Gift Yourself a WiFi Speed Upgrade this Holiday

It is that time of year again already. We're swiftly headed to the end of another year. Christmas decorations will be going up soon and Christmas carols will be serenading you in every store. The end of the year might also bring some visitors to your home, or at the least, your family members being at home for an extended period of time. Which all might lead to extra load on your internet.

The end of the year might also mean the end of your lease agreement and that you may need to consider moving and will also need to relook your ISP for the new year.

Or perhaps you're ready to move on from your current ISP and want to consider alternative options.

Whichever situation you find yourself in, we have the tips for you.

Full-House for the Holidays

Having a full-house for the holidays might put some strain on your Internet especially if you'll be joined by teens, but also if you're just not used to other people sharing your bandwidth.

Unfortunately (at this time) there is no option to only upgrade your package for the holidays to cater to this scenario but we have asked a couple of ISPs to consider this. ;)

Your options:

1. Upgrade your line speed.
   • Our advice is to consider adding at least an extra 5Mbps for every additional teen, or consider going straight to a minimum package of 20-25Mbps to cater to a group of 4 or more.
   • Upgrade requests need to be made a month in advance, so now would be the time to do this if you want to be covered for the December holidays.
   • COSTS: Vary from network to network and ISP to ISP. You're looking at an average of about R400 per month for 25 down/10 up and for 25 down/25 up around R600 per month average.
   • Things to Keep in mind: some ISPs allow you a month-to-month contract and you can upgrade within 24 hours. To downgrade the package you'll have to check your ISP terms. Some allow this after a 30 day notice, and there might be a min period for activation as well.
   • Not sure what your current package is? Do a quick speed test to find out, or upgrade your existing ISP package now.
2. Get an extra LTE device.
   • LTE devices are really great to have in case of load shedding (as some have a backup battery!) but also a great device to have if you're expecting visitors.
   • They run off a different network so you'll have a different set of login details (aka WiFi access details). You can keep this for when visitors come and give them these login details only. That way your own line won't feel affected at all!
   • The bonus about having these is really the backup for load shedding - if you don't want to use a UPS device that is.
   • COSTS: Variable. Especially depending whether you're taking a fixed LTE deal or SIM deal only and buying your own router.
   • Things to Keep in mind: If you take a Fixed LTE deal there is a monthly cost, the same as with having fibre. If you take the SIM only deal, you need to buy the router separately, ranging from about R999, and then you can top-up the SIM as needed. Check out our LTE network deals here.

Moving House

If the end of the year means that you'll be moving house and needing to change your ISP and possibly even your network, this might be a great time to switch if you've not enjoyed the ISP you were with for the last year.

We've written an in-depth guide for what to do with your fibre when moving house here, that should help you with all the last-minute planning, cancellations and activations.

Switch

The end of the year might also provide you a great opportunity to switch away from your existing ISP if you've not been happy with them, or just want to opt for a better deal with another provider. Most ISP contracts (especially if you've installed your line with your existing provider, or took that “free” router) have a 24-month service clause. Your ISP might have a lower service duration clause - so best to check your T&Cs on your contract to see what you're in for.

Generally upgrading is easier than switching, but if your ISP has been giving you grief, or if you just want a better deal, we completely understand the need to switch.

Switching itself is relatively easy to do. The hold-up comes from the existing ISP/Network to release the line in time for the new ISP/Network to take hold of the line.

We've written an in-depth guide on switching ISPs and what to expect during the process here.

Not sure what your current package is? Do a quick speed test to find out (or to find out if they're really delivering on their promise!), or upgrade or switch your existing ISP package now.