Family broadband

Below we list broadband suitable for families. Family broadband should offer ease of use (for children and adults alike), parental control features and excellent value - possibly bundled with other services.

The packages below are from established names which excel in family broadband.

If required, you can check your availability with our postcode checker.

Sort packages by: All packages Bestsellers		Speed	Downloads	Contract	Monthly cost
#1	Eclipse Evolution 1 Free router. Switch for one month free More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£14.99 Sign up »
2	Sky - £16 Free wireless router, 1 TV mix, UK evening & weekend calls More info…	up to 2Mb	2Gb	12months	£16.00 (plus £11 line rental)Sign up »
3	O2 Broadband Standard Free wireless router. Discounted for all existing O2 customers More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£7.50 (£12.50 for non-O2 customers)Sign up »
4	BT Option 1 Free wireless HomeHub & off-peak UK calls. Optional BT Vision TV More info…	up to 8Mb	5Gb	18months	£7.95 (first 3 months)Sign up »
5	TalkTalk Talk2 International Inclusive broadband & off-peak calls. Sign up on 0800 049 7864 More info…	up to 8Mb	40Gb	18months	£2.95 (first 3 months, line rental £10.50)Sign up »
6	Virgin Media M Phone (Cable) Free weekend calls, modem & PCguard More info…	up to 2Mb	Unlimited	12months	£4.50 (landline £11)Sign up »
7	Tiscali Option 1 Free wireless router, connection & weekend calls More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£4.49 (first 3 months)Sign up »
8	Be Unlimited Free wireless modem, static IP & technical support More info…	up to 24Mb	Unlimited	3months	£18.00 Sign up »
9	O2 Broadband Premium Free wireless router. Discounted for all existing O2 customers More info…	up to 16Mb	Unlimited	12months	£10.00 (£15 for non-O2 customers)Sign up »
10	BT Option 2 Free wireless HomeHub & off-peak UK calls. Optional BT Vision TV More info…	up to 8Mb	8Gb	18months	£13.99 (for 3 months)Sign up »
11	Virgin Media L Phone (Cable) Free wireless router & weekend calls More info…	up to 4Mb	Unlimited	12months	£8.00 (first 3 months, £11 line rental)Sign up »
12	Tiscali Talk 1 Free wireless router, line rental & weekend calls More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£14.99 Sign up »
13	PlusNet Option 1 Free modem & overnight usage More info…	up to 8Mb	1Gb	1month	£9.99 Sign up »
14	AOL Broadband Wireless Flexi Free wireless router. No minimum contract. Sign up on 0800 049 1283 More info…	up to 8Mb	10Gb	1month	£4.99 (first 3 months, price can vary on area)Sign up »
15	Be Value Free wireless modem & technical support More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£14.00 Sign up »
16	Tiscali Option 2 Free wireless router & free connection More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£6.49 (first 3 months)Sign up »
17	Orange Home Starter Free off-peak landline calls & wireless modem More info…	up to 2Mb	6Gb	18months	£6.00 (first 3 months)Sign up »
18	Virgin Media M (Cable) Free modem & PCGuard More info…	up to 2Mb	Unlimited	12months	£10.00 (first 6 months)Sign up »
19	PlusNet Option 2 Free wireless router & 120 minutes VoIP talk More info…	up to 8Mb	15Gb	1month	£14.99 Sign up »
20	Orange Home Max Free line rental, free calls, VoIP & wireless LiveBox modem More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	18months	£12.00 (first 3 months)Sign up »
21	O2 Broadband Ultimate Free wireless router. Discounted for all existing O2 customers More info…	up to 20Mb	Unlimited	12months	£15.00 (£20 for non-O2 customers)Sign up »
22	AOL Broadband Wireless Free month, wireless router & off-peak calls. Sign up on 0800 049 1283 More info…	up to 8Mb	10Gb	18months	£4.99 (for 3 months, price can vary on area)Sign up »
23	Sky Max Free wireless router & security suite More info…	up to 16Mb	Unlimited	12months	£10.00 (existing Sky TV customers)Sign up »
24	BT Option 3 Free wireless HomeHub, HubPhone & off-peak UK calls. Optional BT Vision TV More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	18months	£18.99 (for 3 months)Sign up »
25	Virgin Media XL Phone (Cable) Free wireless router, weekend calls & PCguard Total More info…	up to 20Mb	Unlimited	12months	£10.00 (for 3 months, £11 landline)Sign up »
26	Virgin Media Bundle 2 (ADSL) Non-cable package. Free wireless router, evening & weekend calls More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£14.99 Sign up »
27	AOL Broadband Wireless (Free Laptop) Free laptop worth £500 & wireless router. Sign up on 0800 049 1283 More info…	up to 8Mb	40Gb	24months	£9.99 (first 3 months, price can vary on area)Sign up »
28	Virgin Media Bundle 1 (ADSL) Non-cable package. Free wireless router, Virgin Free TV box & anytime calls More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£19.99 Sign up »
29	TalkTalk Talk3 International Inclusive broadband & anytime calls. Sign up on 0800 049 7864 More info…	up to 8Mb	40Gb	18months	£5.00 (first 3 months, line rental £10.50)Sign up »
30	AOL Broadband Wireless (Free Sony PS3) Free Sony Playstation 3 & wireless router. Sign up on 0800 049 1283 More info…	up to 8Mb	40Gb	24months	£19.99 (price can vary on area)Sign up »
31	Eclipse Home Pro Free wireless router, switch & static IP More info…	up to 8Mb	50Gb	12months	£29.95 Sign up »
32	PlusNet Option 3 Free wireless router & 240 minutes anytime VoIP talk More info…	up to 8Mb	30Gb	1month	£19.99 Sign up »
33	Tiscali Talk 2 Free wireless router, line rental & anytime calls More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£19.99 Sign up »
34	Virgin Media 2 for £25 (TV) Over 83 TV channels, free modem & PCGuard More info…	up to 2Mb	Unlimited	12months	£25.00 Sign up »
35	Virgin Media 3 for £30 (TV) Free weekend calls, over 85 TV channels, modem & PCguard More info…	up to 2Mb	Unlimited	12months	£25.50 (first 3 months)Sign up »

