British Telecommunication (BT) is one of the UK’s largest home internet providers. Recently the company ditched its old BT plus branding in favor of its new home internet offerings called BT Halo. It promises to give you unbreakable Wi-Fi, hub 2 router, home tech experts, full-fiber and double data on BT mobile. To have the benefits across BT mobile and BT broadband, you can choose between BT Halo 3 and BT Halo 3+. With BT Halo, you can get an unbreakable internet connection along with home tech experts and an end of contract price promise. Other than that, with an exclusive plan, you can also get unlimited data. On the contrary, Halo 3+ provides you with all the features of Halo 3 through Smart Hub 2 router and Hybrid Connect.
Here we will review the BT Halo reviews, including its plans and compare BT Halo 3 with BT Halo 3+. You can also have a closer look at BT Halo features before looking at the plans and alternatives from the other providers.
What Is BT Halo?
Halo is BT’s flagship pricing plan in the UK. It guarantees to provide the only unbreakable Wi-Fi connection to the UK residents along with several benefits added to their BT mobile and BT broadband plans.
If you are an existing BT broadband user, you can upgrade to BT Halo 3 for as minimum as £1, and this price can be more if you want to have all the features of the BT Halo 3+ package. However, if you are a new BT broadband customer, you can get a full-fibre broadband connection along with BT Hal0 3+. Currently, BT offers two different Halo packages i.e., BT Halo 3 and BT Halo 3+. Among these two BT Halo, 3+ is an advanced plan having more features such as hybrid connection, full fibre promise, Smart Hub 2 and complete Wi-Fi.
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BT Halo Packages
If you have signed up for BT Halos packages before 5th February 2021, you may find older packages there, which are as follows:
BT Halo 1 Reviews
It was previously known as the BT Plus package and now known as BT Halo 1. It offers a keep connected promise, double data on BT mobile and the price promise.
BT Halo 2 Reviews
It includes access to home tech experts, the Smart Hub 2 router, the price promise, keep connected promise and a double data plan on BT Mobile.
Both these packages also include customer support in the UK and Ireland. However, customer support is now available for all BT customers through a highly qualified and experienced customer support team.
Meanwhile, when you subscribe to BT Business broadband, things will work differently with BT Halo for Business. With this plan, instead of having regular benefits of BT Halo, you can get business-oriented features that include business IT support, 4G Assure, and static IP address.
Features Of BT Halo
Let us look at the details of BT halo features to understand it in a better way.
1. Home Tech Expert
With Halo 2, halo 3 and 3+, you will have access to home tech experts provided by Enjoy and Qube. Their experts can come to visit you in your home to help you with the setup of BT products. Experts will visit you in the following three situations:
- When you are a new subscriber of BT broadband with a Halo plan or upgrade to a Halo plan.
- When adding some new products from BT, such as BT complete wifi or BT TV.
- After every twelve months, BT provides you with an annual BT Home health check. A technical expert will visit your home to ensure the setup of BT products are correct and whether there is a need for improvement, such as improvement in internal wiring or changing the position of your router.
The home tech expert is also sent to your home if there is any problem with your home broadband service. You can get an appointment with the home tech expert 7 days a week, and you will be provided with a two hours window to minimise the waiting.
However, keep in mind that the home tech expert option is not available with BT Halo 1.
2. Smart Hub 2 Router
If you subscribe for BT Halo 2, BT Halo 3 or 3+, you will get a Smart Hub 2 router rather than having BT’s regular BT smart hub. One benefit of having a Smart Hub 2 Router is that it has an improved wifi performance as compared to the original Smart Hub. Moreover, it supports BT wifi control features which means you can stop the wifi connection of specific devices for a specific time whenever you want. So, for example, it can help to disconnect wifi from your children’s devices at night or at mealtime.
If you do not want to upgrade your broadband connection to Halo, you can purchase a Smart Hub 2 Router separately. On the contrary, if you sign up for complete wifi service or BT’s Hybrid Connect, you will receive a Smart Hub 2 Router instead of a regular smart hub router. However, it is not available with Plus, which is now known as BT Halo 1.
3. Hybrid Connect
A Hybrid Connect will be included in your plan when you choose a Halo 3+ package. It provides you with unbreakable wifi for your home along with a backup for your fibre broadband connection powered by EE’s 4G network.
The BT Smart Hub 2 router works with the Hybrid connect, and if a fault occurs in your broadband connection, the Hybrid Connect network automatically kicks in within 90 seconds. In this way, all your devices remain connected without the need of transferring to another wifi or changing password. If you are changing your home, you can use Hybrid Connect to get online before your broadband connection is installed. Remember that Hybrid Connect is only available with the BT Halo 3+, but you can get it separately with your BT Broadband plan by paying an extra £7 per month.
