Second Line Broadband: A Dedicated Broadband Connection For Work & Entertainment

Getting a second broadband connection for working from home or for streaming from the internet can allow you to stay online without interruptions.

If you’ve recently been spending more time at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, you may have found that the demand on your home broadband service has dramatically increased. It’s possible that your home broadband service is now being used by more people, with more devices connected to the internet streaming and downloading at the same time.

A second home broadband connection can allow you to work from home without interruptions. It can also be used for things like streaming, downloading or gaming on a separate broadband connection. In addition, it gives you a backup in case either broadband service goes down so you’ll be able to stay online and connected, whatever happens.

In this article, we’ll look at how you can get a second broadband connection added and how you can use it for working from home, streaming, downloading or gaming. We’ll then look at how 4G home broadband and 5G home broadband allow you to get an extra broadband connection with minimal hassle and cost.

What is Second Line Broadband?

In the UK, there are multiple reasons why you might want to have a second home broadband service:

• Have a separate broadband connection that’s dedicated for working, streaming, downloading or gaming. For instance, you can dedicate one of the broadband connections for working from home. That would mean your business calls and meetings would never be interrupted by other users (e.g. someone else watching videos in 4K or playing games online on their console).
• Get extra bandwidth and capacity. With a second separate home broadband service, you’ll be able to do more things online at the same time. You’ll have the bandwidth of both broadband services at your disposal.
• Get faster broadband in a garden office or outbuilding. If you’re working from a garden office or accessing the internet from an outbuilding, you might be relying on a poor Wi-Fi signal. Instead, you can get a second broadband connection that goes directly to your garden office or outbuilding, allowing you to benefit from a faster and more reliable connection when you’re there.
• Have a backup connection so you’ll always be connected to the internet. If you have two separate home broadband connections, you’ll remain connected to the internet even when there’s an issue with either connection. Simply switch over to the other connection and you’ll be back online straight away.

There are two ways of getting a second home broadband service. You can either get another fixed-line broadband service installed or you can add a separate 4G or 5G home broadband service.

If you want another fixed-line broadband service, you’ll need to get another phone line or cable installed to your home. This will involve an engineer visit to install the new line and to place a new master socket somewhere inside of your home. Only some ISPs will allow you to have a second broadband line installed and you’ll normally need to call them up to enquire about the service.

The easier and faster alternative is getting a 4G or 5G home broadband service. You can set this up without an engineer visit and it can give you a second home broadband connection in as little as one working day. It also doesn’t impact your current home broadband connection.

Three 4G & 5G Broadband

The easiest and fastest way to get a second home broadband connection is using either 4G home broadband or 5G home broadband. There are a number of significant advantages to doing this, instead of getting a second fixed-line broadband service:

• There’s no need to get another phone line or cable installed. If you want a second fixed-line broadband connection, an engineer will need to visit your home to set up the new service. This may involve a variety of works such as digging up part of your front garden to install a new line and installing a new master socket somewhere inside your home.
• You can order it online and get next working day delivery. With 4G and 5G broadband, you can order your new service online and receive it on the next working day. If you want a second fixed-line connection, you’ll need to contact your internet provider by phone to order it. You’ll then need to wait for an engineer visit to set up the service.
• With 4G & 5G broadband, there’s a simple plug-and-play setup. When you receive your 4G or 5G broadband hub, you simply need to plug it in and it’ll be ready to use.
• There’s more flexibility with where you set it up. You can set up your 4G or 5G broadband hub wherever you like (e.g. you can place it directly inside your garden office, or on the other end of the home from your existing broadband router). With fixed-line broadband, you’re normally restricted in where you can place your broadband router (e.g. it normally needs to be close to where the phone line or cable enters your property).
• It runs on a totally separate network so gives you a better backup connection. If you have two fixed-line broadband connections, they can be affected by the same issue (e.g. damage to the line, telephone pole or street cabinet). As 4G and 5G broadband uses a totally separate network, it won’t be affected by the same factors that affect your fixed-line broadband connection.

4G Broadband

As a special offer, you can currently get Three’s 4G home broadband with unlimited downloads for just £20/month (reduced from the normal price of £22/month when you buy through this link).

It’s available on a choice of either a 24-month contract, a 12-month contract or a 1-month contract if you want extra flexibility:

Network	Data Allowance	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
Three 4G Hub	Unlimited Data	24 month contract	£0	£20/month with 3 months free
Three 4G Hub	Unlimited Data	12 month contract	£0	£25/month
Three 4G Hub	Unlimited Data	1 month contract	£28	£30/month

In addition, you can add a smart device like the Amazon Echo Show 5 or the Google Nest Audio for a few pounds extra each month.

5G Broadband

Meanwhile, if you’re living in a postcode that has access to Three’s 5G broadband service, you can get unlimited 5G home broadband from £20/month.

5G home broadband gives you average download speeds in excess of 100Mbps, with peak download speeds of up to 1,000Mbps (1Gbps) in some locations.

This is available on either a 24-month contract or a 12-month contract:

Network	Data Allowance	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
Three 5G Hub	Unlimited Data	24 month contract	£0	£20/month with 3 months free
Three 5G Hub	Unlimited Data	1 month contract	£0	£24/month

To find out whether 4G and 5G broadband services are available at your address, enter your postcode on the Three Broadband website to check:

Check Three Broadband Availability →

For more information, you can also read our Three 4G broadband review and our Three 5G broadband review.

More Information

For more information about Three’s 4G or 5G broadband service, please see their official website.

For more information about how to get a second line from a fixed broadband provider, you’ll need to contact them directly to enquire about this.