Family broadband explained

Parents aren't the only ones who use internet at home, kids of all ages are also using the internet regularly for things like instant messaging, social networking and gaming. Families have quite specific needs when it comes to broadband. We have summarised some of the key factors that you should consider before making your decision.

Wireless

With home PCs, laptops and, increasingly, gaming consoles being used by all members of the family, often at the same time, broadband for families has a lot of functions to fulfil. If you are running more than one device on your broadband connection - wireless is the option for you. Many ISPs include free wireless routers with the package, these take a lot of the hassle out of using broadband around the house.

Speed of connection

It is worth noting that the more devices using the broadband connection at once, the slower the overall download speed becomes. Hence, packages that offer higher speeds are the ones to look for if your family is interested in downloading lots of music, playing games over the internet and availing of IPTV.

Download allowance

As well as higher speeds, you should consider the download allowance of your broadband package - you would do well to consider ISPs who offer unlimited downloads to their patrons. When it comes to "unlimited downloads" it is important to note that many ISPs have fair usage policies attached to prevent a minority of heavy users taking up all the bandwidth and slowing the connection for other users at peak times. Be sure and have a look at the terms and conditions of each package so that you fully understand what you are signing up for.

Security

ISPs such as, though not exclusively, AOL and BT provide extensive parental controls to try and help you make sure your children are safe on the internet. They can filter out URLs which they consider to be unsuitable. A small problem here is that selectively changing the level of restriction according to which member of the family is using the computer is not easy. AOL solves this by enabling different family members to have different logins, and BT has a customisable gateway. They also provide other solutions such being able to limit the time your child is on the internet, and having reports detailing the website your child has visited e-mailed to you.

Third-party software

There are also other measures that you can take yourself, for example buying software such as Net Nanny. Here instead of the ISP filtering the URLs your child can access, this software does the job. There a couple of pitfalls with this though, in that you have to update the software regularly and also you are relying on the manufacturer of the software you have bought to decide what is unsuitable for children.

It’s not just children that need to be careful on the internet, everyone needs to be vigilant online. You should check advice from your banks about internet security and never give out personal details, as well as credit card fraud there is also increasingly identity fraud. AOL provides services to try and help with this as well, such ID Shield.

ISPs can provide very comprehensive family protection, and you can find a plethora of software to help, although one should be careful not to rely solely on these. No matter how good they are, measures such as these cannot be 100% safe, so if you’re worried about your children then the best way to protect them is to supervise them as much as possible, and try to get the whole family to be as careful they can.