Hey! Broadband | Our expert review

What is Hey! Broadband?

Hey! Broadband is a relatively new provider, offering amazing speeds with a super-reliable ultrafast connection at an extremely competitive price. 

At Hey! Broadband, they believe that everyone should have access to a fast and reliable connection - more specifically, they aim to provide FTTP to potential customers in areas that aren’t a major target in the wider Openreach full-fibre UK rollout.

Through the use of the latest technology, their next-generation broadband not only keeps multiple devices connected throughout the household but also increases the value of your property with a connection fit for the future.

Better yet, Hey! Broadband isn’t just for household personal use. You can get packages ideal for home workers and for businesses, providing something for all needs!

Is Hey! Broadband any good?

Hey! Broadband simply wants to help more people have access to the fastest speeds available while not fork out a fortune to do so. Some of the reasons why Hey! Broadband is so good is:

• Competitive pricing – Their ultrafast and hyperfast offerings don’t come at a premium. They are priced fairly and equally to that of their larger competitors
• Full fibre unlimited – Browse, stream, game and work to your heart's content with uncapped usage!
• Experienced support – Their friendly and amazing customer service team is readily available to help you with any questions or queries you may have
• Symmetrical speeds – Download and upload speeds are symmetrical on all packages. Not every provider can say that!

What network does Hey! Broadband use?

Hey! Broadband is known as an Altnet provider as they use their own full-fibre network that they install themselves, ensuring a connection that they can have full control over and offer gigabit speeds to their customers.

This differs from other providers as they usually use existing infrastructure. These are usually copper lines, but while many are being upgraded to fibre optic lines, it still means they don’t have full control over the connections.

What is Hey! Broadband’s coverage?

Being an AltNet provider, Hey! Broadband can and do offer their network to places that are less connected and would usually be amongst the last areas to get the latest broadband technology.

You can find Hey! Broadband present in 30* towns and small cities across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surry and West Sussex, with a further number of areas receiving coverage soon and more on the waitlist.

* This number is correct as of writing.

How much is Hey! Broadband?

Hey! Broadband prices their packages fairly, providing competitive prices that rival others in the industry.

This makes it another big reason why those who can get their service should as you’re not paying a whole lot more than if you chose to go with one of the major providers.

They also offer their For Home packages on 24-month, 12-month and 30-day contracts, with the monthly price cheaper on the 24-month contracts. You can also choose between 12 and 24-month contracts with the Home Worker packages

The 30-day contracts come with zero commitment, which means you can cancel whenever you want provided you give them 30 days' notice.

Hey! also promise no mid-contract price increases and no hidden costs, with all the numbers of how much things will be laid out clearly for you to see.

Hey! Broadband packages

While the bigger providers have multiple packages to choose from across ADSL, FTTC and FTTP connections, Hey! Broadband only has a few FTTP packages to offer.

We say a few instead of a definitive number as they have packages for home use, home working use and businesses. 

Here are the packages available for each:

For Home

These are packages that are ideal for personal home use with multiple people and devices connected.

Monthly costs are correct for standard price. Prices may differ depending on promotional deals.

Home Worker

While you can simply opt for using the home broadband to do your home working, Hey! want to offer something for those who do a lot when working from home.

With their home worker options, you will get gigafast broadband as standard with its reliable connection plus fast technical network support should you need it. 

Business

You can even get their broadband for business use. Choose from three packages depending on the size of your business.

With these, you will essentially be leasing part of the Hey! Broadband network that you need to use solely for your business. You can also reserve specific bandwidth as according to your requirements, with an assurance that there will be sufficient capacity for large bandwidth users on shared lines.

The Business packages are available on 24-month contracts only and VAT is excluded.

What add-ons can I get with Hey! Broadband?

A phone line can be included for the 24-month and 12-month For Home and Home Worker packages for an extra £9.50 a month. It is not available for the business packages and not on the 30-day rolling contracts.

You can also improve the strength and reach of your broadband throughout the house with the Smart WiFi add-on provided by Hey! Broadband.

For an extra £7 a month* you can get Plum Pods that will extend your connection throughout your home, but better than your standard WiFi extenders off Amazon.

These smart system pods will adjust itself automatically to provide a reliable and uninterrupted connection throughout your home. 

It also comes with a smart app for your phone that can make them essentially home safety devices, acting as motion sensors and have built-in advanced AI security to keep your network and devices protected.

*£7 a month when signed up for a 24-month contract. On a 12-month contract, it's £10 extra a month plus a £40 upfront charge.

Hey! Broadband: Technical specs & installation

For the routers, we can’t seem to find one single router that they use as standard. Instead, they have user guides for three different router models; Linksys MX4000, TP-Link and Adtran 854-v6.

With the TP-Link, they don’t describe a specific model so we can’t say what sort of connection it will support.

However, the Linksys and Adtran router models feature WiFi 6 technology, which is the latest WiFi technology available and is most capable of handling hyperfast/gigabit speeds.

All three routers are capable of providing a strong and reliable connection, even the TP-Link one without knowing the model.

As for installation, an engineer will visit your household to connect the fibre from either a telephone pole overhead, trench underground or ducting overground to your home.

If they cannot complete the installation due to a technical issue, Hey! May need to arrange for specialists or extra equipment. This will be considered a bespoke installation which will come with extra costs that they will outline, discuss and agree with you before undertaking any work.

Speak to an expert about Hey! Broadband

Hey! Broadband has an excellent customer service team who are on hand every day of the week from 8am to 8pm. You can chat to someone by calling 0808 168 1616.

Alternatively, they have an FAQ page that could answer any general queries, a live chat available 8am-8pm to give you a quick answer, and you can email them at info@heyb.co.uk and get a response within 24 hours.

Hey! Broadband: Best bits

• Unlimited full-fibre
• Fast and reliable connection
• Competitive pricing
• Home, home working & business options
• No mid-contract price increases or hidden fees
• Multiple contract length options
• FTTP to those who wouldn’t usually be a priority
• Brilliant customer service

Hey! Broadband: What we think

All in all, we think Hey! Broadband is a fantastic provider, despite the lack of coverage currently.

We can excuse the coverage due to the fact they are offering their services to areas that would usually be afterthoughts in getting the latest broadband technology.

The pricing structures are brilliant, and the options for contract lengths are really good too, so you can have the freedom to choose how long you want to stay with them.

Their customer service team is very helpful and feels personal so you can know that your problems are genuinely cared for and they’ll help you as much as possible.