4. Complete wifi
When you choose the BT Halo 3+ plan, you will also get BT’s Complete wifi service with it. It provides you with a guaranteed wifi connection in each room of your home with a 10Mbps minimum download speed. It is made possible by using mesh networking technology and using 3 wifi discs from BT and Smart Hub 2 Router. It guarantees a minimum speed of 10 Mbps in every room of your home, and if you are unable to get this speed, you can get £100 back from the company.
The complete wifi service is not added in the BT Halo 1, BT Halo 2 and BT Halo 3 plans. However, if you want, you can add this service to any of your BT broadband plans. You can add it by paying £10 per month.
5. Full Fibre Promise
Currently, BT full-fibre service is available in more than 4 million UK homes. BT’s fibre optics is different from regular fibre broadband and reaches your homes by using Fibre-to-the-premises technology. While the regular broadband fibre optic connection is provided through a cabinet near your home, it is called Fiber-to-the-cabinet broadband or FTTC broadband.
FTTP provides a faster download speed (up to 900Mbps) as compared to regular fibre broadband. You can enjoy the benefits of more capacity and a service that is reliable than conventional broadband. If you are a BT Halo 3 customer, your connection will get an upgrade to full-fibre without as soon as it becomes available in your area. In this case, you do not have to pay any extra cost or sign up for a new contract.
6. Price Promise
When your contract with BT broadband ends, there is a usual increase of £8 per month until you renew your contract or sign up for a new plan for the next 24 months. However, with a BT Halo plan, the increase of £8 per month does not apply. You will have a benefit of price promise according to which your bill remains the same without any increase. When you renew your contract, you will never need to pay more than a new customer. You must keep in mind that the price promise only applies to the £8 per month increase and not to the annual increase in BT’s price to all its mobile and broadband customers.
7. Keep Connected Promise
No matter which BT Halo plan you have subscribed to, you will get a keep connected promise with every plan. It helps you keep connected even when your broadband service goes down or when shifting home and waiting to transfer your broadband service. Keep connected promise works according to your plan and work through either 4G Mini Hub or Hybrid Connect.
When you have BT Halo 1,2, or 3, the keep connected promise works through 4G Mini Hub. It is a pocket sized mobile broadband that allows you to connect up to 20 devices with a 4G mobile broadband connection. When needed, a 4G Mini Hub is delivered to you by post without any charges. It normally arrived at your place the next day. A 4G Mini Hub provides you with unlimited data until your fibre broadband service issue is resolved.
With the BT Halo 3+ plan, the keep connected promise is provided through the Hybrid Connect. Whenever there is an issue with your broadband connection, Hybrid Connect Will automatically kicks in. there is no need to request a 4G Mini hub in this case.
8. Double Data On Mobile
Being a BT Halo customer, you will get double data on all handsets and SIM cards through a contract from BT Mobile. Other than that, you will also be able to get a BT Mobile unlimited data SIM card. With this, you can make unlimited UK calls through your BT landline. Furthermore, this SIM card allows you to have data from 2GB to unlimited at a cost starting from £6 to £20 for 24 months. For more flexibility, BT also offers a 12 months plan that starts from £7 per month.
BT Halo Alternatives
Although BT Halo offers a lot of benefits, some people may find it very expensive. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to BT Halo, you can consider following broadband service providers.
- superfast 2
- Sky superfast
- Fibre 65
- NOW super fibre
- EE fibre plus
- Superfast fibre plus
The broadband services of the providers mentioned above start from £21.95 per month.
How Can You Switch To BT Broadband?
Suppose you are using the broadband services from any other provider and want to switch to BT broadband with BT Halo. It is a straightforward process starting with ordering BT broadband plans with Halo. When you do this, you will be given the option of keeping your existing home phone number during the order process.
When you order for BT broadband service, a switchover date is given to you that is typically between 2 to 3 weeks. In advance during the switching process, BT will send you a Smart Hub 2 Router. It is needed to set up your service once the switching over. If you subscribe to the BT Halo 3+ plan, you can use Hybrid Connect in the meantime to get online before your BT broadband service starts.
However, if you also want to switch your mobile phone service over BT Mobile, the process will be different from keeping your existing phone number.
Does BT Halo Worth It?
Whether BT Halo is worthwhile for you or not depends on how much you use its special features such as Complete wifi and Hybrid Connect. According to BT, their BT Halo 3+ include services that are worth £468 for a 24-month contract.
What Are the BT Mobile Benefits With BT Halo?
If you are a BT Halo customer, you can get more benefits on your BT Mobile. For example, you will get double mobile data, and you are allowed to choose their no limit plan and 5G if you live in a 5G area. Furthermore, you can share these benefits with other BT Mobile users in your home.
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