How to find the best broadband package for your family

You can’t get far now a days with out the internet, long gone are the days of dial up (I think we can all remember that sound) and losing it when your mum picked up the phone and you lost the connection. With so many different options now available, picking the right broadband package for your family can be a bit confusing

Thank god for broadband, right? It may seem like its been around for a while but my parents on the Isle of Mull have only been able to experience it in the last few years. Rural life plays havoc with the connection, so they have to be very smart about which package they chose. You wouldn’t buy a bike to tow a caravan, so why settle for the wrong broadband package.

There are lots of things to consider when choosing the right one for your family – with speed and usage being the most important. Have you tried to explain to a toddler why the video is taking a long time to load? I have, and it’s not pretty. The reason most families need faster connections is that they tend to be crammed full of computers, smartphones, tablets, games consoles, and smart TVs, with lots of family members trying to use them simultaneously.

The more internet-enabled gadgets in a home, the faster the connection you'll require – no one wants Peppa Pig to freeze half way through…NO ONE!

The more people using your connection, the slower it will be for everyone. If you have a large family or live in a shared house with four or more, you should look for packages that are fast enough to accommodate everyone using it in once.

As a general rule, the faster your broadband the better your online experience will be. With a faster connection you can download and stream without ever hanging around, and it shouldn't matter how many people in your house use the internet at once. Not everyone needs superfast broadband, though. You’ll find cheap broadband deals with lesser speeds, and it’s only worth paying extra if you’ll benefit from something quicker.

Though looking at price is important, I don’t recommend it be the deciding factor when choosing a broadband package. After all, just because a provider offers cheap packages, doesn’t mean it’ll be able to give you what you need.

The best thing to do is shop around, visit sites and read some broadband reviews about

TV, home phone and mobile deals from all the main UK providers. You will need your postcode because not every company will cover every area – see what is available in your area and hear about the experiences of those around you also using the service. There may be smaller companies that you haven’t heard of offering better deals.