Business Broadband at Home

Can you get business broadband at home?

Yes. BT's own answer is that you can get business broadband at home if you run your business from your home, and it gives the example of someone who is self-employed and uses their home as their office. The broadband is installed at the home address in the same way as at business premises, on whichever access type the address has:

• Full Fibre (FTTP): fibre all the way to the property, with BT tiers from 100 to 900Mbps and gigabit plans at some addresses. See BT Business Full Fibre.
• Standard Fibre (SOGEA): fibre to the street cabinet, then copper, sold as Standard Fibre 38 and 76. See SOGEA.
• Copper broadband: up to 17Mbps where fibre is not yet available.

Full Fibre and Standard Fibre need no phone line. We can check availability at your address before you decide anything.

When business broadband at home is worth it

A household broadband plan is fine for plenty of home-based work. Business broadband earns its place when one of these applies to you:

• Clients or income depend on the connection. If an outage means missed calls, missed deadlines or a lost day's billing, BT's Hybrid Backup switches you to 4G automatically when the line fails. It is included with Enhanced and Pro and can be added to Essential.
• You need a fixed address on the internet. A static IP lets you reach a home server, NAS or cameras remotely, or lets a client's system allow your connection in. One is included with Enhanced and Pro.
• You want business fault-fix levels. BT's Standard Care targets a fix by the end of the second working day after a fault is reported, and Prompt Care targets the end of the next working day, including Saturdays. BT's Customer Service Compensation Scheme covers missed fix targets, on BT's terms.
• You want a minimum guaranteed speed. BT tells you the minimum speed it guarantees at your address before the service starts, with a right to exit if it falls short and BT cannot fix it. See the minimum speed guarantee.
• You want business and family use kept apart. A business account keeps the broadband in the business's name, and on Pro, Wi-Fi Security Controls let you group devices and control which ones join and when.
• Clients visit your home office. BT's password-free guest Wi-Fi is included on every plan and stays separate from your own network.

For a fuller side-by-side, see business broadband vs home broadband.

Which BT plan suits a home business?

Most home businesses land on one of the first two plans:

One point on garden offices and outbuildings: BT's Complete Wi-Fi Plus guarantee covers the main building only, not outbuildings. If your office is at the bottom of the garden, tell us at quote stage so we can talk through the options rather than assume the Wi-Fi will reach.

Speed for working from home

Working from home puts more weight on upload speed than most people expect. Video calls, sending large files, cloud backup and screen sharing all push data up the line, while the household may be streaming at the same time. The upload you get depends on the access type:

If Full Fibre is available at your address, it is usually the one to look at for a home business with video-heavy or file-heavy work. Our guide to what broadband speed your business needs helps you size it by what you actually do, and how to run a speed test explains how to measure what you get today. Before you order, BT gives you an estimate and the minimum speed it guarantees at the address.

Phones for a home business

Many home businesses want a business number that is not the family landline or a personal mobile. BT no longer sells traditional phone lines, and BT says all traditional lines will be switched off by January 2027, so the options are digital:

• A BT Digital Line: BT's Cloud Voice Express digital line can be bundled with BT Business Broadband (except Ultra). You can use it on the Cloud Voice Express app on your mobile or on a BT-supplied handset. See broadband and phone and BT Cloud Voice Express.
• BT Cloud Voice: a full cloud phone system if the business has several people or needs call routing. See BT Cloud Voice.

Digital lines do not work in a power cut, so keep a charged mobile for emergencies. If anything in the house still relies on the old phone line, such as a telecare alarm or a burglar alarm, check it before the switch: see the PSTN switch-off and your broadband.

Employers equipping home workers

Some employers want staff working from home to have a dependable, business-managed connection rather than relying on their household broadband. Business broadband at an employee's home raises questions a home-based owner does not face: whose name the account is in, who is the contact on site for installation, what happens when the employee leaves, and whether BT's terms allow it at that address. We confirm those against BT's terms before you order rather than assume.

There are often simpler answers. A cloud phone system such as BT Cloud Voice lets staff take business calls on an app over any connection, and a static IP at the office lets you allow home workers in through a VPN. If you are weighing up connections for several home workers, tell us what they need to do and we will suggest the most sensible route.

Getting connected at home

The order and installation follow the same process as at business premises:

1. We check the address. Full Fibre, Standard Fibre or copper, the speed tiers on offer and BT's minimum guaranteed speed.
2. You choose the plan and add-ons. We explain what each adds for a home business and confirm the quote.
3. BT switches or installs. If you are moving from another provider, BT handles the switch, usually with a short time offline on the day; see switching. For a new installation, BT says activation usually takes around 14 working days, and the available dates are shown when the order is placed. See installation.
4. You set up the hub. For a self-install, BT says the service is active by 23:59 on the agreed date. With Hybrid Backup, BT says you can be connected on 4G while you wait for the broadband to be activated.

We handle the order with you, help with the installation date and answer set-up questions along the way. Contact us for a quote for your home address.