The Best Types of Broadband for Your Student House

Last updated: January 2026

Whether you want to stream your favourite shows, blast your playlists, or cram for your course, decent WiFi is one of the main things you’ll want to sort out when you move into your new shared house.

Here at Split The Bills, we’re here to help you navigate the world of student broadband, making sure you find the perfect fit for your house. Let’s break down the different types of broadband and what makes each one unique.

What is student broadband?  

Student WiFi is exactly the same as the internet you use at your parents’ place, but the setup offers a few perks tailored just for students.

For example, standard broadband packages usually lock you into contracts that last up to two years. When you’re only living in your shared house for 12 months, those massive contracts are a total trap. Shorter student-friendly contracts actually align with your timeline.

What types of broadband are available to you? 

When you’re looking around for a student or professional let broadband deal, you might find there are different types of broadband available.  

All broadband providers and services basically offer the same thing – connection to the internet. However, the speed and connectivity can vary wildly.

Depending on where you live, your area might limit what you can get, so knowing the options will help you grab the best deal for your house.

ADSL broadband 

This operates through old-school telephone lines with varying upload and download speeds. It’s fine for light web browsing and streaming standard-definition videos, but it’s definitely not powerful enough for a busy shared house.

Fibre optic broadband  

Also known as optical fibre broadband, this type of broadband uses thin glass or plastic fibres to transmit data through light signals.  

It’s the only real choice if you want a fast, reliable connection – which is a literal lifesaver when you have a midnight deadline to hit! It’s also great for a house where you’ve got multiple people and devices accessing the internet at the same time, perfect for working from home.

While fibre is available in most big cities, if you’re living further out, coverage can be a bit hit-or-miss.

Mobile broadband 

This type of broadband uses cellular networks, so you can access the internet on devices such as your smartphone or tablet. It’s great for providing you with connectivity on the move, like if you want to escape the house and study in a coffee shop for a change of scenery.

However, speed and reliability can vary depending on the coverage in your area and the usage of the network. It’s a solid backup, but it won’t give you the consistent speed or strength of a proper home fibre connection.

What should I go for?

If you’re living in a student or young professional shared property with three or more people accessing the internet at the same time to stream, make video calls, study, or play games, fibre optic broadband is probably a non-negotiable. It’s the best way to prevent arguments and major frustration when someone is trying to submit an assignment and the screen starts buffering.

Does speed matter?

While you’re at uni, you’re going to be downloading lecture documents and resources. You’ll probably also be streaming TV shows or films in your downtime or even taking part in some online gaming – and so will your housemates!  

Depending on the size of your house, you’re going to need a package that can handle the load. If your download speed is too low, you and your housemates are going to end up losing your minds when you can’t even watch a video after a long day of lectures.

Here are the speeds available and how many people they can handle:  

  • 50 Mbps – this is usually suitable for one person streaming or a couple of people scrolling social media. If you’re in a shared house, you’ll probably need more than this.
  • 100 Mbps – this is perfect for HD streaming or online gaming for a number of people. If you’re only in a small house or flat with one other person, this could work great.
  • 400-600 Mbps – if you’ve got a number of heavy users in your house, this is the sweet spot. This will be enough for most student houses.  
  • 1000 Mbps – the ultimate choice for large student houses, handling a larger number of users and usage.

When do you need to sort broadband?  

Once you have a move-in date for your shared house or you know when most people are going to start living there, start sorting out your package and get an installation date set as soon as you can! The absolute last thing you want is to move into your new room when assignments are starting and realise you have to live without internet for three weeks.

How do you set up student broadband?  

You’ll need to find the right package, and then comes the awkward part: deciding which housemate is going to put the contract in their name and handle chasing everyone for money each month (unless you use a bill-splitting service).

Once you’ve signed up, an engineer might need to visit the property if the previous tenants used a different network provider. Your provider will send out a router, and you’ll usually be up and running within a few days.

Secure the best type of broadband with Split The Bills

Choosing the right broadband package can be tricky, not to mention trying to work out how you’re going to split the payments between all of your housemates. A bill-splitting service can often be the simplest solution to avoid arguments and sort your household bills with minimal hassle.  

Our bill package at Split The Bills includes uncapped energy, water, your choice of broadband speed and the option to include a TV Licence (if you want to watch live TV). We offer Virgin Media Fibre broadband with speeds from 80 Mbps to 1000 Mbps, so picking the perfect match for your house is easy.

Grab a monthly price for your household bills today. Or speak to a member of our team if you’re still unsure which type of broadband will work best for your shared house – we’ll be happy to help!

Student sorting bills on laptop

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15th May 2026 No Comments