Everything You Need To Know When Switching Internet Providers

Written By Shaan Braun

Maybe you’ve been wanting to switch internet providers for a while now but you’ve been put off because you don’t know the process to switch or you find it confusing.

In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know when switching providers including under what circumstances you can continue using your old modem, what information you’ll need handy, and exactly what the process looks like with Townsville Internet.

Check Your Current Contract

Before you go shopping around for a new provider, you want to make sure you’ll be able to leave your current provider and plan. Some things to check are:

  • Are you still under contract?

  • Is there a cancellation fee?

  • Are you leasing your modem under contract or do you own it outright?

Most ISPs don’t deal in contracts for their plans anymore, however, many lock you in with their modems for 12 or 24 months. In those cases, if you leave before the contract term is completed, you’ll buy out the modem or return it and have to purchase a new one, either way there’s a monetary outlay.

If you own the modem outright, that’s great! Your modem, even if it is an ISP branded one, should still work with your new provider as thee modems are rarely provider locked.

Determine What Plan Is Right For You

Right, so you’ve checked with your current provider and you know you’ll be able to switch, if there’s a fee to do so, and if your modem is coming with you or not. There’s still one more step before you go shopping.

It’s important to determine which plan is actually right for you. You don’t want to overpay for speeds you don’t need or even worse, be on a plan that can’t keep up with your household.

The critical factors to consider are:

  • How many people are in your household and how many will be using the internet simultaneously

  • What the internet will mostly be used for?

For reference, streaming full HD content on Netflix or other streaming services can use up to 10Mbps, with 4K streams using up to 25Mbps. If you work from home, video calls can also use up to 10Mbps. Gaming is effected more by latency than speed. Latency is the delay between when something happens on your end and it occurring on the other end.

NBN’s FTTP (Fibre to the Premise) heavily reduces latency compared to FTTN (Fibre to the Node). Not sure what fibre connection you’ve got? Townsville Internet can check if you are eligible for a free FTTP upgrade, just give us a call.

Compare Plans & Providers, They Aren’t All Equal

Now you know what plan you need, it’s time to go shopping. When looking across providers, here’s a few things to look out for:

  • Is their price an introductory offer? If so, be sure to check what the price jumps up to

  • Are there hidden sign up fees?

  • Do they have a contract term for their modems?

  • What are people saying online about their experience as a customer?

    • Is it easy to get a hold of them?

    • Are they friendly to deal with?

    • How quickly do they resolve your issue?

    • How well do they communicate with you during the support process?

It is important to check all these across the providers you’re looking at, especially the customer experience. You only sign up to a provider once, but the support and customer experience will be ongoing, so it’s important to choose a provider who gets this right.

Extras?

It’s never a bad idea to ask a provider what extra bonus perks they offer. Some providers include introductory pricing, others give you a free subscription to a streaming service for a few months, and some providers also offer bundle deals with your mobile phone plan. Townsville Internet’s perks include: 50% off our call-out fee and 10% off a modem that you purchase, if needed.

Shaan Braun