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Top Broadband Tips When Moving Home or Business
Internet connectivity is becoming an increasingly important factor for home and business owners as and when they decide to move. The move towards working from home means that good broadband coverage is even more essential for householders, while commercial organisations can ill afford to be offline for any length of time.
Hamiltons Removals are a leading Norfolk removal company, who are able to offer high-quality packages for both domestic and commercial clients. Here we look at the six broadband-related steps you should be taking before you move.
Prepare Early
As with so many things, it pays off if you sort this type of problem out early on because you don’t want to be relying on your mobile phone for all your internet coverage – especially if you have data limits that could easily be exceeded.
While it may be as simple as plugging in your new router, you may need a new line. In such cases, estimates show that the major providers take between one and two weeks to get customers set up in their new property – and you don’t want this to be any longer than necessary.
Check With Your Current Provider
Do they provide coverage in your new area, and at your specific property? There are also a number of useful online sites that you can use to check this as well.
Another important question, as touched on in the last point is – has the home or premises had internet before? Increasingly for both domestic and commercial properties, the answer is now ‘yes’. However, if it hasn’t, will you need to install a new line and prepare accordingly.
Check with New Providers
It may also be worth checking with other providers if they have better coverage in your new area, particularly if it’s a rural one. If their coverage is better, or if your current provider won’t operate in your new home or business location, then consider switching.
However, there may be cancellation fees involved, so this will need to be factored into the overall cost of the move, as well as possible time delays. The COVID pandemic has also made it a lot more difficult for broadband providers to offer a full and prompt service.
You May Not Have Much Choice
Remember that in some new-build flats and neighbourhoods, there are what are known as ‘micro monopolies’ in place. This is where all the broadband services are provided exclusively by one company, and you don’t have any choice.
The good news is, particularly in flats in urban areas, these tend to be pretty much state-of-the-art, so you don’t have to worry about the quality of the coverage.
What About Tenants?
If you are moving into a leasehold flat, then check with your landlord well in advance what the situation is. If you will be paying the bills directly to the supplier, then you can make your own checks as to who provides the best or cheapest service.
However, if you will pay your broadband bills through your landlord, then it’s usually their responsibility to change provider, and you won’t be able to. Don’t let this put you off asking them, though, particularly if you think it could save you some money.
Business Coverage
With businesses, the whole process could take considerably longer because there could be a lot more services involved. For instance, BT asks for a minimum of 10 days’ notice if customers want their business broadband service operating on the same day as their phone line. They also warn that it could take up to 26 days for a single line transfer if an engineer is needed and it’s during a period of poor weather.
The major providers all have dedicated business departments who will be able to help. Whoever you choose, get in touch as early as practicably possible. It may also help if you try to get your new premises IT operational before you move out of your old one.
Domestic and Commercial Moves With Hamiltons Removals
Norfolk removal company Hamiltons Removals have many years of experience in organising domestic and commercial removals to Suffolk, Norfolk, all parts of East Anglia, and beyond.
With business moves, we will liaise with your company’s IT department (if you have dedicated staff) to make sure all your PCs, laptops, tablets, printers, faxes and photocopiers are all carefully packaged and transported using specialist materials and vehicles. And, we will also take equal care of any domestic high-tech equipment, whether it’s for an individual move or part of an employee relocation.
To learn more about our specialist IT service for businesses, follow this link and fill in the online contact form. You can also call us on 01379 855203 for any queries about domestic or commercial moves.
Top Tips for an Autumn Declutter
Most people think that spring is the best time for a declutter, with many people opting to have a clear out so they can combine it with a good old-fashioned spring clean. However, in many ways, early autumn is just as good a time – particularly now that the school holidays ae over.
Hamiltons Removals offer a wide range of packing materials to customers in Norfolk, Suffolk and across East Anglia, and we have now brought out three different ranges that are ideal for those considering having a domestic clearout. Here are some of the items which ought to be prime candidates for an autumn declutter.
Select the School Stuff
Autumn also means the start of the new school year. So why not make sure your child has plenty of room in their wardrobe and desk?
You can start by getting rid of all the old school books they won’t need any more. For example, maybe they have stopped studying that particular subject. The same can be said for their uniforms that don’t fit them any longer. While you are at it, why not get rid of all the old toys that they have probably outgrown as well.
If they won’t do it themselves, point out the financial benefits of selling their old things on eBay or similar sites and what they could potentially do with this money. If they can’t bear to part with a number of items or they want to pass them down to siblings or children of their own, then why not put these into self-storage? That way, extra space is still created, and the beloved items remain safe and can be collected at any time.
Don’t Forget Your Own Clothes
It’s not just school uniforms that may have outlived their usefulness – so might some of yours and your children’s casual summer wear. You can create space in your drawers by getting rid of lighter summer clothing. Swimwear (and other summer sporting gear and equipment) may also be candidates for the autumn declutter.
Past its Sell-By Date?
Go through all your foodstuffs, particularly things that have been pushed to the back of cupboards and forgotten about. It is worth remembering that cosmetics have a limited shelf life as well, so go through the bathroom cabinets and get rid of anything that has expired. In the same vein, cleaning products can also have a limited shelflife
Autumn isn’t exactly the prime party season (there are no summer barbecues or festive parties on the calendar), so now is as good a time as any to have a stocktake and clearout.
Clear Out the Garden
The barbecues themselves can probably be put away for another year, as can garden furniture. There’s fewer hours of sunshine in which to use them, particularly now that the children are back at school and you are back at work. You may also be able to put the lawnmower away for another year, having given the grass its final cut.
Packing Materials from Norfolk-based Hamiltons Removals
Whenever and whatever you want to declutter, Hamiltons Removals are the people to call. We have a range of small, medium and large moving and decluttering kits, so however big your clearout is, we have you covered. These include a number of strong, double-walled boxes, marker pens, tape and bubble wrap.
And if you can’t decide whether to sell or give away something, or maybe you know, as in the case of clothes, etc., you know you will be using again, we offer personal storage for customers across East Anglia.
Our Harleston unit has a range of rooms of different sizes and is suitable for smaller items, while our Aldeby site is ideal for larger items, including boats, caravans and motorbikes, and lawnmowers. Both sites are fully secure with CCTV cameras and are both easily accessible for users and highly secure.
If you would like to know more, contact us on 01379 855203.