Considering joining Brsk Broadband?
In this article, we’ve reviewed Brsk, based on their speeds, WiFi performance, router quality, customer service, and more, to see if they’re worth buying.
Let’s get started.
Contents
- Brsk overview
- Coverage
- Speeds
- Wi-Fi router
- Phone and TV packages
- Getting started with Brsk
- Customer service
- Value for money
- Verdict: should you join Brsk?
Brsk overview
Brsk is an independent full fibre broadband provider that operates separately from all of the other major UK broadband networks, such as BT and Virgin Media.
They have their own fibre infrastructure, offering ultrafast download speeds in certain parts of the UK.
Unlike some other small fibre providers, also known as altnets, Brsk also offers phone and cable TV add-ons you can choose to include, which we’ve discussed later in the article.
Currently, you can choose to join Brsk Broadband on a month to month or 24 month contract.
Coverage
Brsk’s coverage is unfortunately quite limited compared to providers like BT, Virgin Media, Sky, Hyperoptic, and Plusnet.
Currently, you can get their service in certain parts of Birmingham, Manchester, Stockport, Bradford, and Huddersfield, as well as some surrounding areas.
Also, their coverage has expanded recently, after their merger with Netomnia – another fibre provider.
To see if you can get Brsk Broadband, go to their website and put your postcode into their coverage checker.
Speeds
At the moment, Brsk has three different broadband speed tiers you can choose from:
- BetterNet150: 150 Mbps download and upload speed
- BetterNet500: 500 Mbps download and upload speed
- BetterNet1000: 900 Mbps download and upload speed
Brsk Broadband is very fast – especially their 500 and 900 Mbps ultrafast plans – and their packages offer plenty of bandwidth for most households, even if many people are online throughout the day.
Plus, you get symmetrical downloads and uploads with Brsk, meaning your download and upload speeds will be roughly the same.
This is quite rare with the bigger broadband providers – normally, your uploads will be a fair bit slower than your downloads.
Having symmetrical speeds is really helpful if you often upload large files, such as if you work from home on tasks like video editing, or if you’re a big social media user.
However, Brsk isn’t the fastest broadband provider on the market. In some areas, you can get download speeds of up to 2 Gbps (2,000 Mbps) with Virgin Media, or up to 1.6 Gbps with EE on the Openreach network.
Wi-Fi router
As a new Brsk customer, you’ll either get an Icotera i4850 or a Technicolor DGA0122 WiFi router.
These two routers are fairly similar, but unfortunately, their specs aren’t amazing.
Both come with four gigabit Ethernet ports, which is good, but the two routers only come with WiFi 5 compatibility.
This is an older WiFi standard than the WiFi 6 or WiFi 6E tech seen on some other providers’ routers at the moment.
With WiFi 5, your signal won’t be as strong over long distances, and your speeds normally drop off more quickly when faced with obstacles, such as internal walls.
To make up for this, Brsk offers a WiFi add-on, which they call BetterWiFi.
If you choose this add-on, during installation, their engineer will set up additional WiFi access points around the house, to help you get better signal.
They guarantee at least a download speed of at least 10 Mbps in each room, which isn’t very much given how expensive BetterWiFi is, so we wouldn’t recommend buying this add-on most of the time.
Instead, if you have a large house and are concerned about WiFi dead spots, it might be worth pairing your Brsk router with a mesh WiFi solution, to avoid adding an extra monthly fee to your bill.
Phone and TV packages
If you want to add a landline phone service to your broadband connection, Brsk is a great choice.
At a basic level, they offer the option to just add a home phone service, with pay as you go calls, for a reasonable monthly cost.
But if you want anytime calling included, they offer a package with inclusive landline minutes, as well as a more expensive option with inclusive landline and mobile calls, which is great.
Also, Brsk offers the option to get a TV box, which is quite rare from a small, independent broadband provider.
If you buy their BetterTV plan, you’ll get access to the Brsk streaming app, giving you the ability to watch on-demand shows, as well as access premium streaming services, like Netflix.
