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By Dan Howdle | Thursday, April 8, 2021
Hyperoptic is part of a new wave of providers offering gigabit broadband. It does this using its own network and has a strong focus on apartment buildings in large cities. It’s ridiculously fast, but also incredibly unlikely that you can get it. So is hyperoptic broadband good?
Overview
Average download speed | 50 Mbit / s – 1 Gbit / s |
---|---|
Average download speed | 5 Mbps – 1 Gbit / s |
Broadband | Fiber |
Phone | Yes |
Price from | £ 19.95 per month |
High speed speeds
Most of the UK’s broadband is delivered using copper for at least part of its journey from the cabinet to your home. But Hyperoptic uses fiber for its entire network, increasing speeds and capacity far beyond what anyone else can offer.
Hyperoptic’s entry-level product offers download speeds of 50 Mbps, which is ideal for a household with a few devices for streaming, online gaming, and general web use. Hyperoptic also offers 150 Mbps service and 500 Mbps service, which provide capacity for more users and 4K streaming, with a little caveat. (Check out our guide to determining what broadband speed you might need.)
The real head spin, however, is the 1 Gbps package which comes with an average download speed of 900 Mbps. It used to be the fastest domestic broadband service in the UK, but with Virgin Media now also offering 1000Mbps broadband with its more widely available Gig1 service, Hyperoptic is no longer dominating the market in speed.
Other providers also offer super-fast speeds, including BT, which can now deliver up to 900 Mbps in parts of the UK, as well as Vodafone and EE.
According to 2019 Ofcom data (Ofcom data is most often over a year behind the current date) UK average broadband speed is 64 Mbps, so this is a huge upgrade. Although 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps) is the fastest broadband speed in the UK, Hyperoptic is by no means unique in this regard. Gigaclear is another provider that offers gigabit speeds, but in more rural areas, and you’re even less likely to be able to get it. You are much more likely to be able to benefit from Virgin’s 1Gig service.
Hyperoptic bundles are available on rolling contracts, but if you commit to 12 months, you can see big savings. In all cases, there is an activation fee to pay. Just keep in mind that availability is very limited. You can check if you can get Hyperoptic through their website. If you can’t get it, your best bet for blazing fast broadband is Virgin Media.
Download speed
With many providers, download speed is a poor relation to download speed. One of the beauties of fiber-to-premises (FTTP) – the type of fiber used by Hyperoptic – is that it can deliver symmetrical speeds. This means that the upload and download rates are the same.
Although the 50 Mbps service offers a low download speed of 5 Mbps, the other packages offer download speeds which are the same as the upload speeds. It is a boon if you regularly deal with large files such as video or audio.
Compare hyperoptic broadband
Offers and offers
It is rare for Hyperoptic to offer freebies or massive discounts to attract new customers. He tends to rely on his speed and reputation to attract new customers. You can check out some of his latest offerings below.
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50MB average speed
+
-
Unlimited use
+
-
No phone line
Monthly cost
£ 22
p / m
£ 29 one-time cost
12 month contract
See the offer
this agreement is a
Online exclusivity
-
-
-
150MB average speed
+
-
Unlimited use
+
-
No phone line
Monthly cost
£ 29
p / m
£ 29 one-time cost
12 month contract
See the offer
this agreement is a
Online exclusivity
-
-
-
500MB average speed
+
-
Unlimited use
+
-
No phone line
Monthly cost
£ 33
p / m
£ 29 one-time cost
12 month contract
See the offer
this agreement is a
Online exclusivity
-
Router and installation
Router
All broadband plans come with a Hyperhub. Depending on the plan you choose, you will receive either the Nokia Hyperhub or the ZTE Hyperhub. The Nokia Hyperhub comes with 500Mbps and 1Gbps packages. These are dual-band ports and four Gigabit ports that will support speeds of up to 1 Gbps over a wired connection. You won’t get the highest speeds if you go wireless.
ZTE Hyperhub comes with 50Mbps and 150Mbps packages. Slightly less powerful than the Nokia Hyperhub, it’s still more than capable of delivering the speeds you pay for.
Installation
Hyperoptic is fast, but can you get it? Hyperoptic is only available for around 350,000 homes and businesses in the UK. And it’s hard to connect unless you live in an apartment building or new construction.
Hyperoptic invites owners and residents to express an interest. It also works with the councils to bring gigabit broadband to social housing. And he’s partnered with over 100 real estate developers. Hyperoptic plans to reach five million within a decade, but you’ll have to be patient.
If you’re lucky enough to be covered, the setup is a little different than most vendors. Because Hyperoptic does not use the Openreach network, its engineers will need to install a separate ‘Hyperoptic Socket’ inside your home. Installation typically takes an hour and engineers will install an outlet up to 10 meters from the entrance. If you want the outlet further into your house, you will have to pay a bit more.
If you want to connect an entire building, it will take a little longer. Hyperoptic will assess the building to see if it is viable and seek permission from the landowner or building management company. Hopefully, the process will take four to six weeks.
Customer service
If you have any issues, Hyperoptic has a 24-hour customer support team on 0333 332 1111 that handles everything from router issues to connection issues. You can also use the live chat service or send an email to support@hyperoptic.com. As with most broadband service providers, there are complaints of delayed or missed engineer visits, but overall the reviews are positive. It seems that the speed of Hyperoptic has inspired a certain degree of customer loyalty.
It’s worth pointing out that you don’t need a phone line to get Hyperoptic. But if you want to pair your broadband service with a home phone, you can. Calls are made over the Internet using VoIP technology. This means the quality should be high, but if your broadband goes down, you won’t be able to make calls.
Our final verdict
Good
- UK’s fastest broadband
- Symmetrical upload and download speeds
- You don’t need a phone line
The bad
- Very limited availability
- No gifts
- No TV packages
The fact that Hyperoptic offers gigabit speeds will be enough for some people, provided they can get it. Especially those who deal with large file uploads, or those who just want to get away from BT Openreach. Best of all, its bundles are quite affordable, even when compared to more conventional fiber competitors.
It’s a shame that there are only meager savings for those who don’t want a home phone. Since the Openreach network is bypassed entirely, the lack of line rentals and phone charges would be a huge selling point for a generation that is “ cutting the cord. ”
It’s also worth pointing out that most web users won’t need 1 Gbps, or even 150 Mbps. So, is the rising cost worth missing out on cheap TV services and free Wi-Fi from other providers? But the biggest problem is the coverage. Hyperoptic may have big plans in the works, but for now it’s very limited compared to BT and Virgin Media’s nationwide scale.
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