In reply to a post by trolleybus:

You say "My partner and I both work from home with regular Teams meetings, the kids game a lot, and we're usually streaming on the TV as well".

If FTTP is not available to you, then the only practical solution to meet your needs is STARLINK.

I think if you can get a solid 40M downstream, and you are not expecting to run Teams simultaneously with the streaming and the kids games, you will probably not need to go to starlink.

In reply to a post by DFScale:

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

You say "My partner and I both work from home with regular Teams meetings, the kids game a lot, and we're usually streaming on the TV as well".

If FTTP is not available to you, then the only practical solution to meet your needs is STARLINK.

I think if you can get a solid 40M downstream, and you are not expecting to run Teams simultaneously with the streaming and the kids games, you will probably not need to go to starlink.

Since the OP stated that all devices are normally in us at the same time, and an endorsement of my sentiments by another contributor to this thread, I would say that STARLINK is the only practical solution for the OP. In all probability their respective employers would make a contribution to the monthly rental.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Since the OP stated that all devices are normally in us at the same time, and an endorsement of my sentiments by another contributor to this thread, I would say that STARLINK is the only practical solution for the OP. In all probability their respective employers would make a contribution to the monthly rental.

No, OP does not state all devices are in use at the same time. It is 8-10 devices. This is probably more than 1 per person, so some might be IoT or low bandwidth devices.

Given that Starlink is quite expensive, there is value in outlining some of the compromises which can be made rather than your absolutist position of Starlink.

Edited by DFScale (Thu 26-Feb-26 13:53:51)

In reply to a post by DFScale:

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Since the OP stated that all devices are normally in us at the same time, and an endorsement of my sentiments by another contributor to this thread, I would say that STARLINK is the only practical solution for the OP. In all probability their respective employers would make a contribution to the monthly rental.

No, OP does not state all devices are in use at the same time. It is 8-10 devices. This is probably more than 1 per person, so some might be IoT or low bandwidth devices.

Given that Starlink is quite expensive, there is value in outlining some of the compromises which can be made rather than your absolutist position of Starlink.

Unfortunately you can't try before you buy (subscribe to) an internet connection from (I think) any ISP and therefore could be stuck in a 24-month contract for something that does not work for the OP. Eventually the OP could be forced to turn to STARLINK. For sure shelling out £75 to STARLINK is hard to swallow, made worse by the continued mandatory payment to an ISP.

This thread must be helpful to the OP to make an informed decision of what to run with; whether you or I have given the most appropriate advice, only time will tell. Neither of us really knows the simultaneous use of connected devices by the entire family that would make it obvious of what would be best.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Unfortunately you can't try before you buy (subscribe to) an internet connection from (I think) any ISP

You can get FTTC on 1-month contracts from some ISPs. Of course, there will almost certainly be an up-front installation cost - to cover the costs the ISP themselves have to pay, which are normally amortized over a 12-24 month contract. But it's certainly doable.

Check the expected performance at broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com (address tab). This uses existing FTTC measurements and/or a computer model of the line length to estimate speeds.

If you get an FTTC connection which is close to the 80M down / 20M up maximum, it will be very usable on its own. TV streams which are not 4K/UHD are only 5-10Mbps. Games *playing* uses little bandwidth. Games *downloading* will fill the pipe, but that doesn't mean things like Teams won't work, and in any case you just make it a rule that new games are only downloaded overnight.

If limited bandwidth does turn out to be a problem, then you can split your network: two different routers with their own wifi SSIDs.
- FTTC for business/work use
- a separate connection for entertainment - which could be 4G/5G or Starlink.

So if it were me: I'd start with the FTTC (on a good provider with a 12+ month contract), and add the other option if it became necessary.

I'd also try 4G/5G before Starlink; if there's a good signal from one of the three networks then it will be cheaper, and will use less power, than Starlink.

If none of those options work, then Starlink is the fallback.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Unfortunately you can't try before you buy (subscribe to) an internet connection from (I think) any ISP and therefore could be stuck in a 24-month contract for something that does not work for the OP.

That is something of a strawman argument. Anyone in OP's position and acting rationally would look for the shortest commitment.

One could not stream tv while using Teams.

In reply to a post by broadband66:

One could not stream tv while using Teams.

Are you sure?

Streaming one TV channel might take 5-10Mbps out of the (potentially) 80M downstream, and almost zero from the upstream. Unless you insist on streaming 4K/UHD.

A Teams call is a few meg.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

In reply to a post by broadband66:

One could not stream tv while using Teams.

Are you sure?

Streaming one TV channel might take 5-10Mbps out of the (potentially) 80M downstream, and almost zero from the upstream. Unless you insist on streaming 4K/UHD.

A Teams call is a few meg.

I agree. I used to have a 30M connection from a wireless ISP. I successfully set up a Zoom session with an outside user with 3 sessions on my side. It worked fine.

If someone is on a Teams call then that someone is probably working. Why would they need to be streaming a TV programme?

Sometimes people have to prioritise what they do with what they've got.