on factors like speed, coverage, and budget. A broadband plan with at least 100 Mbps is recommended — especially if you have multiple devices.
When choosing a broadband provider, consider speed, reliability, customer service, and any bundled services for comprehensive family broadband.
Coverage can vary, but providers like Community Fibre offer the fastest and most reliable broadband in the London area at unbeatable prices. See how we compare to other providers.
Good to know
*Offer for new Community Fibre customers that sign up for 12, 18 or 24 months. During your 12/18/24m contract length you will not receive any price increase. Offer ends 4th November 2024. At the end of your contract length your price will increase by £4 versus your last month. For full terms and conditions see online at https://communityfire.co.uk/legal-stuff.
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