Are you completely satisfied with your internet subscription at home? Or do you prefer another package with faster internet, without an additional TV receiver or a lower price? If you are looking for the best internet provider that meets your needs, there are many things to take into account. Use these tips to determine whether switching is worth it.
You may have been with the same provider for internet, television and calling for years. Or do you switch to a different party every few years because you have not yet found the perfect provider or want to save money. It is advisable to check what kind of contract you have, what exactly you pay for and whether you would be better off with a different type of contract or another provider. There are different types of contracts.
The most well-known is the all-in-one package, which consists of internet, fixed calls and television. You can also opt for a package with internet and television or one with internet, television, fixed and mobile calls. Do you want an internet subscription for your home without additional services? This is also possible with more and more providers.
Compare internet plans
Your internet subscription is probably the most important part of your contract. Look for which one maximum internet speed you pay and ask yourself if you are still happy with this. Yes? Then you can basically leave it that way.
Do you find your internet at home too slow or do you not have the same good coverage everywhere in the house? First test the practical internet speed of your WiFi network with the free Speedtest app (smartphone and tablet) and speedtest.net on the computer.
Preferably do the test in different places in your house. Your practice speed via WiFi is always lower than the maximum speed of the provider – which you only get by connecting your computer to your router. But if the wireless speed is significantly lower than what the provider promises, we recommend that you take a closer look at your router.
You may be able to improve your internet speed by moving the router somewhere else or by buying a new, better router. For example, a mesh router with multiple satellites to achieve better coverage in your home. Some providers, including Ziggo and KPN, also sell mesh routers themselves to new and existing customers.
Is your router working properly and your current internet speed turns out to be too slow for your ideal use? Then check whether your provider offers a subscription with a higher upload and download speed at your address. Yes? Then you can consider whether you want to pay the additional price.
Be sure to check which internet speeds competing providers can deliver to your address and what they charge for this. The (maximum) upload and download speeds and associated prices vary widely. Independent comparison websites like broadbandwinkel.nl provide a clear overview of all internet subscriptions available for your address within a minute.
Fiber optic at your address?
The fastest possible internet for home is via a fiber optic connection. It is good to keep in mind that more and more households are getting access to fiber optic. The so-called vitrification of the Netherlands is making good progress, especially because providers such as KPN and T-Mobile are making more effort. Yet there are still plenty of neighbourhoods, but also entire villages and cities that will only get fiber within a few years.
On stratix.nl/glaskaart/ you can see what percentage of households in your municipality currently have access to fiber optic. On providers’ websites you can find out via a postcode check whether your house already has a fiber optic connection and if not, whether this will change in the near future.
Free modem choice
Another point to consider when choosing your internet provider is how it relates to free modem choice. This means that you can choose your router modem yourself and are therefore not obliged to use a router modem from the provider.
You get such a router modem on loan, so you pay for it monthly and have to return it when you switch to another provider. In addition, this type of router modem is technically less advanced and less customizable than some separately available router modems. Please note that setting up a router modem yourself requires technical knowledge and is at your own responsibility.
KPN and Freedom Internet are the best-known providers that offer free choice of modem. Freedom even gives customers with their own modem a two-euro bill discount per month – after all, they don’t pay for a modem on loan.
Other providers, including T-Mobile and Ziggo, are not in favor of free modem choice. However, a new policy is likely to come into effect later this year requiring carriers to allow free modem choice.
Types of TV subscriptions
The second part of an all-in-one contract is fixed television. For a TV subscription including receiver, you pay five to twenty euros per month with most parties, depending on the provider and the channel package. It is therefore advisable to ask yourself whether you will still get this money out in 2021.
Do you really still watch that much TV via the receiver and do you use functions such as pausing, recording and replaying programs? Perhaps you watch more Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube than real TV programs these days, or you spend less time in front of the television anyway.
In that case, a cheaper TV subscription is worth considering. The best-known alternative is NLZiet, an initiative of the three largest TV channels. NLZiet gives you access to the programs of, among others, the NPO, RTL and Kijk (SBS, Veronica and more) for eight euros per month.
NLZiet works via an app on your smartphone, tablet or smart TV and can also be viewed on your computer via the website. This saves a cupboard and remote control in your living room. NLZiet lets you look back and forward and generally shows fewer commercials than the linear TV channels.
Landline calling
The third part of an all-in-one package is landline calling via an ‘old-fashioned’ telephone. Almost all well-known providers offer it, but fewer and fewer people are using it. This is of course due to the smartphone. Are you still a satisfied landline user? Then you can of course leave it that way.
Are you in doubt about canceling this contract part or are you not sure whether you are paying for it at all? Take a look at your contract and you will immediately see what you will save if you switch off the telephone connection. At Ziggo, KPN and T-Mobile, this is respectively twelve, twenty-four and thirty euros per year – excluding costs for calling per minute.
Keep email?
If you use the email service of your provider, that is a point of attention when switching to a competitor. You cannot transfer your email address. The received and sent e-mails are, however, by exporting them in the old mail service and importing them into the new mail service. Your provider explains how to do this on its website.
If you switch, you must therefore inform your contacts about your new email address and change your email address on websites and other services. With an external free or paid mail service such as Gmail, Outlook or Soverin, you are not tied to your provider.
Combination discounts
Saving on your current or new contract can be done in several ways. Almost all providers offer at least one form of combination discount. They want to recruit and keep you as a customer, and if they can sell you even more services. With three major players (KPN, T-Mobile and VodafoneZiggo) you will therefore receive a discount on your monthly bill if you purchase both a home subscription and a mobile subscription from the same provider.
The discount is usually a few euros per month, but can also increase. For example, T-Mobile is conducting an aggressive recruitment campaign by offering the fastest possible internet package for home and unlimited mobile internet for a total of fifty euros per month. Previously this was 65 euros.
Many providers also placate you with all kinds of other practical benefits. Think of a ‘free’ sports channel if you choose a TV subscription, a larger mobile internet bundle and a ‘free’ upgrade to a higher internet speed for home.
Not all providers participate in this. For example, Freedom Internet gives you the highest attainable internet speed as standard. Also pay attention to the fine print, because some ‘free’ extras only apply for the first months of your contract. After that, you’ll tacitly pay for it until you turn off the extras.
All in all, there are plenty of things to consider if you want to change your home contract, regardless of whether you stay with your current provider or switch to a competitor. Hopefully the tips in this article will help you make the best choice!
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