How To Buy Student Broadband

Students are often held to be a race apart for completely ridiculous reasons or, actually, the not so ridiculous reason that they're deemed to be easy to sell things to.

In the case of internet access, though, students do have a set of needs which isn't matched almost anywhere else.

They have short leases, a lack of money, are likely to be sharing connections with a large group of people and, most importantly, have a real need for fast and reliable internet access as more and more of their course resources and university information goes online.

For these reasons not all broadband deals are going to be suitable for them. Those with long contracts are likely to be out straight away, for example, and as some providers with the longest contracts are also the cheapest broadband providers that can be a problem.

There are still plenty of options for broadband access over 12 months, though, and even for shorter periods.

Many providers do deals which roll over three months and, though they tend to be more rare and more expensive, there are also some which offer one month rolling contracts.

The other problem is that the providers with long contracts tend to also be those who provide TV services by cable or satellite bundled with broadband (e.g. Sky or Virgin) so students who want these services should be prepared to either plump for a long tenancy or commit to paying for the minimum term whether you plan on staying with the provider for all that time or not.

Most broadband providers don't have a penalty for leaving as such. As with mobile phone contracts, you'll be expected to pay out the end of your contract.

Beyond that, sharing a connection with a good few people needs two things: a decent wireless router and a healthy download limit.

Luckily, wireless routers are far from restricted to broadband for students and now come free with almost all broadband deals.

However, bear in mind that you'll sometimes have to pay for the postage of your shiny new router so that's a cost to take into account.

When it comes to download limits it's generally best to opt for an unlimited option as this eliminates the risk of a fight breaking out when someone spends a weekend downloading music and you all get charged for going over a limit.

However, be aware that almost all broadband deals come with a fair use limit and this is sometimes more or less fair depending on the company that you're using.

If you're a household of technology students all big on P2P this is worth checking out. Otherwise, though, it's unlikely to be a problem.

By: Julia Cook

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Julia Cook is a staff writer for a site that helps users to find broadband deals in the United Kingdom. The site also answers questions such as is Plusnet any good?