Running a business from home puts different demands on your broadband than personal use — here’s what to prioritise.
Reliability over raw speed. A dropped client call or failed upload mid-presentation costs more than a slightly slower download speed. Full fibre’s consistency at peak times matters more here than chasing the highest advertised number.
Upload speed for client work. Sending large files, video presentations, or design assets to clients depends entirely on upload bandwidth — a package with weak upload can make simple deliverables feel painfully slow to send.
Multiple simultaneous connections. If you’re on a call while a colleague or family member streams or games elsewhere in the house, your package needs enough headroom that one doesn’t degrade the other.
Static IP (if relevant): Some small businesses running their own servers, remote access setups, or specific software may need a static IP address — worth checking with your provider if this applies to you.
What to avoid:
- Heavily contended cable packages that slow down during business hours in busy areas
- Packages with low upload allowances marketed mainly on download speed
- Providers without UK-based support, since downtime during business hours has a real cost
Recommended baseline: 100-200 Mbps with strong upload comfortably covers most home-based small businesses, scaling up if you’re regularly sending large files or hosting video meetings with multiple participants.