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TalkTalk Broadband Review: Overview
TalkTalk home broadband has a reputation of being; well, questionable when it comes to customer service.
In this review we will be taking a look at whether they have improved since 2003 when they were founded.
They are one of the cheapest providers in the UK, making it a viable option if you’re not looking to spend a small fortune on Home Broadband services.
TalkTalk don’t throttle speeds so you can be sure to receive the minimum guaranteed speed at all times of the day and weekends too.
TalkTalk will supply you with a free router as you would expect, and they have packages for every type of broadband user.
From serious gamers and those who need it for work, or those who simply would like Wi-Fi in order to not use up all of their mobile data when at home.
See Related:
*John Lewis Broadband Review*
*Now Broadband Review*
*Sky Broadband Review*
*EE Broadband Review*
*Virgin Broadband Review*
TalkTalk broadband and phone come together as a package, as they offer a landline completely free within all of their deals, giving extremely good value for money.
TalkTalk offers a 30-day trial if you like too, meaning if you take up a package and find that you’re not happy with the speeds or service, then you are free to leave within the first month.
We always recommend placing your postcode into the TalkTalk broadband checker, just to be sure that they are available in your area before getting your hopes up and to avoid disappointment.
They also promise not to raise the price mid-contract like some other big providers do, so you can be confident that the price you are quoted at the start is the price you will finish with at the end.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: Packages
TalkTalk home broadband offer 5 different packages for every type of user, all packages are completely unlimited meaning you can download until your heart’s content.
Each have different speeds and are of course different prices, let’s take a look at the packages that TalkTalk offer:
- TalkTalk Unlimited Broadband – 11MB
- TalkTalk Unlimited Fibre Broadband – 36MB
- TalkTalk Unlimited Fibre Speed Boost – 63MB
- TalkTalk Faster 150 Fibre – 140MB
- TalkTalk Faster 300 Fibre – 290MB
As you can see TalkTalk have plenty of packages on offer here, all come inclusive of line rental too.
The speeds above are largely dependent on the area of the UK that you live in, for example if you’re in a city then you can trust these speeds to be accurate but if your out in the sticks the speeds may not be as accurate.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: Coverage
Just like a lot of major home broadband providers, TalkTalk lease the line from BT Openreach, meaning that there is a good chance you will be eligible for TalkTalk broadband.
Over 16 million home in the UK have access to BT’s services, and if you are currently being supplied by either EE, Plusnet or BT then you will definitely be eligible to switch to TalkTalk.
Just to be sure you can always check your eligibility here with the TalkTalk broadband checker.
It’s worth typing in your postcode to see what speeds your area is capable of receiving, as some of TalkTalk’s plans won’t be available for everyone but we will get to that later.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: Performance
TalkTalk home broadband offer line rental built-in will all of their packages, it’s very basic and it’s a pay-as-you-go system. For the most part, this is perfect as you only get charged for the calls you make.
When you think that you are getting TalkTalk broadband and phone for the price quoted, its easy to see why consumers are attracted to this ISP.
However, if you have a chatty household and need to make landline calls, you have the option of adding some call plans:
- Unlimited UK Calls – Allows you to make unlimited calls to UK Landlines & Mobiles at any time
- International Saver – Allows you to get discounted rates on many international destinations, saving you money when you go abroad.
- International Extra – This plan gives you 1000 landline minutes to 50 countries, meaning it no longer expensive to keep in touch with people all over the world.
- International Max – 1000 Mobile & Landline minutes to 50 countries, meaning it’s no longer expensive to keep in touch with people all over the world.
One thing we should note is that the home phone is only available as a package with the home broadband, so you wouldn’t be able to keep your landline with another provider if you are taking broadband with TalkTalk.
We found the talk plans on TalkTalk to be great, you can add them on and take them off at any time, making it very simple and easy to call family abroad for a month if they go away.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: TV
They do offer TV as well; there are 2 packages to choose from, the first is the basic TV package.
This package gives you a Freeview box and around 80 free channels to make use of, you can pause and rewind so you can keep track of your favourite shows too.
The interface is extremely friendly and easy to use, there is also an app named ‘TV2Go’ that you can download which lets you watch on-demand TV, great for long car journeys.
The second package is ‘TV Plus’; this is everything the basic package offers but slightly more.
TV Plus gives you a better YouView box and lets you record up to 185 hours of live 13, also giving you 13 extra entertainment channels, some of which from Sky.
TalkTalk Unlimited Broadband
This package is TalkTalks most basic ADSL2+ service; it offers an average speed of around 11MB. This is fine for connecting up 1 or 2 devices to the Wi-Fi and will allow you to stream Netflix in HD and watch YouTube videos.
Although if you are going to be connecting up more than a couple of devices, you may want to opt for a bigger plan with faster speeds.
Priced at £20 per month including your line rental, this isn’t a bad deal, however it means tying into a 24-month contract.
There are options for a 12-mont or 18-month but the price will jump right up to £27 per month.
