Wessex Internet Fibre Broadband Reviews

Wessex Fibre Broadband Review

Overview

Wessex Internet is a specialist broadband company that offers Superfast connections to homes and businesses in Dorset as well as parts of Wiltshire, Somerset and Hampshire. They specialise in connecting rural homes where many standard internet providers can’t reach, so that more people can get online with the speeds they deserve.

Speeds Offered By Wessex Internet

There are two types of fibre broadband available with Wessex. The first of these is called ‘Fibre to the Mast’ or FTTM, which is designed for most customers who live in a remote rural area. This uses fibre optic cable laid to internet masts – around 150 in the region – which then beam the internet connection to a dish installed on your property.

The speeds of this are limited compared to other fibre broadband providers. The Home Starter package, for example, gives you an average download speed of 30Mbps with average upload speeds of 5Mbps, for £25 per month. The Home Family package is a step up, with 40Mbps average download speeds and 10Mbps upload speeds for £39 per month. Or you can choose the top-level Home Unlimited package, which gives you 50Mbps average download speeds and 10Mbps upload speeds for £49 per month. Home Starter and Home Family have an installation fee.

The alternative is to choose Wessex Internet’s full-fibre option. This is where the fibre optic cables are installed right up to your property, giving you access to much faster speeds. There are four packages to choose from. Fibre Home Starter, Fibre Home Family and Fibre Home Unlimited 100 all give you 100Mbps average download speeds, with a step up between the packages in upload speeds from 10Mbps to 15Mbps and 20Mbps. The top package is Fibre Home Unlimited 350, with average download speeds of 350Mbps and upload speeds of 35Mbps.

The cost of the full fibre packages starts at £35 for Fibre Home Starter, and rises to £45 for Fibre Home Family. For Fibre Home Unlimited 100 it’s £59 per month and then Fibre Home Unlimited 350 is £75 per month. The issue is with installation costs – depending on where you live and how rural your property is, these could be quite high, with prices only available on enquiry.

You also need to take into account the usage allowances on each package. Only those named Unlimited give you completely unrestricted data amounts each month. On the FTTM packages, the Home Starter is limited to 60GB per month with Home Family on 300GB per month. The Fibre Home Starter package has a 100GB per month limit, while the Fibre Home Family option is again 300GB per month.

To check Wessex Fibre Speeds please use Wessex Fibre Speed Test

What Network Coverage Does Wessex Internet Fibre Have? 

Wessex’s internet coverage is limited to a small part of the UK, as it covers most of Dorset as well as parts of Wiltshire, Somerset and Hampshire in the south. They are expanding coverage slowly, with a priority of focusing on villages and towns in the region first.

Whilst this may seem like a drawback, it’s actually one of the main features of Wessex as they are dedicated to offering a superfast broadband service to customers who otherwise couldn’t receive one. Rural homes in the UK often struggle to find a reliable broadband partner, as major networks don’t lay the required cabling close to these remote properties. Wessex may only focus on a smaller part of the UK, but in doing so it’s able to give customers access to fibre broadband that otherwise wouldn’t get it at all.

What Router Is Provided By Wessex Internet?

Wessex provide customers with a standard internet router as part of every installation, which is designed to make the most of the signal whether that is a FTTM or a full-fibre connection.

One thing to note is that, if you’ve taken out a residential broadband package, Wessex won’t allow you to use your own router – you have to use the router they provide, as they consider it to be under their management. If you’re someone who likes to upgrade to a specialist router, you’ll either need to pay for a business package or appeal to Wessex, where they will ask you to sign a disclaimer absolving them of issues if you use your own router.

What Is the Installation Process For Wessex Fibre Internet?

Installation with Wessex isn’t as straight forward as it is with other providers but that’s more because of the rural nature of your property.

If you’re choosing FTTM broadband, you’ll need an engineer to fit a receiving dish. As standard these are white but they can be painted. Depending on how far you are from the nearest mast, your dish will vary from around 160mm to 620mm in width.

If you’re choosing full-fibre broadband then, as normal, you’ll have a trench dug to your property to house the required cabling. Again, it’s worth noting that this is likely to be expensive if you do live in a rural property.

Is Wessex Internet Customer Service Any Good?

If you need help with your Wessex internet connection, you can contact the company through Facebook or Twitter, or on email via the website. You can also call the customer service team on 0333 240 7997 – but they’re only available from 8 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday, with no weekend support.

Independent reviews are very positive, with 92% of customers leaving positive feedback from 262 reviews. Comments focus on how reliable the connection and equipment are, and how fast issues are handled by the customer services team.

Conclusion

Wessex isn’t going to win any awards for fastest internet, but that’s not the point. Rural internet access is a major issue for many in the UK, and Wessex is aiming to rectify that with its specialist offering, even if it’s currently only available in a small part of the UK. For those customers, the service provided by Wessex is vital.

Pros:

• A variety of packages to choose from depending on your speed requirements
• Perfect for customers who can’t get fibre broadband from major providers
• Highly rated customer service

Cons:

• Only available in a small part of the UK
• Installation costs for full-fibre broadband could be very high
• Most packages have a monthly data limit that could be restrictive

Overall rating – 9/10