Router supplied
You get a router. Looking after the Wi-Fi around the home is largely down to you.
Plusnet, Community Fibre
Checked 13 September 2026
Your broadband connection reaches the router. Your Wi-Fi delivers the experience.
A fast fibre line can still produce a poor broadband experience if the household has to diagnose, extend and manage its Wi-Fi itself. WiFiXpert compares not only the line you buy, but what it takes — and what it costs — to make that connection work throughout your home.
This page is deliberately a list of facts rather than one number. Read across a row and you will see what a provider publishes, what costs extra, and what nobody has published at all. Nothing here changes our broadband rankings.
The four levels
Managed Wi-Fi is not a yes or no. A level is only given when a provider publishes the evidence for it.
Whole-home / mesh Wi-Fi
They supply or sell extra Wi-Fi boxes and will help you get coverage set up.
TalkTalk, YouFibre, Lit Fibre
Managed home Wi-Fi
They actively support the Wi-Fi inside your home, not just the line coming in.
EE, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, Vodafone, Zen Internet, GoFibre, Connexin
Proactively managed Wi-Fi
They watch it continuously, spot problems before you ring, and own the fix to the end.
Gigabit IQ
Which providers do you want to compare?
Choose up to four. Big and small providers are treated the same way.
Feature by feature
| What we checked | Gigabit IQLevel 4 | EELevel 3 | SkyLevel 3 | PlusnetLevel 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The kit in your home — What they give you, and what it can do. | ||||
| Router suppliedA router comes with the broadband. | IncludedManaged router supplied with the service. | IncludedEE Smart Hub. | IncludedSky Broadband Hub. | Included |
| Wi-Fi generationHow current the Wi-Fi in the supplied box is. | ConfirmedEquipment supplied across Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7; the model you get depends on your package and home. | ConfirmedWi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 hubs on current plans. | Unable to verifyHub generation varies by plan. | Unable to verify |
| Mesh suppliedExtra Wi-Fi boxes come as part of the service. | IncludedMesh units supplied and managed by the provider. | Available, costs extraExtenders supplied on eligible plans or under the guarantee. | Available, costs extraSky WiFi Max pods. | Not offered |
| More mesh availableYou can get additional boxes if the home needs them. | IncludedExtra units added as the home needs them. | Included | Included | Unable to verify |
| Mesh included in the priceWhether those extra boxes cost extra each month. | Unable to verifyExtra units are hardware you add; pricing is not published as a single figure. | Available, costs extraDepends on the plan. | Available, costs extraWiFi Max is a paid add-on on most plans. | Not offered |
| What you can see and do — The app on your phone, and what it shows you. | ||||
| Manage the Wi-Fi in their appTheir own app, with their name on it. | IncludedTheir own app manages the router and mesh. | IncludedThe EE app. | IncludedMy Sky / Sky Broadband Buddy. | Not offeredNo Plusnet Wi-Fi management app. |
| See your connected devicesA live list of what is on your Wi-Fi. | Included | Included | Included | Not offered |
| Room-by-room checksTest the Wi-Fi where it feels weak. | IncludedIn-app checks, plus optimisation visits. | IncludedIn-room Wi-Fi test in the app. | IncludedRoom-by-room test in the app. | Not offered |
| Speed and network testsRun a test yourself and see the result. | Included | Included | Included | Unable to verify |
| What they do from their end — Whether anyone is looking after your Wi-Fi but you. | ||||
| Remote diagnosticsTheir team can test your setup without a visit. | Included | Included | Included | Unable to verify |
| They can see your Wi-Fi healthNot just the line — the Wi-Fi inside the home. | IncludedRouter, mesh and device information visible to their team. | Included | Included | Unable to verify |
| Continuous monitoringSomebody is watching it when nothing is wrong. | ConfirmedMonitoring described as spotting problems before the customer calls. | Unable to verify | Unable to verify | Not publicly documented |
| Problems spotted before you callThey contact you, not the other way round. | Confirmed | Unable to verify | Unable to verify | Not publicly documented |
