Savvy Saver Magazine
Savvy Saver Magazine

Connecting for less with John Lewis Broadband

Connecting for less with John Lewis Broadband
May 22, 2013
The iconic British department store John Lewis has been known for launching into a few different sectors in recent years, with the latest being the utility market. This resulted in the launch of John Lewis Broadband, providing three simple packages to customers who wanted the same great service the store is renowned for from their broadband provider. As an additional incentive for switching from your existing supplier, a John Lewis Broadband deal has been launched that will give you 6 months. To claim you will need to buy an internet-enabled device from a John Lewis store or at the website, so we’ve looked at a few different options below away from just computers.

1) Smart TVs – along with tablets, PCs and laptops, TVs are now become a further connection to the online world with multiple streaming services now available. We the latest range of internet-enabled Smart TVs it’s possible to use on demand-services such as the BBC iPlayer and 4OD, as well as renting movies from the likes of Netflix. If you’re looking to upgrade your TV you’ll be hard pressed to find a new model which doesn’t have these features built in, so even if you’re not looking to use them yourself you’ll be able to benefit from the John Lewis Broadband deal.

2) Internet Radios – like most other technologies, the traditional radio has come along way in recent years and there’s now no longer the need for fine-tuning to try to avoid the crackles (although we do miss the nostalgic element!).  The latest radios connect directly to your home broadband, giving you access to over 10,000 internet radio stations, with the additional benefit of being able to stream music to them from your home personal computer. Prices start at around £100 so if you spend hours listening to the radio, this may open up a new world of channels to you without the need to use miserable PC speakers.

3) Music Streaming Systems – we’ve refused systems in the past like Sonos (a hugely recommended brand by us) that provide wireless streaming across your home. This is certainly the direction that home entertainment systems are moving in as you can stream from both your existing music library, together with internet services such as Spotify. As the technology is still relatively new and Sonos don’t discount, the John Lewis Broadband offer is a great extra clincher to get you started with your upgrade for less.



Now we’ve looked at what you could buy that will qualify for the offer, you just need to select the package that’s right for you at John Lewis broadband:

Standard John Lewis Broadband Package

Cost - £11 per month, plus £13.50 for line rental and calls
Speed – Up to 16MB download speeds
Data limit – 20GB monthly usage
Our verdict – Great package for any light-medium users, as 20GB will be enough for regular internet browsing, as well as for watching a few programmes each work from on-demand services like the ITV Player.


Unlimited John Lewis Broadband Package

Cost - £18 per month, plus line rental from £13.50 each month
Speed – Up to 16MB download speeds (same as Standard package)
Data limit – Unlimited monthly usage
Our verdict – Same download speeds as the Standard, so great for medium users. The unlimited data usage means it’s suited to heavy downloaders (music/films/content) rather than occasional browsers.


John Lewis Fibre Broadband Package

Cost - £25 per month, line rental an additional £13.50 on top
Speed – Up to 38MB download speeds
Data limit – 100GB monthly usage
Our verdict – It’s up to twice as fast as the other packages so it’s great for heavy browsers, online gamers as well as anyone who downloads a lot of content and doesn’t have time to wait. It’s a shame that a data limit has been put in place but most users will struggle to go over 100GB per month, unless you use on-demand services more than SKY or Freeview.


Savings possible with the John Lewis Broadband deal

You’ll save £66 with the Standard Package, £108 with the Unlimited plan and £150 if you opt for the new Fibre broadband. These savings are huge (and could in fact pay the cost of the internet-enabled device needed to qualify for the offer in the first place) and it’s a great initiative from John Lewis not tying it down to computers only.

Make sure you check around to see what other providers are offering and do a broadband speed test to get a more accurate idea of what the actual speed for each package would be. The Fibre download speed isn’t as high as some other broadband providers are offering (such as Virgin Media and Plusnet with in excess of 50MB), but this needs to be put against what you’ll be using the internet for in practice at your home. The other two packages are less competitive than the pricing for the Fibre plan, but are on a 12 month contract rather than 18, which means you’re tied in for less time (which increases the cost). Again this should be included within your decision based on your own broadband needs.
 

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