You’ll also be able to record live TV with the streaming box (although an external storage device is required, like a USB stick) and you can also login to other streaming services like Amazon Prime, to view on your TV.
Compared to cable TV options from the likes of EE or Virgin Media, Brsk BetterTV is less expensive, but it’s also quite basic.
You can’t get direct access to channels like TNT Sport or Sky Sports, unless you subscribe to their streaming services separately and add the apps on your TV box.
Learn more about Brsk BetterTV.
Getting started with Brsk
Beginning to use Brsk Broadband is sometimes a bit more complicated than switching to Plusnet, TalkTalk, or Sky.
Because Brsk has their own fibre network, which has probably never been connected to your house before, they might need to do a bit of work to get you up and running.
Here’s what normally happens.
- You place an order on brsk.co.uk. No need to let your old provider know you’re leaving – Brsk will do this for you.
- Brsk will contact you to arrange an installation date.
- On the day, a Brsk engineer will visit and set everything up. This will take a few hours, or a bit longer if you choose their BetterWiFi package.
- A few days later, your connection will go live (if it’s not live already) and you’ll begin being billed.
Essentially, the process is quite normal when upgrading your broadband connection, but it’s a bit more involved than switching between different BT Openreach providers – such as from Plusnet to Sky for example.
Generally, although it’s a bit annoying to have to stay at home for a few hours on the installation day, you should be able to get faster speeds for a cheaper price with Brsk Broadband, so it’s often worth the hassle.
Customer service
Brsk generally offers quite good customer service.
During the installation, their technicians tend to make a good effort to explain everything they’re doing, and the details of the equipment they’re installing.
And once live, speeds and WiFi performance are generally very consistent. Brsk doesn’t get anywhere near as many customer complaints as some other broadband companies, like Virgin Media.
Their support team is based in the UK, if you ever need help, and they generally answer the phone quickly.
Also, Brsk tends to pay quite close attention to their Trustpilot reviews, which means that if you ever do have a serious issue, they should be quick to resolve it.
Value for money
Brsk offers very good value for money, especially when compared to bigger fibre providers.
Their monthly costs are a lot lower than what you’re likely to see with companies like BT or Sky, when you compare their deals with similar download speeds.
Plus, there are no upfront fees with Brsk, even on their month to month plans. And on the 24 month deals, there are no mid-contract price rises, unlike with most other major ISPs.
The only issue with Brsk from a pricing point of view is their WiFi add-on is quite expensive, given what it is.
But if you just want broadband, potentially with a home phone service, Brsk’s monthly costs are very competitive.
Verdict: should you join Brsk?
Overall, we rate Brsk Broadband 4 out of 5.
They offer fast download and upload speeds, and very competitive monthly costs.
Their customer service is good, and their range of add-ons is quite impressive for an altnet fibre provider.
Also, you have the choice of a month to month contract with Brsk, which not many other broadband providers offer at the moment.
However, their coverage is quite limited, and the WiFi router they ship you isn’t as good as the WiFi 6 options available with certain other providers.
To learn more about Brsk and see if you can get their service where you live, visit their website.
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About the author
Tyler is the co-founder of Broadband Savvy. He has been helping people improve their broadband connectivity since 2018 by writing about fibre broadband and mobile broadband providers, as well as creating tutorials to help people improve their broadband speeds and Wi-Fi signal.
Tyler is responsible for the majority of buyer’s guides and broadband reviews published on Broadband Savvy. He has a wealth of experience testing and reviewing different broadband tariffs, including fibre internet plans, as well as 4G and 5G broadband deals. He is responsible for testing and evaluating Wi-Fi routers, performing speed and latency tests, and comparing the value for money of different broadband providers on the market in the UK.
Before co-founding Broadband Savvy, Tyler had a long history of tinkering with computers. He built his first PC at the age of 12, and since then, he’s become obsessed with all things networking and internet-related. He’s a massive gamer, loves Rocket League, and also plays Sunday League football.