What is wireless broadband?
Put simply, wireless broadband is an internet connection that doesn’t require you to physically plug your device into a network. Rather, it uses a wireless router (or Hub) to send wireless signals throughout your home, which are then picked up by your devices.
Wireless broadband deals can vary when it comes to speed and reliability, which is why it’s important to choose a deal that best suits you and your needs. At Virgin Media, all of our best WiFi deals come with our mighty Hubs, included at no extra cost. Delivering fast and reliable WiFi straight into your home, with Intelligent WiFi technology that adapts to your home and automatically sorts WiFi issues for you.
What’s the difference between WiFi and broadband?
Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) is the technology that allows us to access broadband internet. Whilst broadband itself refers to the cables that deliver an internet connection to your router. The router then takes the internet data and converts it to a radio signal, providing our devices with a wireless network, which allows us to access the internet.
Hub 3
Serving up Intelligent WiFi for customers on all broadband speeds up to M500 Fibre Broadband
Hub 4
Powerful enough to handle our Gig1 Fibre broadband, the UK’s fastest widely available broadband*
Hub 5
Powered by WiFi 6, the latest generation of WiFi technology, for greater speed, coverage, reliability and less WiFi lag, for all your WiFi 6 compatible devices
*Subject to availability, network capacity and credit check. UK’s Fastest Major Broadband Provider: based on Gig1 Fibre avg download speed 1,130Mbps vs avg download speeds of major UK ISPs. To verify, see virginmedia.com/broadband/speeds. Virgin Fibre areas only. Availability of services from other major UK ISPs will differ from Virgin Media’s services.
Is wireless internet better than wired?
Wireless broadband offers the convenience of accessing the internet from any location in your home or on any device, providing more flexibility and mobility compared to a wired connection.
A wired connection, on the other hand, relies on a physical connection between your device and the router. Whilst this can provide faster speeds and high connectivity, a wired connection restricts users’ movements.
If you find you’re suffering from slower internet speeds in your home, it might be worth investing in a WiFi extender or booster. At Virgin Media, these are known as our WiFi Pods, part of our superstrong WiFi guarantee – promising download speeds of at least 20Mbps in every room, or £100 bill credit. Available at no extra cost for Gig1 Fibre Broadband and Volt customers.
FAQs
Yes, our WiFi Hubs are included in all our broadband deals at no extra cost. Simply plug in, turn on and get connected. Or, refer to our broadband setup page for a step-by-step guide.
Whether you get our Hub 3, 4 or 5 will depend on the broadband speed included in your WiFi deal.
All our WiFi Hubs come with a unique network security key, or WiFi password, to prevent unauthorised users from accessing your wireless network.
We know how important it is to feel safe online, which is why we offer all our customers the award-winning antivirus software ‘Virgin Media Internet Security’, powered by F-Secure on unlimited devices.
Find out more about Virgin Media Internet Security.
Whilst wireless routers do offer some benefits, including portability and simple set-up, they have drawbacks too, such as poor signal strength and being more susceptible to cyber-attacks.
At Virgin Media, our WiFi Hubs offer unlimited, lightning-fast broadband and 99.86% network reliability, so the whole household can scroll, meme and stream. We’ve also made setting up your broadband easy with our QuickStart self-installation kits. You simply plug the kit in, preferably somewhere out in the open, and connect! If QuickStart is unavailable to you, we’ll send out one of our technicians to get you setup instead. You find more information on this over on our broadband installation page.
To check the availability and speed of wireless broadband in your area, use our broadband postcode checker, or check directly with your internet service provider.
If you’re a Virgin Media customer, you can check how fast your current broadband connection is using our broadband speed test.
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*Monthly price shown will increase each April from April 2024 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. Doesn’t apply to Netflix Add to Bill add-on, Disney+ add-on, Lionsgate+ add-on, Stream Entertainment subscriptions or admin charges. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details.
No setup fee
This promotion means you won’t pay the usual setup fee of £35. No setup fee is available on all bundles, broadband & phone, and broadband only packages. If you can set up using a Self-Install pack, but choose to use an engineer for the installation, you’ll still be charged £30 for this service.
These prices are for new customers only.
Virgin Media services are only available in eligible Virgin Media network areas. TV 360 and home phone not currently available in 2022/23 network expansion areas.
All of the products on this page are subject to survey, network capacity and a credit check.
Each service has a minimum contract length that’s shown in your basket.
If you take a bundle with both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll have separate contracts and bills – one for Virgin Media, and another for O2.
- Offers are subject to eligibility and availability.
- Read the terms on the Priority app or at o2.co.uk/terms
Fastest WiFi guarantee of any major provider
Comparing WiFi guarantees of major UK ISPs. Terms of guarantee vary by provider. To verify click here. Virgin Fibre Areas only. Available with M50 broadband or faster. £8p/m extra or included with Gig1 or Volt. At least 30Mbps download speeds in every room or £100 one-off credit. Up to 3 WiFi Pods if needed. Excludes broadband faults and broadband network outages. Further exclusions & legal stuff apply.
UK’s fastest widely available broadband
Virgin Media Gig1 (average download speed 1130Mbps) vs fastest widely available average download speeds of UK ISPs. For verification see virginmedia.com/fast