One great thing about this is that there are no data caps or traffic management in place here, so you can download as much as you like without interruption.
Also, the fact that TalkTalk no longer traffic manage, means you will get the speed quoted to you at all times of the day.
TalkTalk Unlimited Fibre Broadband
This package is generally for those who have more than a couple of connected devices in their house, it offers an average speed of 36MB.
Priced at £23.50 including line rental, with a completely free setup. This package doesn’t have any data caps or traffic management either so download as much as you like.
That being said we always recommend keeping an eye on your contract dates and writing them down on a calendar as come the end of your contract, the price jumps to a steep £33.50 per month.
One thing we love about TalkTalk is that you can be sure that there will be no random price increases during the contract.
Also for a couple of pounds more, precisely £2.50 per month, you can opt for the ‘Speed Boost’ that offers the exact same service but gives you an average speed of 63MB.
Both options will give you TalkTalk’s Wi-Fi router, this offers decent speeds and gives you four Gigabit Ethernet ports.
TalkTalk Faster 150 Fibre
This package offers an average speed of 140MB, that is if you’re lucky enough to be in the area that this is available.
We tried multiple different postcodes from around the UK and found only a handful were available for the Faster 150 Fibre plan.
We expect in the coming years that this will get rolled out to the majority of the UK in the next couple of years.
Priced at £40 per month, with a completely free setup fee, this package is ideal for those who work from home and demand faster speeds and reliability.
If this plan isn’t available in your area, we recommend checking out our EE and Virgin Home Broadband review if you do need fast speeds.
This plan is also on an 18-month contract too, meaning your not tied up for 2 years like the previous packages.
TalkTalk Faster 300 Fibre
Just like the previous 150 Fibre, this plan is only available in select areas of the UK, but if you’re lucky enough to be in the area for it, you can expect an average speed of 290MB.
Again this plan won’t lock you in for 2 years and is an 18-month term, priced at £50 per month this plan is as fast as TalkTalk get.
If this isn’t fast enough it’s definitely worth checking out our other Home Broadband Review to find a plan more suited to you.
Of course, this plan is unlimited so you can download until your heart’s content.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: Router
TalkTalk’s basic ADSL plan comes with their Super Router, this is ideal for those that don’t have too many connected devices in the house.
It looks good and has dual-band technology to give you a reliable signal anywhere in the house.
The router is extremely simple to set up and all you need to do is plug it in, wait for it to configure then your good to go.
It also updates automatically, meaning you don’t manually have to do anything when TalkTalk make a software update, it takes care of everything for you.
On the Fibre and above plans, they give you the Wi-Fi Hub, this bad boy can be an optional extra for £30 on a standard plan, but comes free on fibre.
This is one of the best routers out there to date, giving you an extremely strong connection even in the corners of your house.
We recommend placing this in the centre of your home for the best experience, it’s not an ugly piece of kit either so it won’t cramp your style.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: Setup
Setup is completely free on all of TalkTalk plans, this is great as other providers can charge you up to £50 just to get everything installed and working.
That being said if you don’t have a line into your address, there is a £40 fee, but even this is cheaper than other providers.
It’s quick and painless to transfer over to TalkTalk, they take care of everything from the setup and installation to even contacting your old provider.
Meaning you don’t have to lift a finger when it comes to transferring, the router generally arrives in 3-4 days after placing your order.
We do recommend waiting until your activation date before setting up your router, as you won’t have service anyway before that time.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: Customer Satisfaction
In previous years TalkTalk was known for its absolutely shocking customer service, since then they have certainly upped their game.
The average wait time before speaking to an agent is 0.50 seconds, this is incredible when you compare it to the near 8 seconds of other providers.
So any queries you may have regarding broadband can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
The TalkTalk website is also full of useful information which you can easily navigate around and find answers to most of your questions.
We spoke to TalkTalk to gain information for this review, they were extremely helpful and more than happy to help us with our queries.
TalkTalk Broadband Review: Summary
So is TalkTalk home broadband worth switching to from your current provider?
Well if you’re looking for good value for money and a stable connection and price, then yes.
TalkTalk don’t have any award ground-breaking Wi-Fi speeds but it’s certainly good enough for the average user, it’s quick and painless to set up as they handle everything.
The fact that there are no upfront costs is great too, so it is completely free to switch from your current provider providing you already have a landline installed.
We would have liked to have seen a built-in home phone package, but you can easily add them on for a cost if needed.
That being said the TalkTalk broadband and phone come as a pay as you go package, meaning you do actually get a landline with all of their deals.
We love the fact that the call wait time is the best in the industry, meaning any queries you have can be dealt with immediately without having to have a lengthy phone call.
We definitely recommend throwing your postcode in the TalkTalk broadband checker just to be sure that you are eligible for a plan with strong speeds.
Overall TalkTalk are a solid option for those looking for a stable broadband package with no price increases, however if you have a need for speed then check out our other Home Broadband Reviews.
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