| Remote optimisationSettings changed from their end to improve it. | IncludedSettings changed remotely. | Unable to verify | Unable to verify | Not publicly documented |
| Router software managedUpdates handled for you, not left to you. | Included | IncludedHub updates applied automatically. | Included | Unable to verify |
| Security managed in the appProtection run by the provider in their own app. | IncludedCyberGuard+ runs in the same app for their broadband customers. | Not offeredSecurity add-ons are separate apps, not the Wi-Fi app. | Not offeredSky Broadband Shield and McAfee are managed outside the Wi-Fi app. | Not offered |
| Family controlsBedtimes, filters and per-person limits. | IncludedFamilyGuard+ in the same app. | Included | Included | Unable to verify |
| Prioritising devices or trafficPutting the work call ahead of the download. | IncludedMy Priorities IQ in the app: prioritise work, streaming or gaming traffic, or a chosen device. Included with Managed Wi-Fi. | Unable to verify | Unable to verify | Not publicly documented |
| Help and promises — Who you reach, and what they have committed to. | ||||
| Wi-Fi guaranteeA published promise about Wi-Fi in your rooms. | Not publicly documentedNo published in-room speed guarantee on their site; the service is built around monitoring and fixing rather than a speed promise. | Included100 Mbps in every corner, extenders first then £100. | Included10–25 Mbps per room depending on the plan. | Not publicly documented |
| Dedicated Wi-Fi supportPeople whose job is Wi-Fi, not just broadband. | IncludedWi-Fi specialists rather than general broadband agents. | Unable to verify | Unable to verify | Not offered |
| Human technical supportYou can reach a person who understands it. | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Will fix Wi-Fi, not just the lineThey own the problem even when the line is fine. | IncludedOne team owns the case from report to resolved. | Included | Unable to verify | Unable to verify |
Gigabit IQ — Level 4
Published monitoring, remote management, in-home Wi-Fi visits and security and family controls in their own app.
Supporting information only, not scored: Best OTT Service — UK Fibre Awards 2024 ↗
EE — Level 3
Own app with in-room tests, extenders supplied under a published speed guarantee, and support that keeps the case.
Sky — Level 3
Own app with a room-by-room test and pods under WiFi Max, with support able to review the setup.
Plusnet — Level 1
A router is supplied; coverage beyond it is largely down to the household.
The true cost of home connectivity
The headline broadband price is rarely what a household ends up spending to get reliable Wi-Fi in every room. Once you add coverage kit, protection and family controls, two lines with the same advertised price can cost very different amounts.
- Broadband
- The headline monthly price for the line itself.
- Wi-Fi or mesh add-on
- Anything charged monthly for extra Wi-Fi boxes or a coverage promise.
- Security add-on
- Protection charged on top, whether in the app or as a separate product.
- Family controls add-on
- Charged separately by some providers, included by others.
- Your own Wi-Fi kit
- Only counted when the scenario genuinely needs it — never assumed.
Broadband + Wi-Fi or mesh add-on + security add-on + family controls add-on + any equipment the scenario truly needs = estimated whole-home connectivity cost.
Our assumptions, in full
- Prices change constantly and vary by offer, area and length of contract, so we only publish a figure when the provider publishes one.
- We never assume a household must buy third-party Wi-Fi equipment. It is only counted when the scenario being compared explicitly requires it.
- Where equipment is included, its cost is spread over a stated period — 24 or 36 months — and the period is always shown.
- Add-ons are counted at the price the provider publishes for the plan being compared, not the cheapest promotional price.
- Where a provider does not publish a price, the row reads "Not publicly documented" rather than an estimate.
We publish the method now and add each cost row as a provider publishes a price we can point at. Where a price is not published, the row will say so rather than carry an estimate.
What managed Wi-Fi actually means →Compare providers →Wi-Fi guarantees compared →