Our overall rating: 37 out of 50
This service by one of the UK's leading mobile providers lets you get online through a 4G or 5G network to enjoy fibre speeds without a physical cable network. No landline is needed. No engineer visit will be required. It really is just a case of plugging in a hub and off you click. These can be unplugged and used elsewhere too, so perfect for anyone with two addresses, or in short-term accommodation.
It’s technically like a mobile Wi-Fi device, but these broadband hubs give a much stronger and greater reach than a dongle. They can power entire homes rather than just a single device.
Whether you can get Three Home Broadband depends on Three’s wireless network signal. Coverage isn’t guaranteed everywhere, so the first port of call is to check your postcode. This will show whether you are in range. It also shows whether you’ll be on a 5G or a 4G signal. 5G is what you’ll want to be on as it gets faster speeds and greater bandwidth.
Signal strength is everything with this technology. Unlike fixed-line, it’s difficult to know exactly how strong – or not – your home’s connection to its nearest mast will be until you actually plug in and try. Three Home Broadband acknowledge this and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee for anyone disappointed in what they receive.
The positives
The negatives
In our full review we take a look at the pros and cons of each area in more detail: speed, full fibre review, cost, setup and customer service.
Your speed will all depend on where you live and whether or not your postcode gets a 5G signal.
Around 70% of UK homes have access to 5G which will get you average download speeds of 150Mbps.
If 5G isn’t in range, 93% of homes are in reach of 4G so you should be able to at least access average download speeds of 70Mbps.
What exactly is 5G?
5G is the fifth generation of mobile network. It’s the next release after 4G, and delivers a massive leap forward in both speed and quality.
This means that home broadband powered by 5G gives faster speeds for heavier streaming. It also means you get less lag for your gaming and increased capacity for multiple users.
As this 5G service is transmitted over the air, the speeds you’ll get can vary due to a number of factors such as your location, the number of users in your area, the position of your router in your home and where the nearest 5G mast is.
Find out what Wi-Fi is available with our postcode checker.
Speed is often the biggest consideration when choosing a broadband package. If you have multiple people using the internet at one time, then a higher speed and bandwidth will be essential. Equally, if it’s a small household using the internet for everyday usage, paying for business-grade bandwidth will probably end up being a waste.
You should decide what speed is right for you, based on your broadband habits at home. Here’s a handy guide to help show what bandwidth usage your different applications need.
Your options depend on whether your home falls under Three’s 4G or 5G network signal.
Unlimited data, 24 month or 1 month plan
With average download speeds of 70Mbps it’s a decent plan for browsing and streaming in small households.
5G
Unlimited data 5G, 24 month or 1 month plan
This package has an average download speed of 150Mbps at peak times. Ideal for those uploading large content, streaming and online gaming.
On some occasions, yes. Fibre has some very impressive theoretical speeds but 5G powered networks also do. 5G can be as fast or even faster than fibre in certain areas.
Three Home Broadband is capable of delivering superfast speeds but this varies by location and signal strength.
5G doesn't offer the symmetrical speeds that full fibre can provide, either. Symmetrical speeds are connections that give the same upload and download speed. So, in the case of 5G, it gives 150Mbps download speed but its upload speed is only a max of about 20Mbps.
Because it’s 5G/4G based, there’s no need for any phone lines or cables. While fibre cables are durable, they’re not immune to damage. Faults in a fibre line are likely to impact the whole network until repairs are made. In contrast, 5G connects to multiple cell towers at a time, meaning that if one individual tower goes down it shouldn’t impact your connection too much.
But, on the flipside, unlike fibre, the exact speed and quality you get from 4G/5G are much more variable depending on your location and your home.
Latency can also be higher on 4G/5G signal. This means you might have experience a bit more lag – delay in response time – which could affect things like online gaming or video calls. Again, this is dependent on how well placed you are to the signal.
Because of the importance of signal location – which you’re not going to know before trying – Three offer a 30-day money back just in case your home isn’t in a strong enough range.
Compared to some of the big fixed-line broadband contracts, Three Home Broadband is very competitively priced. A 2-year monthly contract normally costs around £24. Although it’s important to note that even though 4G has slower speeds than the 5G package, the price is the same. So, again, depending on location you’ll either pay £24 for 150Mbps or 63Mbps.
Rolling monthly contracts are £28 which is pretty good in comparison of other leave-anytime style plans.
Average price guide
Choose between 24-month plans or flexible one-month pay-as-you-go packages that come with a higher price.
Not if you get Three Home Broadband on its own. But if you also happen to be getting a Three phone contract with an Apple phone alongside your broadband deal, you can get 3 months of Apple TV+ free too.
There are no gift card or cash back rewards, but if you or your family already have any Three products you can save money on their Connect Together scheme.
So, if you’re already a Three mobile customer and you take out a Three broadband contract, or vice versa, you’ll get a 20% discount on your bills. You can do this by adding other members of the family too. This can include mobile plans, SIM-only plans, laptop plans and broadband plans.
Yes, unfortunately like many other big providers, Three increases its monthly prices every spring. Both their monthly and 24-month plan indicate that every April their charges increase by £2 a month.
You should factor the above in when signing up as you’ll probably need to agree to an annual price rise as part of the terms and conditions.
This is where Three Home Broadband wins. Want to switch? You can be up and running by the next day.
It is refreshingly simple. No engineer is needed, no landline is required, you only have to wait for your hub which will be sent next-day delivery to you. Then it’s just the case of plugging it in, adding the SIM card into the router and you’re ready to click away.
Test the router in different positions. The recommended place is high and by a window, so an upstairs windowsill would be a good place to start from.
There are two different routers sent to connecting customers, which you get will depend on your local network signal.
The Zyxel NR5103E Wi-Fi router
This powerful bit of kit is designed to get the most from your 5G capabilities. Compliant with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, you’re really future proofing with this router. Remember though, that although the specs are powerful – 4.7Gbps! – the speeds you’ll actually be able to experience will be a lot lower due to network coverage and congestion.
The ZTE MF286D Wi-Fi router
For those still out of reach of 5G, this 4G hub puts in effort to get the best speeds possible.
Unfortunately, Three broadband does not score highly on our go-to review platform, Trustpilot. It only gets a lowly 1.4 out of five stars. A lot of the one star reviews are for lost connection problems. Remember, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you do get it and the connection isn't great you haven’t lost out.
Read Three broadband reviews on Trustpilot to find out more.
By phone, call Three customer service: 0333 300 0500. Lines are open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 6pm at the weekend.
Or, try Three’s Live Chat service
Twitter/X: @Threeuksupport.
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